Professional Staff
Cornelius J. (C.J.) Harris, CBI, MMAI is the managing
director of C. J. Harris and Company, LLC. Mr. Harris' leadership
of the firm is based on over 40 years of business experience including
sales, retail management, manpower development, commercial banking,
management consulting, and private investment banking.
Mr. Harris is a charter
member of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA)
and the Carolina Virginias Business Brokers Association (CVBBA).
He is a long standing member of the M&A Source Mergers and Acquisition,
an internationally recognized Merger and Acquisition practitioners
Association. He was the first in North Carolina to meet and exceed
the requirements to be designated a Certified Business Intermediary
by IBBA. In 1999 he received the Fellow of the IBBA designation
and in 2002 became one of the first thirteen people internationally
to receive the Merger and Acquisition Master Intermediary (M&AMI)
designation from the M&A Source. Mr. Harris serves on the IBBA
International Committee and formerly on the M&A Source's Master
Mergers and Acquisitions Intermediary Credentials Committee and
currently on the Board of Directors of the CVBBA serving as chairman
of the Bylaws and Code of Ethics Committee. He is a member of the
Institute of Business Appraisers. Mr. Harris is a state advisory
board member of the North Carolina Small Business Technology Development
Center and has served as chairman of the Advisory Board of Directors
for the Eastern Region.
At the University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Mr. Harris received a Bachelor of Science
in Business Administration. He has kept abreast of the changing
concepts, technology, markets, and professional practice by continuing
his education in graduate studies at East Carolina University, University
of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, and Rutgers University; he has
also participated in intra-company and associational continuing
education programs. Mr. Harris has taught community college evening
courses in accounting, economics, and real estate. He served several
years as a lecturer at The Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship,
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University.
In addition
to his administrative role as managing director of C. J. Harris
and Company, LLC, Mr. Harris actively participates in business brokerage,
mergers and acquisitions, strategic and tactical planning, capital
planning and placement, valuation, and continuing education projects.
Mr. Harris serves our clients as a business valuation expert witness
in judicial cases. He also conducts seminars and workshops on business
planning, business valuations, profitably selling a business, and
succession management.
John F. (Nick) Nicholson
John F. (Nick) Nicholson, CBI, is located in the firm's Raleigh office and brings
28 years of management experience and support of small, mid-market and corporate
businesses.
Mr. Nicholson is a member on the International Business Brokers Association
(IBBA) and has met the training, educational, and experience requirements to be
designated a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) by IBBA. Before joining C.J. Harris
and Company, Mr. Nicholson was a partner in a Research Triangle based Contract
Research Organization having served as CFO and later President of that company.
Prior to that he had 23 years of management experience with major regional southeast
banks. Along with progressive administrative management experience he worked
extensively with business owners and corporate managers providing a full range of
credit and account services. His experiences in managing commercial and corporate
banking departments, city and county banking regions and in senior credit
administration roles have given him opportunities to work with and assist businesses in
all aspects of their business cycles.
Mr. Nicholson is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
with a degree in Industrial Relations, with an emphasis on business management.
During his business career he has been active in Chambers of Commerce throughout
North Carolina, participated in Economic Development activities in conjunction with
state and local Economic Development groups, and actively participated in several
industry related trade organizations. He is a member of the State Board of Advisors for
the North Carolina Small Business & Technology Center (NC SBTDC), a business
extension and consulting program of the University of North Carolina system and the
US Small Business Administration (SBA), and serves as the Chairman of that
organization's Capital Region Board of Advisors. He has also served on the Boards of
Directors of Junior Achievement of Eastern NC, Wake Education Foundation/Wake
Education Partnership (Chair), Wake County United Way, Raleigh Little Theatre
(President), Leadership Raleigh Alumni Association (Chair) and several civic clubs in
various NC locations. He has served as an advisor to student teams for Duke
University Business School's Management Simulation Program. Through the American
Institute of Banking and both Wake and Durham Tech Community Colleges, Mr.
Nicholson has taught courses in Analyzing Financial Statements, Accounting for
Lenders, Loan Officer Development, Money and Banking, and Personnel/Supervision.
Mr. Nicholson has spoken to national industry associations and at professional
conferences on subjects concerning business valuations, building value in businesses,
preparing businesses for retirement or liquidation, and how to establish and maximize
relationships with bankers.
Mr. Nicholson concentrates in the areas of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures;
general business brokerage; capital planning and placement; organizational planning;
and business valuations.
Anthony S. Risko
Anthony S. Risko, MBA is located in the Greenville office where he serves
clients in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. Mr. Risko assists small and
middle-market clients as a business intermediary and as a generalist management
consultant, including strategic planning.
After teaching in New England, Mr. Risko worked a number of years with a
North Carolina-based regional banking institution. As a commercial lender he
developed significant experience in credit, financial, and industry analysis, and in
advising small and middle-market companies. Prior to joining C.J. Harris and
Company, Mr. Risko worked as an independently contracted consultant to a non-profit
lending company.
At the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Mr. Risko earned a Bachelor of
Arts degree in English. He received his Master of Business Administration degree at
East Carolina University where he was named a member of the Sigma Iota Epsilon
Honor Society. His civic involvement includes having chaired a Wake County March of
Dimes Campaign that exceeded goal, and serving the Wake County Habitat for
Humanity as a member of the Family Selection Committee.
Areas of concentration for Mr. Risko include business planning, capital
placement, business valuations and evaluations, mergers and acquisitions, and general
business brokerage.
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