Tall Oaks From Little Acorns Grow

“In 1999, in a world focused on giant companies and high technology, I founded Old Oak Partners, LLC having spent the bulk of my career in a privately held, micro-cap, low technology business.

The world of businesses with sales under $200 million is so diverse and fragmented that it escapes the attention of most commentators and investors.  However, in my experience there are high returns available here with fewer people competing for them.

Old Oak Partners, LLC is a participant in several disciplines within the small business arena.  We seek high returns as micro-cap investors.  Through private equity offerings we enable others access to small business investment opportunities.  As advisors, we help smaller public and private companies increase shareholder value.”

Wes Tyler

Advisors & Associates

Wes Tyler founded Old Oak Partners, LLC in 1999. He is also the President and Director of North American Commercial Parts & Service, Inc., a holding company of regional businesses that provide parts and repair for commercial food equipment.

Wes is a Director of Butler International, Inc. (BUTL.PK), a Director and Principal of Westport Resources Investment Services, Inc., a registered broker-dealer with the SEC and NASD, and of Westport Resources Management, Inc., a registered investment advisor.

From 1991 to 1999, Wes was President of GCS Service, Inc., a national third party maintenance organization. In 1998, Wes directed the sale of GCS to Ecolab Inc. a Fortune 500 company.

A former officer and director of the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association and a Certified Food Service Professional, in 1993 Wes was honored as a "Young Lion" by Foodservice Equipment & Supplies Specialist magazine.

His presentations on Selling Your Business and Getting Quality Service for Commercial Food Equipment have been featured at the Annual Meeting of the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA), the 10th Annual Capital Formation Conference hosted by Carter Morse & Co., the Bi-Annual Meeting of Multi-unit Architects, Engineers & Construction Officers (MAECO) and the 2002 Multi Unit Foodservice Equipment Symposium (MUFES).

Wes is registered as an Investment Advisor Representative through Flat Rock Three, LLC., serves as a Trustee of Greens Farms Academy, Westport, CT and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Jim O’Brien founded O’Brien & Associates, a business consulting firm, in 2001. Jim counsels clients in business improvement in the disciplines of sales, service operations and overall general business management

Jim is also a director and principal of North American Commercial Parts & Service, Inc. where he serves as Vice President, Corporate Development. North American is a holding company of regional businesses that provide parts and repair for commercial food equipment.

From 2000 to 2001 Jim was Vice President of Operations for TechServ, Inc., a nationwide company engaged in service and parts distribution for a variety of industrial equipment types.

From 1984 to 2000, Jim served with GCS Service, Inc. in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility. In 1991, he became Vice President of Operations and played a major role in helping GCS become the premier service provider in the food service equipment industry. Subsequent to the sale of GCS to Ecolab Inc. in 1998, Jim continued to help GCS grow by serving, in a senior sales and marketing role, as Vice President of Industry Development from 1998 to 2000.

Prior to joining GCS Service Inc., Jim held a number of sales and sales management positions in the foodservice industry, including the position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Hume Company, a subsidiary of H.P. Hood, Inc.

Jim earned his BS in Marketing Management Science from Saint Joseph University in Philadelphia, PA and his MBA from the University of New Haven in Connecticut. Jim is a Certified Food Service Professional.

Sam Mazzilli is a Founder, Principal and Director of North American Commercial Parts & Service, Inc. where he serves as Vice President, Operations. North American is a holding company of regional businesses that provide parts and repair for commercial food equipment. Mr. Mazzilli is also a member of the Z83/CSA Joint Food Service Equipment Technical Advisory Group.

From 1998 until 2002 Mr. Mazzilli worked for GCS Service, a division of S&P 500 member Ecolab, Inc. GCS is the world’s largest independent service and parts provider for commercial food equipment. From 2000 to 2002 Sam was Vice President of Industry Development, serving in a senior sales and marketing role managing relationships with manufacturers of commercial food equipment. From 1998 until 2000 Mr. Mazzilli served as Vice President, Western Operations where he had P&L responsibility for operations in the Western United States.

From 1978 until 1998 Mr. Mazzilli worked for GCS Service, Inc. which, during that period, was a privately held company. At GCS, Mr. Mazzilli started as a management trainee and went on to hold a series of positions including, at various times, Branch Manager for New York City and Los Angeles, District Manager for California and Missouri. At the time that GCS became a division of Ecolab, Mr. Mazzilli served as Vice President, Regional Operations and had P&L responsibility for a third of the companies sales.

Prior to joining GCS, Sam was Director of Maintenance for Sans Souci Nursing Home a 180 bed care facility.

Sam earned his bachelor of science degree in management from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY and is a Certified Food Service Professional.

Lewis Napleton is an associate of Old Oak Partners, LLC and an independent consultant specializing in business development and sales and marketing services for suppliers to food and foodservice clients in Europe.

Lewis has authored six books on food preparation and foodservice topics. His most recent publication Look! It Cooks chronicles the introduction of the commercial microwave oven into the European marketplace. Other titles include Guide to Microwave Catering (1963), which sold over 100,000 copies, Guide to Systemised Catering (1968), The Microwave Recipe Book (1977), At Home with Microwave (1979) and A Guide to Cook Chill Catering (1985).

Lewis' 40 year career in foodservice has included nine years with J Lyons & Co. Ltd., nine years with Philips Catering Equipment Division and eight years with Litton Microwave Cooking Products. In addition, Lewis has worked for Zanussi CLV Systems Ltd. and GCS Service, Inc.

A graduate of Leeds College of Food Technology, Lewis is a Fellow of the Hotel & Catering International Management Association, and the Chartered Management Institute.

Nir Margalit is a member of the Board of Advisors of Old Oak Partners, LLC. Nir is the executive vice president/general counsel and secretary for Kimpton Group Holding LLC, parent company of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Kimpton is a San Francisco-based company known for its collection of stylish boutique hotels that are coupled with bustling chef-driven restaurants. Founded in 1981, the company currently operates 39 hotels and restaurants across the United States and Canada. In this role, he is responsible for the overall legal function of the company and its subsidiaries, including operations, development, investment, intellectual property/brand identity and corporate administration.

Prior to joining Kimpton, Nir was the vice president, general counsel and secretary of Zip Realty, Inc., the largest national on-line full service virtual office website real estate brokerage. At Zip Realty, Inc. he was a crucial member of an executive team that grew the company at a 100% annual rate and converted it to profitability four years after inception.

Nir was also the first vice president and general counsel for Best Western International Inc., the world's largest hotel chain where he assumed management responsibilities for the legal function of the worldwide lodging brand, and assisted with the development and expansion of the brand into Asia and South America. He was a member of the executive team that developed and implemented a brand awareness program that raised brand awareness from five to eleven percent in under a year. Nir Margalit came to Best Western International from Raintree Healthcare Corporation where he was executive vice president, general counsel and secretary overseeing legal and ancillary functions of a full-service, long-term care company.

Margalit began his professional career as a law clerk and then an associate at Krupin, Carr, Morris & Graeff in Washington, DC. Margalit was a partner in the Washington, DC based law firm Margalit, Yellott & Cooper where his clients included various local and national companies.

In the hotel industry, Margalit was vice president, development and special counsel at CapStar Hotels (now Meristar Hospitality (NYSE: MMH)). He then served as the vice president, general counsel and secretary at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE: HOT) in Phoenix. There he managed all legal matters for the company during its period of explosive growth.

Nir earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

Bill Abram is a member of the Board of Advisors of Old Oak Partners, LLC and is the president of Pragmatix, Inc., a software development and technology consulting organization he founded in 1992. Under his leadership, Pragmatix has implemented a wide range of business process and technology improvement solutions for Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller organizations. An IBM Business Partner, Pragmatix also provides a full range of managed e-business hosting solutions. For every client, Pragmatix provides the business analysis, project management, and on-going support needed for long-term success.

A trailblazer in information technology, Bill has a strong track record of streamlining business processes and improving a company’s bottom line. Prior to founding Pragmatix, Bill was president of Abram & Yagoda Systems Group, a firm he established in 1983 to build LAN-based, multi-user PC applications.

Before discovering his entrepreneurial direction, Bill was project executive with McDonnell Douglas Automation Company. Earlier in his career, Bill served as assistant controller at Montefiore Medical Center.

Bill is a member of the Westchester County Association and serves on the board of the Westchester Information Technology Cluster. He is Chairman of the Board of The Volunteer Center of the United Way, a member and former treasurer of the Association for Electronic Health Care Transactions, and an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. He is a past trustee of Woodlands Community Temple, and has chaired several advisory committees for the Board of Education in Ardsley, NY.

Bill earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY and an MBA in Finance from Pace University, Pleasantville, NY.