Brian Daley

Executive Vice President

Brian Daley has over 16 years of professional financial markets/services experience.

He began his career in finance as a Senior Equities Trader for KTG, a private quantitative trading and technology firm. During his time with KTG he designed, managed, and executed algorithmic trading strategies, actively traded NYSE/Nasdaq securities exchanges, and worked with software engineers to develop the firms proprietary trading platform.

Prior to joining Investment Grade Advisory, he served as Managing Director for a national middle market M&A Advisory firm. During his 10 year tenure he advised hundreds of business owners across 15 vertical markets on M&A, growth, and exit strategy.

He graduated with a BS from College of Charleston in 2001 and earned his (Series 7,63,55 licenses) in 2005.

Joseph Vinar

Analyst

Joseph Vinar is an Analyst with Investment Grade Advisory. His primary responsibilities include supporting principals in client service and execution of assessments through conducting industry and company research, preparing financial analyses, and facilitating due diligence. Joseph is from Chapel Hill, NC and graduated magna cum laude from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in Computer Science. Outside of the office, he enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time with friends and family.

Zane Tarence

Advisory Board

Zane is a partner and managing director of Founders Advisors, a merger & acquisition firm serving middle-market companies with offices in Birmingham, Dallas and Houston. The firm works with owners in a wide variety of industries but focuses on oil and gas, industrials, media, healthcare and Zane’s specialty: technology.

Zane brings a unique perspective to his investment banking practice. Before joining Founders, Zane was a leader in IBM’s internet consulting practice in the Southeast and the founder of two technology businesses which he sold to publicly traded companies. He knows from personal experience the challenge and the joy of running and selling successful companies. Since joining Founders, he and his team have orchestrated more than 80 tech-related deals with institutional buyers.

As an expert in the growth and monetization of internet technology and software companies, Zane is a popular public speaker. He has conducted over 50 workshops across the U.S. and Canada for academics and business owners through Vistage, Convene and industry-sponsored events. He is also the founder of Silicon Y’all, a SaaS and internet summit where successful owners and professional investors share insights, best practices and southern hospitality.

Zane is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and a graduate of both Auburn University (undergraduate degree in business administration) and Southern Christian University (a master’s degree in organizational management). He holds Series 79, 63 and 24 securities licenses.

Zane is active in his community as a board member of Reliance Financial Group, Birmingham Venture Club, Inner Circle Sessions, and Digital Media Holdings. Zane is an active volunteer for several non-profit organizations, including Route 1520 Ministries, Family Dynamic and Church of the Highlands, Birmingham. He serves on the Samford University’s Brock School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board.

He and his wife Jamie are the proud parents of three daughters and one son-in-law.

Wesley Legg

Advisory Board

Wesley Legg is the President and Chief Compliance Officer at Founders Advisors with the primary responsibility of daily operational oversight and improvement in order to continue building out the Founders platform for scalable growth.

Prior to joining Founders, Wesley was an original member and a partner at Ergon Capital, a Nashville-based hedge fund in operation from 2004 until 2009. As a senior investment analyst within the firm, he generated profits of greater than $50 million and was responsible for establishing its training program for analysts. Wesley’s consistent contribution to the organization enabled the launch and ongoing success of Ergon’s charitable fund, the Ergates Foundation.

Additionally, Wesley co-founded Harbinger Media Partners in 2009, and served as Chief Operating Officer and Producer of Harbinger’s first feature film, Unconditional. Unconditional was released in theaters in September 2012. The film scored high marks from top critics and received an NAACP Image Award Nomination for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture. While with Harbinger, he managed a team of over 80 people and a multi-million dollar operation and marketing budget.

Wesley started his career serving as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) prosecutor for the Navy from 2001-2004. He handled over 100 cases during his term of service for the country, maintaining a perfect record of guilty verdicts while never losing a jury trial. In addition to criminal prosecution, Wesley advised warship Captains and Admirals responsible for tens of thousands service men and women on US Navy regulations, non-judicial punishment, and US law.

Wesley graduated from the University of South Alabama in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama in 2001. Wesley holds Series 79, 63, and 24 securities licenses. Wesley is a mentor and advocate for urban youth through the Aspire Movement and in partnership with Cornerstone Schools of Alabama. He is an active member of CrossPoint Church. Wesley resides in Trussville with his wife Amy and their four children Max, Ava, Sam, and John Wesley.

Duane Donner

Advisory Board

Founder and CEO of Founders Advisors, Duane is an accomplished entrepreneur and business advisor with over 20-years of experience in the Mergers and Acquisition advisory service industry.  He leads a team of over 30 talented and skilled M&A professionals across 3 offices and 6 practice teams focused on serving clients with excellence in a relational values based approach summarized best by the “Golden Rule Plus” to “Treat others better than you would expect to be treated”.

Duane began his career as a project engineer for Global Industries, an industry-leading oil and gas offshore construction company. During his tenure at Global, the company made several strategic acquisitions and completed a successful IPO. Duane’s exposure to the tremendous growth and success that Global Industries realized through M&A and its ultimate IPO, encouraged him to pursue entrepreneurism and ultimately a career as an M&A advisor. In 1995 after completing his MBA, Duane successfully started a branded food manufacturing and distribution company that he expanded through a subsequent strategic acquisition and eventually sold. This experience provided him first-hand experience with the intricate details involved in owning, growing, acquiring, and preparing a business for a liquidity event. After selling his company, Duane partnered with a large regional CPA firm to launch a mergers and acquisition practice group from the ground up. His experiences eventually led him to the opportunity to start Founders in 2003 and focus on M&A advisory by using a values-based relationship-driven process approach to serving clients, defined as the Founders Way.

Duane received his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette and his M.B.A. from the University of Alabama’s Manderson Graduate School of Business. He holds his Series 79 and 63 securities licenses.

Duane also served as a Platoon Leader in a Mechanized Infantry Brigade. During his military tenure, he attended Army Basic Training, Inf. Basic Course, Officer Candidate School, Inf. Officer Basic Course and Bradley’s Commander Course.

Currently, Duane is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), and he serves on the boards of several operating companies including: Integrity Industries, Louisiana Marine Operators, Lakehomes.com, and Spartan Energy LLC.

Duane serves on several community-based ministry boards including Highlands College and Bridge2Rwanda. He has been actively involved in lay leadership at Church of the Highlands since 2001. Duane also founded the Heritage Forum in  2016 to help inspire, educate and equip high capacity leaders to reach their full God given potential in the area of Heritage and Legacy.

Duane is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana and is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys wing shooting and coastal fishing. He and his wife, Amy live in Birmingham.  They have three daughters, two sons-in-laws, four grandchildren and two hunting dogs.