Chicago, January 8, 2025 – Cultivate Advisors, one of North America’s largest small business advisory firms, announced that Simone Ashkar has been named president. In addition, Cultivate added eight new members to its advisory and partnership teams. The latest hires bring a wide range of industry expertise, further strengthening the firm’s ability to help clients boost performance and profitability.
“We’re excited for 2025 and to build off the momentum of the past few years,” said Casey Clark, Co-Founder and CEO of Cultivate Advisors. “With the unmatched talent we have in place and our results-driven approach and solutions, we are well positioned to meet the increased demands for our services.”
The moves come as Cultivate recorded a year of continued rapid growth. With its parent company, Cultivates Brands, it made the Inc. 5000 for the sixth year in a row and Crain’s Chicago Business’ Fast 50 for a five-year revenue growth rate of +400%. It also expanded its partner program, joining forces with Edward Jones, Elevate by Principal, The BOW Collective, and Trainual to bring its industry-leading resources and services to their small business communities.
The new team members bring diverse backgrounds and specialties in AI, tech, CX, and logistics across a broad range of industries, including wellness, tourism, retail, manufacturing, and more to Cultivate. They include:
- Stu Card, Advisor, is an accomplished entrepreneur and food and travel author with a history of cultivating award-winning, highly profitable business models across the tourism and hospitality industries. Under his leadership, he has expanded the services of Savannah Taste Experience from food tours to curated events to brick-and-mortar and online stores.
- Rod Dowdy, Advisor, has spent 24 years in sales, operations, and business coaching. Dowdy has extensive experience building profitability, expanding market penetration, and enhancing CX, along with onboarding, training, recruiting, and retaining top-tier talent.
- Mary Guarino, Advisor, is a seasoned multi-unit franchise owner and operator who has scaled four entities to profitable exits. She has a proven track record of achieving robust profit margins and value-driven growth by leveraging the sales and organizational consulting skills she’s developed over 20 years as an entrepreneur.
- Dan King, Director of Strategic Partnerships, has an extensive background in sales, business development, and partnerships. He has launched and scaled partner programs from scratch, transforming them into high-performing revenue streams. He has also built and optimized high-profile partner channels with Fortune 500 companies, significantly increasing engagement and revenue.
- Shamus McNutt, Advisor, is a serial entrepreneur passionate about building and scaling businesses. He has founded multiple companies, transforming one, FlowState Branding, into a multi-million dollar operation.
- Brianna “Bre” Russell, Advisor, is committed to empowering women and girls to reach new heights. As the founder of Girls Leading Goals and FemThrive, Russell helps women scale their businesses without burning out by fostering supportive and growth-focused communities.
- R.J. Safranek, Advisor, has served as a CEO, CFO, and small business owner in the logistics and industrial manufacturing sectors. An expert on startup, integration, and change management strategies, Safranek has an established record of building and structuring businesses for scale.
- Bryce Sherwood, Director of Strategic Partnerships, has spent his career in enterprise sales. He has worked with a variety of companies throughout the years, from startups to Fortune 100 and 500 brands, including American Airlines, Sephora, Netflix, Pepsi, and Hilton.
“Our team at Cultivate has always been one of the best in the space,” said Clark. “These strategic initiatives solidify our position and allow us to continue to support our clients and their evolving needs.”
Cultivate Advisors is one of North America’s largest small business skill development and coaching firms. Built with a team of entrepreneurial-minded advisors with firsthand experience running successful companies, Cultivate has helped thousands of owners in 160+ industries scale and become exit-ready, with those working with the firm for 12+ months growing on average 43% in top-line revenue and 65% in bottom-line profit year-over-year. Cultivate has made the Inc. 5000 six years in a row and Crain’s Chicago Business’ Fast 50 for its rapid growth. The BASA and Titan Awards have also recognized it for its best-in-class services.
###
More than 220 Entrepreneurs and Industry Leaders Gather for Cultivate Advisors’ 2024 Catapult Conference
October 28, 2024
4 minRead
