Mr. Joseph A. DiSalvatore

Joseph A. DiSalvatore is a managing director of Grant Thornton LLP's Forensic and Valuation Services group in New York, a highly specialized group comprised of PhDs, CFAs and appraisers with a focus on financial instruments and hard-to-value securities. He has spent more than 30 years providing clients with valuation advisory services that involved the valuation of complex financial instruments, businesses (and related ownership interests such as common and preferred stock, op- tions and warrants), corporate securities, debt instruments, contingent liabilities and intangible as- sets. Mr. DiSalvatore's valuation and financial advisory service experience includes mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, pre-transaction valuation/feasibility analyses and advisory services, for- mations of special-purpose entities and IP holding companies, fairness opinions, solvency opinions, Delaware test, minority stockholder lawsuits, litigation support, multiple element arrangements analysis, reorganizations, bankruptcies and recapitalization. He has qualified as an expert witness in the Court of Common Pleas, the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Tax Court, and has assisted clients concerning valuation matters involving the Internal Revenue Service Fast Track Appeals process. He has also assisted counsel and clients with valuation and financial advisory matters relating to solvency, capital adequacy, and the ability to pay civil penalties before the U.S. Department of Justice. His industry experience includes financial service companies (such as banks, private-eq- uity firms, hedge funds and asset-management firms), airlines, aerospace and defense, automotive (manufacturers, parts suppliers and distributors), chemicals, consumer products (apparel, bottling, food, wine and spirits), life sciences/health care, media (including cable TV, newspapers and TV/ film entertainment), mining, natural resources, technology and technology support services, trans- portation (including offshore barge and helicopter services, and bulk shipping), retailing (including fashion design) and business services. Mr. DiSalvatore was previously a managing director for Huron Consulting Group, for which he was head of its New York City valuation practice. He was also a senior vice president at American Appraisal Associates and a member of its European Man- agement Committee (2003-05) working out of its Frankfurt, Germany, office, and headed the firm's U.S. financial valuation practice from 1992-98. Mr. DiSalvatore sits on the advisory board of ABI's VALCON program. He received his B.S. in business administration from Drexel University.