Bio

Duane began his career as a project engineer for Global Industries, an industry-leading oil and gas offshore construction company. During his tenure at Global, the company made several strategic acquisitions and completed a successful IPO. Duane’s exposure to the tremendous growth and success that Global Industries realized through M&A and its ultimate IPO, encouraged him to pursue entrepreneurism and ultimately a career as an M&A advisor. In 1995 after completing his MBA, Duane successfully started a branded food manufacturing and distribution company that he expanded through a subsequent strategic acquisition and eventually sold. This experience provided him first-hand experience with the intricate details involved in owning, growing, acquiring, and preparing a business for a liquidity event. After selling his company, Duane partnered with a large regional CPA firm to launch a mergers and acquisition practice group from the ground up. His experiences eventually led him to the opportunity to start Founders in 2003 and focus on M&A advisory by using a values-based relationship-driven process approach to serving clients, defined as the Founders Way.