Rod Simon, CEO

            Corporate Development 

Mr. Simon's career extends beyond his twenty-plus years in business development with twelve of those years in corporate finance as a Principal, Business and Financial Advisor. Rod's trademark in helping client management and executive boards achieve their corporate growth and restructuring objectives has earned him the reputation for building shareholder value for middle-market businesses.  Mr. Simon's credentials in the capital markets spans mergers, acquisitions, turnarounds, direct investments, corporate banking transactions and, most recently, portfolio structuring of multi-million dollar special purpose funds. With an arsenal of strategic relationships and sourcing networks, Mr. Simon is at the forefront of KCG's corporate and client development activities and is instrumental in both origination and capital placement for KCG clients.  His direct working experience throughout the supply chain, as well as, his domain expertise in the commercial real estate, hospitality, retail, as well as manufacturing and telecommunications industries brings a broad and unique perspective in support of his clients assignments.   

David Wu - Advisor 

Capital Facility Fund Manager 

Prior to providing advisory services to KCG, Mr. Wu's credentials extend beyond his 20 years of direct operating experience in senior executive positions including finance, operations, technology and marketing. David brings a seasoned balance of industry and capital fund raising expertise for emerging growth and entrepreneurial companies. 

Mr. Wu has a keen understanding of technology, capital markets, and acquisitions and to date, has raised over $700+million dollars in private equity and debt financing. Prior to working with KCG, Mr. Wu also has served as President/COO of a wireless start-up, President of Mirror Image (AMEX), VP of Marketing at Gemstar/Video Guide (NASDQ) and Product Manager at Intel. Mr. Wu earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a MSEE/CS and BSEE from MIT.

Darrell Braswell - Advisor 

Capital Facility Fund Manager 

Darrell brings to KCG over 24 years experience in Capital Fund Management utilizing Quantitative Financial Modeling and portfolio management experience in Global Equities, Fixed Income, Currencies, Derivatives and Commodities with several publications in industry literature.  For 13 of these years Darrell was the co-founder and managing director of Quantilogic Asset Management managing $2.5 billion of pension fund assets with an additional four years managing the Portfolio Manager for Pacific Telsis. During his three years with Morgan Stanley Dean Whitter as an Options Broker, Darrell began his desire to create an efficiency money management model. During the last number of years, Darrell has spent several years researching and modeling the freight & freight derivatives market including time spent systematically capturing pricing inefficiencies in the shipping industry.

Jim Shimoura

General Counsel

Mr. Shimoura is KCG's  general counsel for contracting and business compliance efforts.  Jim has worked as the General Counsel to Paradigm Sintered Products, Battle Creek, MI which is an automotive parts supplier to the Big Three auto manufacturers.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of US Voicemail, the largest independent provider of voicemail services in the Ameritech region and was involved in raising capital for the company.  Jim also is a registered (registered) player agent with the PGA Tour.  Jim represents PGA Tour players such as Shigeki Maruyama and Hidemichi Tanaka. Mr. Shimoura is the US representative for HAL Sports Production (Tokyo), the largest golf player management group in Japan.  Jim was also appointed to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, where he served from 1993 to 2001.  Jim holds a BA from Michigan State University, with honors in Political Science and earned his J.D. from Wayne State University, School of Law.

Tim Ayers - Advisor

Public Relations

Tim is an industry relations executive and formerly served as vice president of communications at the Cellular Telecommunications &Internet Association.  Before entering the telecom field, he served as marketing director for the State of Maryland and was Director of Communications for the State's Governor.  He has worked as a press secretary, magazine editor, cable television (television) executive, and was Director of Communications for the national Legal Services Corporation.  Mr. Ayers is a member of the Board of Directors of Omnilearn, LLC, an e-learning company.  He also serves as Chairman of the National Children's Craniofacial Association.  He is a member of the National Press Club, the Public Relations Society of America, the Independent Public Relations Alliance and Leadership Washington, among other organizations.

           John Scardino - Advisor

           Commercial Real Estate Advisor

Is the founder and principal of JHS, LLC of California, and affiliate companies Western Pacific Land Group, and Texas-based Legend Communities.   Scardino began his career as a licensed attorney in 1983 in Washington and California, before entering the development field in 1985. Over the past 25 years he has specialized in real estate acquisition, construction, sales, leasing and syndication for diverse single-family residential, multi-family and associated commercial projects in the central coast of California, as well as Central Texas.  Scardino has acquired, planned, developed and constructed over $1.8 billion of real estate since he joined the industry, with an emphasis on recreational, master-planned residential and mixed use communities featuring lake and golf course amenities, as well as retail, office and multi-purpose commercial projects.  He currently oversees development of several projects in California, including the largest master-planned communities in San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County.  The Woodlands in Nopoma spans 856 acres and features over 1,300 single-family homes, a resort hotel and championship golf, while Rice Ranch in Santa Barbara offers 560 acres of single-family homes and multi-family units with a sports complex and numerous amenities. Also of note is the 104-acre Vista Del Mar residential development in Arroyo Grande.  Scardino's development companies and projects have earned recognition from a number of well-regarded local and national industry associations including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Urban Land Institute (ULI), National Association of Home Builders and the City of Austin Green Builder Program.  Based on his background in Venice, California, and the social time he spent at The Boy's Club in Santa Monica when not running paper routes, sacking groceries and selling ice cream, Scardino invests his time and resources in causes that bring him a very different type of satisfaction than business dealings. He is committed to supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs, as well as over 25 separate children's charities such as Maldonado Youth Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Nipomo Community Center that provide an avenue for children to better themselves and achieve their goals.

            Mike Shealy - Advisor 

            Endowment Fund Advisor 

Mr. Shealy brings over thirty years corporate experience developing businesses and managing enterprises.  Prior to working with KCG as an Advisor, Mr. Shealy joined Intel through its acquisition of Basis Communications Corporation, where Mike was a Founder and served as Chairman, President and CEO. Mike has served as a Division General Manager and Group Strategy Officer at Intel; Division Vice President and General Manager for Cirrus Logic, Compaq Computer and AT&T Paradyne; as President and CEO of Digital Technology, Inc.; and, at NCR, as the Director/General Manager of the Technology Marketing Division and Director of Product Management in the Retail Systems Division.  Prior to his technology career, Mike was the Director of Business Planning as well as having held management positions in Operations and IS at a major retailer. Mr. Shealy is a founding investor and serves on the board of Epic Aircraft Company.  Mike holds an MBA from the Robins School at the University of Richmond and a BSEE from the Virginia Military Institute.

Ross Harano - Advisor

Far East Business Development Advisor 

Mr. Harano brings more than 30 years of advisory experience provides KCG clients with business development advisory in helping private and public organizations in the areas of public policy, management and government relations.  Ross was the former Managing Director of the Illinois Trade Office, prior to joining this office; Mr. Harano served as the President of the World Trade Center in Chicago, IL. Ross had previously served the office of the Attorney General of Illinois concurrently as Equal Opportunity Officer, Director of Advisory Councils and Chief of the Crime Victims Division. He was also a consultant for several international business ventures.  As a businessman, Mr. Harano was the operating partner for two international trading companies and served as the Chief Financial Officer for a company doing international business.  As a banker, Ross served as a vice president for loans. Mr. Harano has extensive involvement in public organizational activities and has served as President of the Illinois Ethnic Coalition and the Chicago Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.  He has also served as the Treasurer of the Illinois Humanities Council. Mr. Harano has received awards from the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the American Jewish Committee, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and the Illinois Ethnic Coalition.

Jeff Livingston - Advisor

Corporate Business Development Advisor

Mr. Livingston has served on and off in the gaming industry since 1979. He has worked for such companies as Bally Technologies, Circus Circus, Landmark, Harrah’s Entertainment, Grand Casinos, Grand Traverse Resorts and Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino. He is a veteran of the US Army and has also been a police officer in North Lauderdale and deputy for the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Educationally Jeff has an Executive MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Business Management. He also attended both Harvard Business School and Harvard JFK School of Government,. and he has a DBA in Business from Harvard Business School. In 2004, he received an honorary doctorate in business economics from Michigan State University. He served on the Republican Senatorial Committee for the Presidential Roundtable on Economics for four years. His latest accomplishment was when he received the Dale Carnegie Leadership Award for 2006, a national honor given to the executive that displays the best measurable leadership within America. This is an award that was formally won by other such notable companies and CEO’s as Ford (William Ford), Chrysler (Lee Ioacoca) and GM (Jack Welch). Chukchansi was named Business of the Year by the Oakhurst Chamber of Commerce and received a letter of congratulations and recognition from Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger. Fresno Bee readers have also recognized Chukchansi as the “Best Local Casino” for the three years of Jeff’s’ tenure. The Chukchansi Gold expansion project was also put in for the prestigious Marvin Black Award for excellence. Jeff was recognized by Fresno Magazine as one of the top 50 most powerful people in the Fresno area.  His motto is “You’re greatness will be measured by the greatness you brought out of those around you.”  “Life is a team game.”

Bryan Emerson - Advisor 

Broker/Dealer & Capital Marketing Advisor

 Mr. Emerson is a external advisor to KCG and is a Series 7, 24, 27, and 63 licensed Broker/Dealer (FINRA - the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).  Bryan handles projects that require KCG to utilize a Broker/Dealer. Bryan was elected to a current three year term on the FINRA District VI committee, serves on the national FINRA technology committee and has made himself available for arbitration cases. He is highly attentive to protecting the interests of his clients, their investors, and company representatives.  His business experience includes financial, marketing and project management experience in a variety of high-and-low technology industries, with multi-national companies into a global firm which grew to $150mm, during which time, Mr. Emerson lived in Mexico City and worked all over Latin America for ten years, developing a customer base of embassies, corporations, and individuals.  He is fluent in Spanish and has grammatical and conversational skills in French, Portuguese and Japanese.  Mr. Emerson's community involvement includes active roles in expanding educational, investment, and business development opportunities in Houston Texas.  Bryan is on the Board of Advisory with Rice University, Houston Achievement Place, and Aegis Capital Group.  Mr. Emerson received his B.A. with Honors in Spanish and Economics from Hamilton College in New York and his M.B.A. from Jones School of Administration at Rice University.