Management Team

Gerald Barney, President

Gerald W. Barney began his career as a financial professional in 1971 as a NYSE, ASE, and NASD licensed securities broker dealing in mid-sized mergers and acquisitions and commercial real estate syndications. Since 1983 he has been active principally in providing financial services to small business, including business development, business appraisals, consulting, and business brokerage and financing. He is currently a principal shareholder of Triaz International, a firm engaged in small business brokerage, machinery and equipment brokerage and is a shareholder of American ValueMetrics Corp. operating nationwide in the areas of business valuations and machinery & equipment appraisals.

He is a member of the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA) and holds the designation Accredited Valuation Analyst (AVA).  He is a member of the International Society of Business Analysts and holds the professional designation of Certified Senior Business Analyst (CSBA). He is also a member of and certified by the National Equipment & Business Brokers Institute (NEBB) and holds the professional designation of Certified Machinery & Equipment Appraiser (CMEA).

In 2008, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) granted accreditation to NACVA for its CVA and AVA designations for demonstrating compliance with ICE Institute for Credentialing Excellence.  NACVA’s CVA and AVA are the only valuation credentials in the industry to receive this prestigious and internationally recognized accreditation.

As an appraiser Mr. Barney has prepared valuations of over 3,500 small business entities and/or equipment assignments throughout the spectrum of industries. Clients consist mainly of SBA lender banks, insurance companies, attorneys and private individuals.  General qualifications are listed below:

• M.S. Cybernetic Systems, San Jose State University (1980)
• B. A. Management, Sonoma State University, California (1973)
• A.A. Engineering, San Mateo College, California (1958)
• Graduate, New York Institute of Finance (1974)
• Formerly licensed NASD securities broker. (1972-1974)
• Licensed California Real Estate Broker
• Certified Machinery/Equipment Appraiser (CMEA)
• Accredited Valuation Analyst (AVA)
• Certified Senior Business Analyst (CSBA).

Melisa Silverman, Partner and Senior Appraiser

Melisa Silverman has worked for software companies forming partnerships with strategic and technology companies, integrating technologies and services as well as marketing and selling the joint solutions.  Over time, the partners became acquisition targets and Ms. Silverman was involved with the due diligence and integration of the acquisitions into the parent company.  Since 2007 she has been an active principal in providing financial services to closely-held businesses, including business development, business valuations and consulting.  She is a partner and senior appraiser in American ValueMetrics Corp., a national valuation services firm providing defensible, business and business interest valuation reports which meet industry standards (USPAP and NACVA) and regulatory standards (IRS, ERISA and DOL).

Ms. Silverman is a member of and holds the following designations: Accredited Valuation Analyst (AVA), from the National Association of Accredited Valuation Analysts (NACVA); Senior Business Analyst (SBA) from the International Society of Business Analysts and Certified Machinery & Equipment Appraiser (CMEA) from the National Equipment & Business Brokers Institute (NEBB). 

As a valuation expert, Ms. Silverman has prepared hundreds of complex business valuations for a variety of purposes including but not limited to: estate and gift taxes, mergers and acquisitions, partner buyouts, shareholder disputes, ESOP transactions, intellectual properties, buy-sell agreements, conversions from C to S-Corps, divorces, non-cash charitable contributions, machinery & equipment and discounted cash flow analyses throughout the spectrum of industries.  Clients consist of attorneys, CPAs, SBA lender banks, insurance companies, business owners and private individuals. 

Ms. Silverman combines extensive financial analysis of a business or business interest with compelling legal analysis to make persuasive arguments in support of and defense of the findings that result in the conclusions of value.

 General qualifications are listed below:

• B.A.  Indiana University, Bloomington, IN (1991)
• J.D.   Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad Law Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (1995)
• Accredited Valuation Analyst (AVA)
• Certified Machinery/Equipment Appraiser (CMEA)
• Senior Business Analyst (SBA)
• Member of National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA)
• Member of the National ESOP Association
• Member of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO)
• Member, Business Forums International
• Member, Association of Corporate Growth (ACG)
• Member, Provisor’s Network
• Member, Beverly Hills Estate Planning Council
• Co-Author of Published White Paper, Minority Discounts – Defend Them or Lose Them
• Co-Author of White Paper, ESOP Valuations – New Developments

Joanna Coy, Senior Consultant

Joanna Coy is a senior consultant with American ValueMetrics, a national valuation services firm providing defensible, certified business and business interest valuation reports that meet industry standards (USPAP and NACVA) as well as regulatory standards (IRS, ERISA) and substantiates the value of the assets.

Ms. Coy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science, and holds the professional designation of Certified Machinery & Equipment Appraiser (CMEA) from the National Equipment and Business Brokers Institute. She also holds the professional designation of Senior Business Analyst (SBA) from the International Society of Business Analysts.  Ms. Coy is working towards her professional designation of Accredited Valuation Analyst from the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA).

Ms. Coy has prepared hundreds of complex business valuations for a variety of reasons including but not limited to: mergers and acquisitions, 401(k) investment adequate consideration, divorces, ESOP transactions, investment financing, machinery & equipment, estate and gift taxes, franchise sales, discounted cash flow analyses, and preparation of IRS/ERISA Form 5500.

Ms. Coy combines her extensive experience in analyzing real-world business situations with the theoretical application of various valuation approaches to derive highly defensible and fair appraisal values. 

Previously, Ms. Coy worked for various large companies in the technology and financial services/insurance industries.  She was responsible for various financial functions such as ensuring divisional adherence to company financial plans, maintaining contract and software revenue recognition according to GAAP, auditing internal organizations to ensure compliance with company policy, assisting organizations with process improvements and efficiency maximization, setting up contracts with outsourcing vendors, cost reductions, revenue growth, channel partner programs, scenario planning, and financial modeling.  She has also owned her own service franchise.  The combination of experience with both large and small companies contributes greatly to her ability to analyze companies and compile sound valuations.

Education

University of California, Berkeley - 1989

• Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Political Science
• Undergraduate Honors Thesis Program
• Magna Cum Laude

Professional Credentials

• Member, National Equipment and Business Brokers Institute
• Senior Business Analyst (SBA) Certificate
• Certified Machinery & Equipment Appraiser (CMEA) Certificate
• Fraud Detection Certificate
• Total Quality Management Program Certificate
• Deming Philosophy Program Certificate
• Internal Audit Certificate