E. Bryan Finison, Jr., MBA, AVA

is a Founding Principal at Covenant Consulting Group LLC, where he manages the Consulting Division of the firm and private equity acquisitions through a related company, JDL Equity Partners LLC. He has a broad base of experience in business strategy, management information systems, and business valuations. His clients range from Fortune 100 companies to medium-sized businesses in various industries. He specializes in transportation, manufacturing, green industry, telecommunications, health care organizations and professionals, financial services institutions, real estate, and retail facilities.

A native of Cleveland, Tennessee, Finison completed his MBA at The University of Alabama and was in the inaugural, 4th nationally-ranked techno-MBA concentration. Finison has worked for two of the top ten consulting firms in the US. Furthermore, he went on to become the first non-CPA owner of a CPA firm in the history of the state of Alabama.

Prior to founding Covenant Consulting Group, Finison was the Managing Member of the Financial Advisory Services division Tidwell DeWitt, a Southeastern regional business advisory and accounting firm, which was the 7th fastest growing firm in the United States two consecutive years. There he served as a management consultant, strategist, and business valuator. Tidwell DeWitt was sold in 2007 to Reznick Group.

Finison is the author of Succession Planning – How to Plan for Transition, 1st Ed., Randall Publishing, 2005, a co-author of How to Manage Cash Flow, 2nd Ed., Randall Publishing, 2003 and previously had a monthly column on business concepts called the “Finison Corner.” He also is the co-author of the nationally published “Finison/Dailey Model” used in business valuations. Finison is a Professor of Great Distinction for NACVA, and has been a guest lecturer for the American Institute of CPAs National Conferences, the Truckload Carrier’s Association and a variety of other management and business conferences and seminars.

As an instructor and board member of the largest valuation, fraud, and forensics organization in the U.S., Finison directs numerous strategic initiatives relating to business process and profit improvement, business valuation, merger and acquisition, and management consulting. He specializes in business valuations for companies for purposes of merger or acquisition, estate planning, buy/sell agreements, shareholder dissents, and various other purposes. He also assists clients in areas of strategic planning as well as structuring and organizing managerial retreats.

In his role as principal at Covenant Consulting Group, Finison’s goal is to always deliver value-added insight. He strives to build relationships with clients and works as a partner rather than an outsider. As a consultant, he doesn’t just have a graduate education (MBA), experience, and national publication authorship. He has real experience running businesses. Finison is an owner of several companies as part of his equity portfolio. He currently serves as the President of Heritage Tree Farm, a company where he and other owners successfully completed a financial and operational turnaround.

Finison is an avid youth baseball and basketball coach and he serves on several boards including the Tuscaloosa Parks and Recreation Basketball Advisory Board, the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club, and The Baylor School Alumni Board.