Since mid-2010, Mr. Ekstrom and Ed Villeneuve have been entrepreneurial owner-operators of Augeo Advisors, LLC. Mr. Ekstrom, along with Mr. Villeneuve, personally performs all advisory services provided by Augeo to its clients. Since obtaining their FINRA license in April 2011, Mr. Ekstrom and Mr. Villeneuve have successfully closed 100% of their client engagements. Former Augeo clients include Staff Pro, Ridgeline Pipe, U.S. Container, Solar Gard and Enjoy Lighting. Mr. Ekstrom has, from the very beginning of his 20-year investment banking career, worked exclusively representing sellers in privately-negotiated M&A transactions.

Prior to founding Augeo Advisors in 2010, Mr. Ekstrom developed a diversified background in investment banking, financial accounting and consulting.

In early 2001, Mr. Ekstrom (along with Ed Villeneuve) co-founded and ran the L.A. office of Goldsmith Agio Helms, which was acquired by Lazard Ltd. in 2007, to form Lazard Middle Market. Mr. Ekstrom held the position of Managing Director from 2001 until early 2010, during which time he completed several notable transactions including the sales of The Ant Farm (to Omnicom Worldwide), Crown Bolt (to The Home Depot), Clougherty Packing, owners of the venerable Farmer John brand (to Hormel), and Two Chefs On a Roll (to Bakkavor Group).

From mid-1994 to early 2001, Mr. Ekstrom served as an Associate and later a Vice President with a boutique investment bank, where he was integrally involved in transactions such as the sales of Joseph Webb Foods (to US Foodservice), Westbrae Natural (to Hain Food Group), Compel (to US Office Products) and Newport Meats (to Sysco).

From 1987 until leaving to attend graduate school in 1992, Mr. Ekstrom worked for the certified public accounting firm of Kenneth Leventhal & Co. (now Ernst & Young's EY Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group) in the firm's Los Angeles headquarters office. During his five-year service with Kenneth Leventhal, he rose to the position of Senior Accountant and conducted auditing, tax accounting, forensic accounting, operations accounting, valuation and management consulting services for clients in the real estate development, construction and management industries.

Mr. Ekstrom holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree with concentrations in Marketing and Finance from the Marshall School of Business at USC. Mr. Ekstrom is a FINRA-registered General Principal (Series 24) and also holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 79 licenses. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in California.