Michael A. Lonergan

Michael Lonergan works with Georgia Oak’s partner companies to grow revenue, while also evaluating new investment opportunities. Michael’s Georgia roots helped shape our mission and commitment to promoting economic growth and sustainability throughout the state.

Prior to founding Georgia Oak, Michael was Vice President of Private Equity for Strategic Value Partners (SVP), a global hedge fund. Based in London, Michael led the diligence efforts on control buyout transactions and evaluated credit investments for SVP’s “loan to own” strategy.

Before joining SVP, Michael was with Sun European Partners in London and Sun Capital Partners in Boca Raton, Fla. Sun Capital is one of the world’s most active turnaround private equity investors. While at Sun Capital, he evaluated and facilitated control buyout investments.

Early in his career, Michael worked at the Atlanta offices of Houlihan Lokey and Wells Fargo’s asset-based lending group (legacy Wachovia Bank).

Michael is a proud Board member at Families First, a non-profit organization providing adoption and foster care support, family counseling, housing assistance and other empowering services to vulnerable families across metro Atlanta.

Michael received a B.B.A., cum laude, in Finance and Management from the Terry College of Business at The University of Georgia. He is an active alumnus of the Beta-Lambda chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He enjoys working out, tennis, boxing, Georgia Bulldog football and weekend trips to his hometown of St. Simons Island.

Michael lives in Atlanta with his wife Jacqueline, their son Jordan and their dogs Lizzy and Murray. Jacqueline serves as Chief Operating Officer for Medic Mobile, a San Francisco-based non-profit that uses communication technologies to improve the health of under-served and disconnected communities.

Doug Fisher

Doug Fisher provides hands-on operational support and financial supervision within our partner/portfolio companies.

He has over 10 years of experience assisting organizations with accounting, finance and operations management, with a focus on performance improvement and business transformation projects. Additionally, Doug is involved in deal sourcing, investment evaluation, due diligence and transaction execution.

Before joining Georgia Oak, Doug served as the Director of Finance for an Atlanta technology & business services company. Doug directed all aspects of finance and operations, while also working closely with the sales & marketing team to achieve growth objectives.

Doug received his M.B.A. from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, earned a Masters of Accountancy from the Terry College of Business at The University of Georgia, and also holds Accounting & Business Administration degrees from the College of Charleston.

Doug is a member of the Atlanta chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) and was selected to participate in the 2016 ACG University Atlanta program. He is active in a number of charitable and community organizations and also volunteers with the Atlanta Technology Angels investor group.

Doug’s interests include golf, international travel, the Green Bay Packers, and spending time with his family. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Danielle, their children Grace, Luke and Juliette, and their dog Rosie. Danielle is the Director of E-commerce Strategy and Planning at Coca-Cola.

Tricia Forbes

Tricia Forbes spearheads Georgia Oak’s communications and promotes topline revenue growth for our partner companies. She has a diverse background, with experience in traditional and new media, marketing, communications, advertising and strategic development.

As a reporter for WAFF 48 NBC News in Huntsville, Ala., Tricia reported live on the weekday morning show and covered a variety of news stories ranging from operations at Redstone Arsenal to the aftermath of devastating tornadoes. Subsequently, she worked with K-12 and higher education nonprofit organizations supporting community involvement programs, strategic partnerships and fundraising. Since joining Georgia Oak Partners in late 2015, Tricia has led the firm’s communications and worked closely with our partner companies on all facets of digital and print marketing and advertising, branding, public relations and comprehensive sales and marketing strategy.

Tricia is a graduate of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). She enjoys practicing yoga, visiting family in her hometown of Destin, Fla. and taking her dog Chloe to the park. Tricia lives in Midtown Atlanta.

Darren Miller

Darren Miller develops new Georgia Oak investment partnerships with company owners and management teams. He also contributes operational support for our partner companies and assists on investment diligence.

For over 12 years he has been implementing market driven operational and communication strategies for organizations in healthcare, real estate, digital marketing, IT and private equity.

Prior to joining Georgia Oak, Darren co-founded and served as the COO of Elite Crowdfund, an online equity crowdfunding platform which raised early stage capital for startups. He managed all of the day-to-day operations of the platform and provided support in deal sourcing, investor relations, due diligence and deal execution.

Darren is a graduate of the Terry College of Business at The University of Georgia. An Atlanta native, he enjoys wake surfing, wake boarding, travel and is an avid golfer. He and his wife Julie reside in Peachtree Corners with their son Truett and daughter Zoe.

A. D. Frazier

A.D. Frazier has spent his entire 35-year career as an executive manager in the for-profit, not-for-profit and government sectors. His career has included extensive involvement with corporate and consumer lending, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, strategic planning, corporate governance, human resource management and marketing.

A.D.’s executive leadership roles have included serving as the Chief Operating Officer and second in command of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, President and Chief Executive Officer of INVESCO, Inc., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Danka Business Systems, Chairman of the Board of Gold Kist, Inc., President and Chief Operating Officer of Caremark Rx, Inc, and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Stock Exchange. His board membership experience includes Apache Corporation, Gevity, Inc., Rock Tenn Corp., and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., among others.

He has served on a number of not-for-profit boards including The National Council on the Humanities (Presidential Appointee), The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Board (Chairman), Georgia Public Television Commission (First Chairman), the Alliance Theater (Atlanta, GA), Georgia Board of Corrections, Evanston Hospital Corporation (Chairman of Finance Committee) (Evanston, IL), Neighborhood Housing Services of Atlanta (First Chairman) and NHS of Chicago. He also served in the Carter Administration (Office of Management and Budget).

A.D. has received numerous professional and civic awards, some of which include The Olympic Order in Gold (only COO to receive the IOC’s highest service award), Georgia Trend Magazine’s Most Influential Georgians, (1995-1996) and Honorary Doctor of Business Administration (Piedmont College). In 2008, he was recognized with the Georgia Distinguished Humanitarian Award by The Australian/New Zealand American Chamber of Commerce (ANZACC) and UNICEF.

A.D. received an AB and JD from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and he completed his Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He is a member of the North Carolina Bar, the American Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association, the Georgia Bar Association, the Atlanta Bar Association, and the Association for Conflict Resolution. He served for six years as an officer in the US Army Reserve.

He and his wife, Clair Wofford Frazier are residents of Atlanta and Mineral Bluff, GA. Mrs. Frazier is a Trustee of Young Harris College.

David Barr

David Barr is currently Chairman of Your Pie, an investment partnership of Georgia Oak Partners. In addition, he sits on the Board of Directors of Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group (a NASDAQ restaurant company), BrightStar Care (a franchisor of home healthcare agencies), The Spice & Tea Exchange (a franchisor of spice and tea retail shops), Capriotti’s Sandwich Shops, Inc. (a franchisor of premium sandwich shops), Bistro Group (a large franchisee of TGI Friday’s), and PMTD Restaurants LLC (a franchisee of KFC).

Barr was previously the Chairman of Rita Restaurant Corp. (the owner and operator of Don Pablo’s Mexican Restaurants) from 2009 to 2014, the Chairman of The Jewellery Group ( the third largest retail jeweler in Australia) from 2011 to 2014, and the Chairman of Samuels Jewelers, Inc. (the United States’ 7th largest specialty retail jeweler) from 2000 to 2006. He has also previously held board positions at Mrs. Fields and TCBY, as well as Charles & Colvard. Barr began his career in Atlanta with Price Waterhouse (1986-1991) and then joined Pizza Hut, Inc. within its finance department (1991-1994). From 1994 to 1998, Barr was the CFO and then the CEO of Great American Cookies, a franchisor and operator of 367 mall based cookie stores. In 1998, Barr, on behalf of the shareholders, sold the Great American Cookies Company to Mrs. Fields.

Barr resides in the Atlanta metropolitan area with his wife, Cynthia. He sits on the Board of the International Franchise Association where he has been elected to the Executive Committee of the association. He also sits on the Advisory Board of the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce.

Dean Ditmar

Dean Ditmar has nearly 30 years of experience in growth culture supporting accountability, execution, empowerment, strategic planning and organizational leadership. As a strategic leader and six sigma black belt, he has successfully translated his experiences with complex large corporate structures and processes to benefit smaller-scale organizations.

He previously served as President of Prime Power Services, supporting critical market sectors in emergency standby power operations. Prior to his leadership at Prime, Dean served as VP & GM of the Western Hemisphere for Tensar in the civil construction market for 10 years, leading a team of over 120 engineers and staff supporting distribution, general contractors, and large OEMs.

Before to moving to Atlanta in 2005, Dean had an eight-year tenure with GE, ultimately managing a $1 Billion business unit as a Global Product Manager, successfully negotiating customer contracts valued up to $50 million. While at GE, he also served as a Regional Sales Manager and Technical Quality Leader.

Dean began his career with Phillips Petroleum in their Plastics Technical Center in technical development and sales before transitioning to GE in 1997.

Dean received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University. Following his lifelong desire to become an entrepreneur, Dean became the largest franchisee owner within the Atlanta Bread Company in 2017, opening four units in the North Atlanta area. He serves on the Board of The Forsyth County Arts Alliance, a fund of the North Georgia Community Foundation. He and his wife Kelly reside in Cumming, Ga. Their two children, Alexa, a Registered Nurse at Piedmont Hospital, and Trent, a sophomore finance major, are both proud UGA Bulldogs.

George Papuashvili

George Papuashvili provides due diligence and investment evaluation within Georgia Oak’s proprietary deal flow process. He is also involved in deal sourcing, transaction execution and financial supervision of our partner/portfolio companies.

He has experience in finance, operations and accounting, focusing on streamlining business processes and improving performance.

Prior to joining Georgia Oak, George served as a CFO of Gardabani TPP, the first and only combined cycle power plant in the Republic of Georgia with 230MW capacity. George performed finance functions and implemented all of the major control systems (including budgetary, inventory, and IT), leading the project to successful execution and becoming the major pillar for Georgia’s energy independence. George previously served as a CFO of Knowledge Fund Group, a foundation with multiple educational business entities, where he created a shared service center for finance, accounting and treasury.

George received his MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, distinguished with the Art Dietz Faculty Award for Excellence in Finance and earned a BBA degree, Summa Cum Laude, in Finance from Caucasus University, in his hometown of Tbilisi.

George’s interests include soccer, travel and spending time with his family. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Katerina, who is pursuing her MBA at Goizueta Business School.

Tim Smith, CFA

Tim Smith’s professional background has spanned over eighteen years and includes executive level leadership positions both in the U.S. and in Europe.

Tim has assisted companies with valuation, credit, capital structure, mergers and acquisitions and transactional opinions. He has extensive cross-border transaction experience dealing with complex corporate structures, structured credit, foreign currency, multi-jurisdiction insolvency, distressed debt and financial reporting.

Tim has appeared on CNBC and has spoken at a number of industry events in both the U.S. and the U.K., including in the Turnaround Management Association, The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW), Financial Executives International and the International Accounting Standards Board. Additionally, Tim has published articles with Strategic Finance and Financier Worldwide.

Tim was a principal with Ernst & Young LLP where he was the lead partner for the firm’s fairness opinion practice. Prior to Ernst & Young LLP, he was a director with Houlihan Lokey, where he was one of two founding partners for the U.K. and European valuation advisory division. During that time, he lived and worked overseas, serving a client base of companies, hedge funds and banks and was heavily involved in assisting clients with complications resulting from the 2007 – 2008 financial crises. Prior to Tim’s investment banking career, he was a corporate banking officer with a regional commercial bank.

Tim holds a B.S. in Biology from Florida State University and an M.B.A. in finance and international business from the University of Florida. He is a CFA charterholder and a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Dr. Craig Aronoff

Co-founder and principal of The Family Business Consulting Group, Inc., Craig Aronoff is a leading consultant, speaker, writer, and educator in the family business field.

As the founder of the Cox Family Enterprise Center and current professor emeritus at Kennesaw State University in Marietta, GA, Aronoff invented and implemented the membership-based, professional-service-provider sponsored Family Business Forum, which has served as a model of family business education for some 150 universities world-wide. Until his retirement in January 2005, he held the Dinos Eminent Scholar Distinguished Chair of Private Enterprise and was a professor of management in Kennesaw State’s Coles College of Business.

As a consultant, Aronoff has worked with hundreds of family companies in the U.S. and abroad on issues including generational transitions, developing business and family governance processes and structures; finding and articulating family missions and value,; facilitating decision making and conflict resolution, managerial development, family compensation and dividend policies; family meetings, and more. As an inspiring, informative and entertaining speaker on a variety of family business topics, he speaks regularly to trade and professional groups and has lectured at over 100 universities.

With co-author John L. Ward, Aronoff is perhaps the most prolific writer in the family business field. He has authored, co-authored or been editor of more than thirty books, including the 22-volume Family Business Leadership Series and is the founding editor of The Family Business Advisor.

Listed in Who’s Who and widely acknowledged for his work in the area of family business, Aronoff has received, among other honors: the Family Firm Institute’s Beckhard Award for Outstanding Contributions to Family Business Practice, The Freedom Foundation’s Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education, and the National Federation of Independent Business Foundation’s Outstanding Educator Award. The Aronoff Professorship of Family Business at Kennesaw State University was named in his honor.

His present and past activities in civic and community organizations include: president of the Family Firm Institute (1992-94), president of the Marietta Kiwanis, vice chairman of the Cobb (County, GA) Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Cobb Transit Advisory Board, member of the Marietta Planning Commission; and president of the Association of Private Enterprise Education.

Aronoff grew up in a family business. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, his Masters from the University of Pennsylvania, and his Doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. The parents of three grown children, Craig and his wife Jane live in Marietta, Georgia.

Bob Moran

Bob Moran has extensive experience in all phases of operations in both domestic and international markets.

Bob’s storied career with the General Motors Company spanned more than three decades, culminating as the Vice President of Manufacturing for Asia Pacific. In this role, Bob led the manufacturing, manufacturing engineering and human resources for this bellwether $3 billion division, employing more than 50,000 people in 40 facilities (comparable to a Fortune 100 company). During Bob’s tenure, General Motors Asia Pacific experienced substantial success, as volume increased from 150 thousand units in 2002 to 3 million units in 2009, while production standards were elevated yielding the most efficient manufacturing plants in GM and the automobile industry.

As Manufacturing Manager for GM Powertrain, Bob managed a $1 billion organization, including total responsibility for operations, budgeting, planning, human resources, program management, product engineering, safety and quality for all engines and transmissions built in the United States, Mexico and Europe. During this time, the division experienced a 27% improvement in Quality as reported by JD Powers and Associates, while improving plant labor efficiency by 31% and was ranked as the most improved Powertrain Plants in North America as reported by Ron Harbor and Associates.

Bob’s previous positions include a myriad of manufacturing leadership positions, including the Plant Manager of GM’s Doraville, Georgia facility. In this role, Bob Managed a $300 million plant with total responsibility for manufacturing of cars, safety and quality, union relations and budgeting. Bob led a team-oriented organization of over 2,500 employees with total capacity of over 250,000 cars per year.

Bob received a BS Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from Youngstown State University and a Masters in Industrial Management (MIM) from Carnegie Mellon University. In addition, Bob was a graduate of the Senior Executive Management Program at Harvard University.

David McElmoyle

David McElmoyle has extensive expertise in manufacturing, management, process improvement, sales operations, pricing, purchasing and change management.

David was most recently a Director of Operations at Genuine Parts Company’s U.S. Heavy Vehicle Parts Group, where he was responsible for all facets of the operations including P & L, distribution, logistics, information technology, customer service, purchasing, and inventory management.

David spent the majority of his career in various executive roles at Atlantic Envelope Company/National Envelope. In his 30+ years there, he served as Vice President and General Manager; National Account Group Manager; and East Region Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning Manager.

David received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering with a focus on Engineering Economic Systems from Georgia Tech.  He is an alumnus of the Phi Delta Fraternity where he served as President. He enjoys tennis, exercise and Georgia Tech sports. David lives in Roswell, Ga. with his wife Debbie.

Tom Lamb

Tom has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the industrial and technology sectors, having spent over 30 years driving organic growth and managing businesses within those industries. He has extensive experience with facilitating successful acquisitions and organizational leadership transitions.

Tom has served in several executive leadership roles, including Chairman, President and CEO of Agilex Flavors and Fragrances; President and CEO of J.M. Huber Corporation; President of the Customer Solutions Group for Lexmark International; and Vice President and General Manager for Allied-Signal Corporation/General Chemical Corporation.

Tom has served on the boards of several for-profit companies, including SoloHealth Inc., Evo-Shield, Inc. and Hydrodynamics Inc. His non-profit board membership has included service to the Nicholas House for Homeless Families, the All About Developmental Disabilities and the Greater Lexington (KY) Chamber of Commerce.

Tom received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA, Magna Cum Laude, in Economics from Union College.

Tom enjoys golfing, traveling and raising Bernese Mountain dogs. He also formerly played and coached competitive rugby.