Consumer Panel

SPEAKERS:

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Corey Benjamin is a managing director in the Harris Williams Consumer Group who focuses on branded consumer products, consumer services, specialty retail, and retail healthcare. He has advised a diverse group of publicly traded and privately held companies on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, and strategic advisory assignments.

Prior to joining Harris Williams, Mr. Benjamin was an associate in the Consumer Investment Banking Group at BB&T Capital Markets. Mr. Benjamin’s prior experience also includes work as Equity Research Analyst at Morgan Stanley and Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. where he followed a variety of footwear, apparel & accessories vendors and retailers, as well as leisure goods companies.

Mr. Benjamin earned an M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a B.A. in Economics and Government from the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson and Echols Scholar. Mr. Benjamin is a member of the CFA Institute and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Mr. Benjamin lives in Richmond with his wife and two children.

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Stephen Parks joined Topspin in January 2008 and is a member of the investment committee. Stephen brings over 20 years of investing and operating experience and was instrumental in building the infrastructure and the success of Topspin Consumer Partners' private equity business. During his tenure with the firm, Stephen has covered a wide range of consumer-focused industry verticals with significant experience in specialty retail, health, and wellness and juvenile products. 

Stephen began his career with Bain and Company, where he focused on business services and manufacturing firms. Following his tenure with Bain, Stephen left to support the executive leadership team of Spherion Corporation during a multi-year turnaround. 

Stephen received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering with highest honors from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2000, where he was President's Scholar, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2007, where he wad a George F. Baker Scholar, and helped support the Chair of Finance Department in the development of the a new course focused on private equity finance. 

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Stephen M. Wyss, CPA, is a partner at CohnReznick serves as the Firm's Consumer Industry Leader. He has more than 15 years of accounting experience working with companies of all sizes, from start-ups to international Fortune 500 companies.

Stephen provides audit and accounting services to clients in a variety of industries including retail and consumer products, apparel and fashion, media and entertainment, manufacturing, and life sciences. He has specific expertise in merger and acquisition transactions, public and private debt and equity offerings, and auditing internal controls over financial reporting.

Prior to joining CohnReznick, Stephen was a partner and the leader of the New York Retail and Consumer Products Group at a large national accounting firm.