team

COGNITIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS

CHET GOUGIS – former Vice Chairman Duff & Phelps LLC. Leader of D&P consulting and investment
banking business for over 25 years. Grew business from less than $4 million in revenue in 1987 to over
$250 million in 2006. Mr. Gougis graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1974 with a
B.A. in Economics. He received his M.B.A. degree in Finance and Accounting, with honors, in 1976
from the University of Chicago.

RON YOKUBISON – former COO of $60 million manufacturing company with experience in finance
and operations. Investment Banker for 7 years at Duff & Phelps following experience in operations
and finance at General Motors. Mr. Yokubison holds a B.S. in economics with a concentration in
finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds an M.B.A from the
University of Michigan Business School, where he was a General Motors Fellow and graduated with
highest distinction.

RICHARD HOULIHAN – Co-Founder and former Chairman of Houlihan Capital. He is a principal of
Houlihan Valuation Advisors (since 1986) and Founder, former President and former Chairman of
Houlihan Lokey. Mr. Houlihan was also the Founder, Chairman and President and part owner of
Solitude Ski Resort from 1977-1987. Prior to forming Houlihan Lokey, Mr. Houlihan served as
Financial Vice President for Carr-Sigoloff Industries Corporation (1969-1970) and as Audit Staff &
Senior MAS Specialist and MAS Manager for Price Waterhouse & Company Management Advisory
Services (1963-1969).

Mr. Houlihan is a CPA/ABV, a Senior Member of the American Society of Appraisers, Business
Valuation and a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser.

Mr. Houlihan authored The Valuation of Minority Interests in a Closely Held Corporation and was a
contributing author to The Handbook of Business Valuation and The Mergers and Acquisitions
Handbook for Small and Midsize Companies. Mr. Houlihan holds a B.S. in Accounting from Brigham
Young University and a Masters of Valuation Science from Lindenwood College.

MIKE MAREK – former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Duff & Phelps, LLC. Prior
experience also includes extensive experience in various financial roles, including Chief Financial
Officer for an SEC-registered investment advisor and broker-dealer, Director of Finance for the US
subsidiary of an international electronics manufacturer, Controller of a publicly traded software and
services organization, and a Big 4 accounting firm. Mr. Marek is a certified public accountant with a
B.S. in accounting and an M.B.A in finance from DePaul University.

MARK ROBINSON – former Vice President of Operations for a boutique Investment Bank. In this
capacity, Mr. Robinson was responsible for the operations of the firm, including, but not limited to,
Separately Managed Account trading and Information Technology. Further, Mr. Robinson has 10
years of experience managing Private Equity investments for ultra-high-net-worth individuals,
including several cross-border transactions. Mr. Robinson holds a B.S. with a double-major in
Marketing and Human Resources from Marquette University. He also holds an M.B.A with a
concentration in Finance from Loyola University–Chicago, where he was inducted into two national
honor societies. In addition to Beta Gamma Sigma, Mr. Robinson was one of 5 members of his
graduating class to be accepted into Alpha Sigma Nu.

BILLY SMITH – former Senior Associate in the Investment Banking practice of Duff & Phelps. While at
Duff & Phelps, Mr. Smith concentrated on fairness and solvency opinions, as well as preparing
analyses for boards of directors contemplating strategic transactions. During his tenure, he led
quantitative analyses for some of the largest leveraged buyout and corporate spin-off transactions in
support of transaction opinions. Mr. Smith received his bachelor degree in 2004 from Illinois
Wesleyan University with a major in public accounting. While at Illinois Wesleyan, Mr. Smith received
the Order of Titans Award for his achievements in academics and varsity golf.

COGNITIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS
Investing + Operating Expertise