Brandi L. Ruffalo MBA, AVA

Brandi L. Ruffalo, MBA, AVA, is President of The Business Development Company. As a respected member of the business valuation profession, Brandi is an active member of the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA). She has participated in curriculum development for the international business valuation credential (CVA) and was an author and instructor for the coursework required for retaining the US business valuation credentials (CVA and AVA). Today, Brandi is an instructor for NACVA's Advanced Business Valuation Class and Case Study.

Brandi has earned the designation of Accredited Valuation Analyst (AVA) and is an active member of NACVA and the Institute of Business Appraisers. She earned her MBA in Finance from The University of Chicago and has been involved with business valuation throughout her career.

Brandi received her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in Business and then began her career with Andersen Consulting's Strategic Services Group where she focused on Real Options and Business Strategy. She worked across various industries and incorporated real options valuations for projects, new business ventures, re-deployment of existing assets, and new product development. Brandi left Andersen to pursue her MBA in Finance. She graduated with honors. After completing her MBA, Brandi worked in venture capital, evaluating investment opportunities and developing pricing for investments. Brandi left venture capital to co-found PediaMed Pharmaceuticals. At PediaMed, Brandi established the business model, wrote the business plan, obtained venture capital funding, and researched and evaluated new product acquisitions.

In 1999, Brandi founded The Business Development Company (BDC) where she has successfully built a valuation practice from the ground up. Her work at BDC includes business valuations for estate, divorce litigation, investment, and M&A purposes. Her clients range from small family-owned businesses to large privately-held entities.

She is past Treasurer for the Illinois State Chapter of NACVA. She is also active in the Business Valuation Association, a group of business valuation specialists who gather monthly for education and theoretical discussions. In addition to her valuation activities, Brandi holds FINRA series 7, 63, and 65 licenses with Waterstone Financial Group.

Brandi conducts seminars on valuations and ownership issues for professional associations and business groups and writes articles for monthly trade publications.

Publications:

• Business Valuations: Universal and Fundamental Applications - 2004, International Association of Certified Valuation Analysts
• Current Update in Valuations - 2005, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts
• Current Update in Valuations - 2006, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts
• Building Blocks of Good Report Writing - 2006, 2007, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts
• Advanced Tools to Improve Report Writing - 2006, 2007, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts
• Introduction to Supply-Side Models: Are They Relevant in Business Valuation Work? - 2007, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts Fourteenth Annual Consultants' Conference
• Making Sense of the Cost of Capital Hoopla - 2008, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts Fifteenth Annual Consultants' Conference

Offices/Positions Held:

• Instructor, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Treasurer, Illinois State NACVA Chapter, 2004, 2005
• Chairman, Academic Track for NACVA 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 International Conferences

Awards, Honors and Certifications:

• Instructor of Exceptional Distinction; National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, 2006, 2007
• AVA-Accredited Valuation Analyst; National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, July 2001
• Series 7 License; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, July 2001
• Series 63 License; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, July 2001
• Series 65 License; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, July 2001
• Certified Management Consultant; Institute of Certified Management Consultants; July 2002

Education:

• MBA in Finance from The University of Chicago, awarded 1999
• Bachelors of Business Administration from Texas A&M University, awarded 1993