Steve Meleen is a financial advisor for Global Finance Group. In addition, Steve is a founding member and managing partner of Vantera Partners LLC. He has thirty years of experience managing financings, operations and business creation, both for private emerging growth companies as well as multinational public companies. During his career he has participated on merger teams representing acquisitions totaling $600 million. He has completed over 50 financing transactions on the “buy” side and 20 on the “sell” side, and he has obtained over $150 million in debt and equity financing for middle market companies. He has been a founding investor in eight companies and is a Managing Director of WestPark Capital.

From 1986 to 1992 Steve was the Chief Operating Officer and Financial Officer for the Marciano family holdings which included Guess?, Inc., Guess? Retail (formerly MGA), and Charles David retail store groups. His responsibilities at various times included strategic and tax planning, new venture operations, financings, investments, retail operations and real estate activities. From 1981 to 1986 Steve served in two department head positions for Santa Fe International, Inc. (now Global Santa Fe), a NYSE-listed public company, where his involvement included international joint ventures and major acquisitions.

Steve resided and worked in Asia from 1973 to 1978. He was first recruited by Cordon International, Inc.’s publicly financed joint venture with Asian partners, which owned and operated helicopters and airplanes on a contract basis for the oil and construction industry. From 1975 to 1978 he established, financed and headed three companies in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia: one company designed and imported products from the United States for major department stores groups in Asia; another offered U.S. expatriates and Asian residents of the United States income tax preparation, financial planning and investment services; and the third was a fully licensed insurance brokerage offering IRA’s and Keogh plans from the top U.S companies to the expatriate community.

Steve was formerly with Arthur Andersen & Company, Los Angeles, where he obtained his C.P.A. from the State of California. After graduating with a B.A. in Accounting from the highly accredited Grove City College in Pennsylvania, he became an Air Force pilot from 1968 to 1973. Steve is married with one son and two granddaughters.