Business Management Advisory Firm Expands Team and Capabilities

The Vann Group, a business management advisory firm serving businesses in transition across the country, has announced the addition of two new team members to their consulting team and expanded services to their portfolio.

Dan Yacuzzo, former owner of the Eastside Grill restaurant in Northampton, MA has joined the Vann Group to lead the firm's restaurant and hospitality consulting offering. A long time advisor in this sector, the Vann Group now offers a comprehensive suite of services to people looking to buy, sell, create new restaurants or make strategic improvements to current operations. Yacuzzo is a well known and respected name in this sector; having created and managed one of the region's most successful restaurants for more than 20 years with his partner and wife, Gail Yacuzzo; and consulting to additional restaurants in other markets. The new offering covers virtually every aspect of restaurant management and transactions; from identifying qualified operators, to business plans and market assessments, to inventory management and monitoring systems, to arranging financing and negotiating the buying and selling of restaurants.

John Carella, formerly of Hines, one of the world's largest commercial property management groups, has joined the Vann Group to head up the firms' construction and commercial real estate advisory services. With 15 years of experience in this vertical, John is a significant addition to the Vann Group's already substantial track record serving the construction and commercial real estate industry over the past 30+ years. The expanded offering assists property owners, investors, lenders and contractors in protecting assets, mitigating risks and unforeseen expenses, and increasing economic value. This expansion encompasses a long list of specific services including property asset assessment and management, project management, coordinating the work of specialists like environmental and structural engineers and elevator maintenance experts, process engineering and systems for contractors, lease assessments and dispute resolution.

Dan and John join Principals Kevin B. Vann and Michael K. Vann and senior advisory team members, Nicholas Carella and Thomas J. Lippie; in helping companies in transition to unlock their value, through strategic planning, organizational development consulting, merger and acquisition advisory services, restaurant consulting and construction and real estate consulting. The firm defines transitional companies as those who are growing rapidly, at a plateau, in crisis or contemplating an exit. "We are extremely careful in selecting advisory team members for the Vann Group," said Michael K. Vann, "and we are very fortunate and pleased that Dan and John have agreed to join us. We know they share our passion for business management and possess tremendous expertise and work with impeccable integrity in their respective fields."

The Vann Group is a leading strategic advisory firm and a national expert on business management, serving privately held companies and non-profit organizations across the country. These expanded strategic planning and business management offerings further bolster the firm's portfolio that includes strategic planning; ongoing trusted advisory services; intermediary services for buying, selling and financing businesses; and crisis and turnaround planning and management. The Vann Group has been building, buying, selling and advising businesses for 30+ years and is the culmination of the Vann family's 150-year history of business experience and entrepreneurial spirit.