Craig K. Trask brings to Meritage Partner's over 20 years of successful strategic development and merger and acquisition experience with publicly traded companies in the clinical laboratory and biotechnology industries. Mr. Trask experience structuring complex business transactions and his strong working knowledge of general accounting practices and acquisition related due-diligence make him a strong resource to Meritage Partner's management and consultants.

From 1996 to 2001 Mr. Trask held the position of Vice President of Strategic Development with IMPATH, Inc., a publicly traded company managing businesses related to cancer diagnosis, prognosis, tumor registry, and patient information. During his five-year tenure with IMPATH, he was responsible for all business development and merger and acquisition related activities. IMPATH's successful acquisition strategy helped grow the company from $12MM in sales in 1996, to a market capitalization of over $1 billion by 2000. From 1990-1996 he held the position of Vice President of Hospital Ventures and Director of Business Development for Unilab, Inc (ULB-NASDAQ)

Mr. Trask holds a Business Degree from CSUF, with graduate studies from Cambridge University, UK.

Brian T. Franco provides Meritage Partners with almost a decade of experience in the fields of Mergers & Acquisitions and Business Financing.  Brian’s success rate is amongst the highest in the industry having sold over 80% of the companies he’s represented through Meritage Partners. Brian’s experience in the M&A Industry has greatly contributed to his understanding of transaction structure, strategic placement of buyers, and the attainment of maximum market value for his clients.  Brian has represented and sold numerous small to medium-sized businesses in a number of industries and has significant experience working with companies in:  manufacturing, trucking, distribution, construction, retail, wholesale, consulting, and other professional services.

Brian is a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor, Certified Business Intermediary and Certified Business Evaluator as well as an active member of Alliance of Mergers and Acquisition, International Business Broker Association (IBBA) California Association of Business Brokers (CABB), American Business Consultants, Inc. (ABC) and the The Society of Business Opportunity Appraisers (SBOA).

Roland H. Kratzer III brings nearly 20 years of operating and transactional experience to Meritage Partners. Mr. Kratzer’s assets include advising private company shareholders on sale & merger options and identifying strategic investment targets for private equity groups.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Kratzer was shareholder and President of Louvercraft a leading manufacturer and installer of home improvement products based in Southern California, which he sold to a strategic investor. Previously he was Chief Operating Officer of Cofix, a venture capital backed business enabling computer product resellers to sell the IT services of a nationwide network. Mr. Kratzer has years of experience in the dental supply industry. He was Vice President of Operations at eDentalstore where he led daily operations of the venture capital-funded Internet dental supply distributor that was named “Best 200 B2Bs” by Forbes. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Kratzer was Executive Vice President of H.L. Hayden Company a leading distributor of dental laboratory supplies. His leadership facilitated the acquisition of the company by a publicly traded investor.

He received his B.A in Public Policy from the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA in Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. While at Wharton, Mr. Kratzer was named Senior Consultant at the Wharton Small Business Development Center.

Chris J. Messina provides Meritage Partners, Inc. with a distinctive understanding of the unique M&A needs of professional services companies, particularly those within the engineering, construction and architectural industries. With contacts throughout the architectural, engineering and construction worlds, Chris is able to provide incredible access to some of the most prominent strategic and financial buyers throughout those industries.

Chris comes to Meritage Partners, Inc. after having spent several years honing the marketing and advertising disciplines within the corporate world. Chris has been intimately involved in drafting marketing plans for several of the World’s leading software manufacturers and has analyzed and developed strategic marketing/advertising plans for numerous mid-sized companies. Chris’ understanding of marketing principles and practices allow Meritage Partners, Inc. to accurately and effectively position its clientele to potential buyers in order to achieve a maximum impact in the marketplace.

Chris holds a B.A. in political science/foreign policy from Cal Poly University Pomona and an M.B.A. in global business from Pepperdine University. Prior to joining Meritage Partners, Inc. Chris served as a Marketing Executive for Burton, Livingstone & Kirk and a Marketing Manager for Ingram Micro. In addition, Chris spent several years as a police officer with the City of Costa Mesa and served in the U.S. Army.

Richard P. Jarminski provides Meritage Partners with the legal knowledge and insights to ensure that all of our transactions conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and legality. Richard has served as a legal advisor for numerous companies over the past several years which affords him the legal acumen to break down the many complexities involved in the business sales/acquisition process.

Richard holds a B.S. in administration from U.C. Riverside and a J.D. from McGeorge School of Law, University of The Pacific.

J.C. Strauss brings to Meritage Partners over 20 years experience in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures with publicly traded companies while closing over 50 deals in the waste management, commercial real estate, construction, Powersports and food service industries. Mr. Strauss is a skilled negotiator, achieving optimum structure and terms for each transaction. In addition to his closings, he has completed over 500 business evaluations on companies in the Wholesale, Retail, Manufacturing, Service, Construction and Transportation Industries where he performed market and strategic analysis of the Client Company, its industry and marketplace exploring opportunities for sales growth and margin improvement, debt structure, working capital requirements and discounted future cash flows for proforma income statements and balance sheets.  Mr. Strauss holds a B.S. in Business Administration Finance from SDSU. His invaluable experience makes him an excellent resource to Meritage Partners and it’s clients.

Joel Goings is the Director of Business Development with Meritage Partners and works closely with Mr. Franco, the firm's Managing Partner. He initiates and maintains contact with Mertitage’s network of investors, buyers, sellers, and relevant parties. He has developed a variety of proprietary databases that allow for efficient identification of parties interested in specific transaction types, sizes, geographies, etc.

Joel also has extensive experience facilitating complex transactions, managing due diligence, and data analysis. His experience and analytical skills enable him to quickly develop a thorough understanding of the industries and markets relevant to each engagement.

Joel graduated from the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.