PROFESSIONAL SERVICE PROVIDER HONOREE
FRANK KAUFMAN, Moss Adams LLP
Frank Kaufman, a Certified Public Accountant, has been directly involved in the fashion manufacturing and retail industries since starting with Moss Adams in 1983. He is well versed in multiple industry sectors, such as apparel and consumer goods, as well as the various distribution models, including traditional bricks and mortar, ecommerce, and consumer products in general.
Kaufman has been an integral force within the service producer community, within the Los Angeles fashion industry and the Orange County segment of fashion product providers. With a focus on helping clients to grow and achieve their goals, Kaufman identifies impactful industry trends, develops relevant strategic plans, and assists in plan implementation. He spends a significant portion of his time with clients during liquidity events, where preparation and negotiation are integral for success.
He has been a featured speaker on significant panels regarding the business of fashion, and is considered an expert in finance and his advice is sought after for the many merger and acquisition projects having to do with brand development.
FINALIST: ROBERT EZRA Freeman, Freeman & Smiley, LLP
Robert Ezra is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Freeman Freeman & Smiley, LLP and head of the Fashion Law Practice. Over the course of his 40-year career he has earned the reputation as a leading lawyer in the apparel, fashion and textiles industry by assisting clients in critical decisions in all aspects of their business operations.
Ezra gained practical industry knowledge as an accountant and loan officer to garment makers before he became an attorney. As a loan officer with Manufacturers Bank in downtown Los Angeles in the early 1970s, he learned the entire manufacturing process from spinning yarn to retail delivery and every aspect in between. Ezra specializes in contractual claims, shareholder and partnership disputes and dissolutions, including provisional remedies, unfair competition, intellectual property claims and business torts both within and outside the apparel industry. He devises legally protective and creative resolutions in business conflicts and creates valuable opportunities for clients in the area of financing and business growth.
FINALIST: DARRIN BEER, CIT Commercial Services
Darrin Beer has more than 25 years of financial- services experience and has been an important member of the CIT Commercial Services team since 1999. In his most recent role as Western Regional Manager for CIT, he brings tremendous knowledge and experience and provides strong leadership to the Western regional team. CIT is one of the largest factoring companies in the United States and has been in this business of invoice factoring since 1928.
CIT Commercial Services is the nation’s leading provider of financing to consumer product companies, tailoring business credit solutions to help companies increase sales, improve cash flow, reduce operating expenses and eliminate customer credit losses. Their clients are vendors that sell to a broad range of fashion retailers, wholesalers and distributors across the nation and abroad. Beer is actively involved in the philanthropic activities of the Fashion and textile complex of California and is a Board member of the California Fashion Association and the The Professionals Club (TPC).
