About Us
Your Success Is Our Success
The success of your transition depends upon the quality of your team that will create and implement your exit plan.
Legacy Partners is comprised of worldwide best-in-class expert advisors.
Our Team
Chris Vanderzyden
President & CEO
President & CEO of Legacy Partners, LLC, an exit planning and M&A advisory firm dedicated to serving privately held, middle-market business owners, in creating and executing successful exit strategies resulting in the harvesting and preservation of wealth.
She began her career as a CPA for Coopers & Lybrand, the company that later became PricewaterhouseCoopers following a merger, and subsequently served as an asset manager with Northwest Asset Management in Los Angeles.
Following her positions in the corporate world, Chris became an entrepreneur and has successfully built and sold multiple businesses. She has over twenty years of experience consulting for M&A firms and privately held businesses as they grow and ultimately execute their exit plans.
Chris speaks internationally on exit planning and mergers and acquisitions, is an expert contributor for media outlets, a guest lecturer for Harvard University’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation class. She is also the bestselling author of 7 Steps to Entrepreneurial Victory.
Her newest book, Master Your Exit Plan: Sell Your Business, Preserve Your Legacy offers a step-by-step roadmap to successfully selling a business and includes in-depth advice from five preeminent industry
contributors. Learn more at legacypartnersllp.com.
Chris graduated from the State University of New York College at Oswego with a B.S. in Accounting/Economics. She is also a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, Certified Value Growth Advisor, and Certified Public Accountant (inactive).
Brian Hendershot
M&A Advisor
Brian has been involved in corporate finance, mergers, and acquisitions since the early 1990’s, with over twenty-five years of executive and managerial experience. He has been responsible for several mergers and acquisitions, debt restructurings and capital raises. He is a member of the AICPA and has held Series 79, 63 and 24 securities licenses as a past FINRA member.
Brian started his career after graduating from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting; initially obtaining his CPA certification in April 1992 – actively licensed in Texas and Ohio.
After completing Audit experience with a fortune 100 company (PPG Industries), he pursued his financial managerial training with nationally known brands such as: The Limited, Express and Safelite Auto glass. Executive tenure as President, CFO, COO and Business Development Director positions includes a New York/ Texas based boutique investment banks and New York based private equity firm, where he served for over ten years operating multiple portfolio companies.
Matt Jackson
Valuation
Matt Jackson is a seasoned Certified Public Accountant and Chief Financial Officer with extensive experience guiding businesses through the complexities of financial management, growth, and business transactions. Over the course of his career, Matt has worked with organizations in a variety of sizes and industries, specializing in financial systems, business finance, M&A, and strategic planning. His expertise allows companies to scale effectively, manage cash flow, and optimize their financial operations for long-term success.
Matt holds a Master of Accounting degree from East Carolina University and has been a licensed CPA for 17 years. He resides in beautiful western North Carolina with his wife, Lauren, and four children.
Nitin Sahay
Business Valuation
Nitin Sahay responsibilities include financial research, modeling, and valuation in support of our valuation and optimization team. He has contributed to our clients’ exit process across industries. He has a Master’s Degree in Finance from ICFAI.
Perry Smith
Estate Planning Attorney
Perry M. Smith received his Bachelor of Arts Degree (honors) in Government and Policy Studies from Dartmouth College in 1980. He received his J.D. from American University (1984) and his LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University School of Law (1987).
He worked for U.S. Trust Company of New York (1980-1983) as a Trust Officer, the State Mutual Life Assurance Company (1984-1987), and the Law Department of The New England (1987-1990), as assistant counsel. He has worked previously with Commonwealth Financial Group (1990-1998, and 2006 through today) and Baystate Financial Group (2000-2006) as Director of Advanced Sales. He also spent two years (1998-2000) as a partner at Carlin, Charron & Rosen Financial Services, LLC – the financial arm of the then largest regional CPA firm in New England. He specializes in individual, estate and business planning focusing on creative solutions to client goals and issues with a close eye on their tax implications. He is currently admitted to practice in Massachusetts (1985) and New York (1985), as well as Federal District Court (1986), U.S. Tax Court (1988) and U.S. Supreme Court (1989).
In addition to his professional responsibilities, he has been a part-time instructor at Boston University’s Metropolitan College teaching CFP #6 (Estate and Business Planning) and Treasurer at Camp Mowglis, owned by the Holt -Elwell Memorial Foundation, which supports this 120 year old 7-week summer boy’s camp on Newfound Lake in New Hampshire. He resides in Wellesley with his wife, Eva Ribarits, J.D., LL.M.
James F. Higgins, Jr.
ESOP Specialist
Jim Higgins is a co-founder of Pilot Hill Advisors LLC where he specializes in designing, financing, and executing internal buyout transactions for privately held companies utilizing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”) structure. Jim has advised over 200 companies on management and ESOP buyouts that provide unique financial, tax, strategic, and motivational benefits that are distinct from traditional third-party corporate sales.
Jim has held senior corporate finance and advisory positions for 35 years. His specialty in ESOP transactions began in 2001. Jim’s prior employers include various lending, management, and corporate finance positions at Bank of Boston, AT&T, and Merck & Co., Inc.
Jim received a Bachelor of Science in Finance Cum Laude from Boston College and a Master of Science in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds Series 24, 63, 79 and 99 securities licenses. Mr. Higgins is the CEO and chief compliance officer for his firm’s wholly owned broker dealer, Pilot Hill Capital LLC.
In his spare time Jim enjoys playing golf and fishing and boating on Cape Cod. In the winter, Jim is one of the elder statesmen on a men’s club ice hockey team.
Tom Rogerson
Family Governance
Tom Rogerson, founding principal of GenLeg Co., is a recognized leader and pioneer in family governance and legacy planning.
After almost four decades on the fiduciary side at institutions such as BNY Mellon, Coopers and Lybrand, and Wilmington Trust, Tom teamed up with his wife, Cathy, a certified relationship coach, and started GenLeg Co., Inc. Together they provide guidance and education to families and their advisors, helping them transition significant capital, from one generation to the next.
Cathy Rogerson
Family Governance
Cathy Rogerson is a certified Relationship Coach and founding principal of GenLeg Co., Inc.
She and her husband Tom provide guidance and education to families and their advisors, helping them transition significant capital, both financial and relational, from one generation to the next.
Barbara Bodetto
Adminstration
Barbara is a Creative Director, with a BA in Graphic Design and more than 13 years of experience. She started working in the fashion industry and later developed as an Art Director of mass consumer brands. She has worked on communication strategies for recognized brands such as: Coca-Cola, Nike, Unilever and Nokia.
Germán Sirvent
Adminstration
Germán is a former Professional Racing Driver. He started out working on Sports Sponsorships and later on founded his own Marketing agency. He is currently Managing Partner and Marketing Manager at Upshot, specialized in Digital Marketing, Social Media and Website development.
Nikher Virmali
Financial Analyst
Nikher has over 7 years of experience in the financial domain and is a highly qualified professionals engaged in investment analysis and financial research. He is expert in valuation, M&A analysis, start-up funding and data visualization.
He holds an MBA in Finance from NIT and has certificates from XLRI Jamshedpur and IIM Kolkata.
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