Alan has been advising private-business owners as well as public-corporation senior management for more than 30 years in the areas of M&A, corporate finance, succession planning, monetization of ownership interests, complex accounting matters under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), initial public offerings, Sarbanes–Oxley readiness, dispute resolution, expert-witness testimony, and use of leveraged employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) as alternatives to third-party sales. Previously, he was an audit partner and regional managing partner at PwC. Alan has a Master of Arts in accounting from Northwestern University and an MBA in marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He is a certified public accountant and a member of the Illinois Society of CPAs and the ESOP Association.