Complimentary Services:
Resources and information on transferring or acquiring a business.Our Professionals
Education, training, and experience make the difference when it comes to a smooth business transfer.
Meet the experts on our advisory team:
Michael W. Camerota, J.D. CBI
Founder of Touchstone Advisors, Michael Camerota has thirty years of professional and personal experience in business purchases and sales, family business issues, and marketing and sales. Mike's practice is focused on sales of New England companies with sales of $1 million to $30 million, with special areas of expertise in the manufacturing, wholesale distribution, printing, technology, and petroleum industries.
Before founding Touchstone Advisors, Mike was an officer of Camerota Truck Parts, a re-manufacturing and distribution company with more than 150 employees, five locations, and more than $20 million in sales. Earlier in his career, Mike practiced law in Connecticut for 12 years, founded and served as the director of the University of New Haven Center for Family Business, and operated a consulting practice to family businesses.
Mike is President of the New England Business Brokers Association (NEBBA). He also serves on the Education Committee of M&A Source, an international organization of merger and acquisition professionals and private equity groups. Mike serves on the National Editorial Board for M&A Advantage, has been designated an industry expert by Business Brokerage Press and is a contributor to its Business Reference Guide. Finally, Mike is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), a global association for professionals involved in corporate growth, corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions.
Mike holds the highest designation awarded by the International Business Brokers Association, that of Certified Business Intermediary (CBI), as well as several other professional designations. He holds a B.A. degree from Providence College and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Residing with his spouse Jacqueline in Somers, Connecticut, Mike is the father of five adult children and President of Enfield People for People, Inc. a local non-profit developer of low and moderate income housing.
Christopher M. Hughes, JD, MBA
Christopher Hughes specializes in the Insurance industry in the Northeast, with a primary focus on insurance agencies (Property and Casualty, Employee Benefits, and Life). Due to his experience and expertise, Business Brokerage Press has designated Chris an industry expert in the finance and insurance industry in the 2008 Business Reference Guide.
Chris joined Touchstone Advisors after a successful career with Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE: HIG). While at The Hartford, Chris had full profit and loss accountability for the Personal Lines Specialty Product Lines. Before running Specialty Products, Chris was the business owner for The Hartford's internal Structured Settlement and Retained Asset departments. Prior to The Hartford, Chris practiced commercial litigation in Boca Raton, Florida, focusing on formation, asset purchases, and buy out agreements of start-up and small- and mid-sized companies.
Chris holds a B.A. in English from the University of West Florida, a Juris Doctor from Northern Illinois University College of Law, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut School of Business. Chris is an active member of the Florida Bar, American Bar Association, the National Structured Settlement Trade Association, the International Business Broker Association, Toastmasters International, and holds active life producer licenses in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, Texas, and Nebraska.
Chris was honorably discharged from active duty in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in 1992, after serving with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. While in the USMC, Chris served as an infantryman in the 1991 Northern Iraq operations: Provide Comfort, Encourage Hope, and Force Hope.
Chris and his wife, Sandra, live in Simsbury, Connecticut.
Hank Balavender M.S.P.T.
Hank Balavender brings more than 30 years of experience in the Healthcare Services Industry and enjoys helping business owners successfully transition their companies to new owners. His practice is focused on transactions of $1 million or greater in value in the healthcare services sector, with special expertise in rehabilitative services, medical and dental practices, and outpatient medical services.
Before joining Touchstone Advisors, Hank served as managing partner of Practice Solutions LLC. This firm focused its project based consulting on the rehabilitation services sector and medical practice management, developing growth or exit strategies for its clients.
Hank began his career as a physical therapist. He founded Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Associates (P.T.S.M.A.) in 1979. As CEO, he opened 3 sites in its first five years and then, through acquisitions and additional start-ups, built to twenty facilities in central Connecticut. The company employed more than 200 professionals and achieved revenue in excess of $20 million.
In 1999, Hank successfully negotiated the company's sale to a Fortune 100 company. He continued to serve that company for the next seven years in a variety of operational roles, including acquiring and/or divesting of businesses in outpatient rehabilitation, ambulatory surgery, and occupational medicine. He ultimately served as the Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative and Operations Officer. While holding this position he was responsible for operational and administrative management of 880 facilities with revenues in excess of $450 million.
Hank has a Master of Science degree in Organizational Behavior with a concentration in Organizational Development from the University of Hartford, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Quinnipiac University. He is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the International Business Brokers Association.
Hank resides in Avon, Connecticut with his wife Gail. They are the proud parents of four grown adult children.
Megan Conroy Schuck
As a seasoned Executive Assistant, Megan brings her knowledge and experience in marketing and process management to the firm. After graduating from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science degree, Megan worked with Scient, an e-commerce group where she developed a proficiency in process and project management.
More recently, Megan was employed with Grayling Associates, a national executive search firm that specializes in recruitment for the insurance and financial services industries. While at Grayling, Megan excelled in working with high level executives, coordinating and managing extensive marketing campaigns, and was the lead researcher for various projects.
Megan resides in Simsbury with her husband Jason and their two children, Henry and Molly.
Robin Ann Bienemann
Robin Ann Bienemann brings extensive management experience to her role in helping companies improve operations, revenue and financial performance.
Bienemann has served in an executive capacity for companies as small as $1M and as large as $8B, responsible for upwards of $750M in revenue. She founded and established Ocean Industries, a quality control equipment manufacturer in Manchester, NH. Before joining Chairman's View her most recent position was Sr. Vice President of Operations with BlueArc Corp, a $60M computer storage manufacturer based in San Jose, California.
As a business owner and executive, Robin has had extensive operational and leadership experience. She has dedicated her career to working with individuals, suppliers and cross functional groups to deliver bottom line results in turnaround and sustaining situations. She has a proven success record in implementing long range strategic alliance development and outsourcing initiatives while maintaining high quality, reducing costs and maximizing operating efficiencies.
An executive with an open leadership style, she has successfully led both small and large teams. In her work at Chairman's View, as a Chairman Advisor, she deals with a wide variety of business owners: sole practitioners, manufacturing, transportation, environmental services, educational services, etc.
Career focus and expertise include:
Business results and value
Team and individual leadership abilities
Business plan development & implementation
Project management & coordination
Operational and financial turnaround management
Organizational alignment
Supply chain improvement and effectiveness
Strategic outsourcing initiatives
Bienemann is a New England native and was raised in Vermont. She received a BA from Springfield College in Philosophy and Literature. She was a Sloan Fellow at MIT where she received an MS in Management Science.
She lives in Granby, Connecticut with her husband, Tom. They have three grown children.
Stephen T. Newman, CPA*
Steve Newman focuses on the manufacturing industry at Touchstone Advisors. He advises clients in the areas of strategic planning and merger/acquisition transactions.
He previously worked at Deloitte & Touche where his clients included private equity groups, publicly traded and privately held businesses. He audited, reviewed and/ or compiled financial statements for a variety financial reporting purposes including evaluating acquisitions and divestitures. Before joining D&T, Steve was a senior associate at Morgan Stanley where he worked in the asset management division. His clients were companies, high net worth families, foundations and pension funds. His work at Morgan Stanley was primarily focused on evaluating equity investments to manage client portfolios.
Steve's professional career began with PaineWebber, Inc. where he worked on a successful product launch applying on-line asset allocation models to portfolio management. He also served as the primary liaison with the systems engineering group on implementation of new applications for the performance reporting and trading groups.
Steve is a member of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CS-CPA) and the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA). He has a Master of Science in Accounting and Taxation from the University of Hartford and has his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Ramapo College of New Jersey. His activities include serving as Treasurer for the Charter Oak Toastmasters and an active participant in youth sports coaching. Steve lives in Granby, with his wife, Beth and their 3 children.
* While Stephen is a registered CPA certificate holder in Connecticut, he is not currently licensed or practicing as a CPA.