IAG Advisory Committee

Paul Dadgar, Principal of Irvine Advisory Group, LLC, is proud to announce the formation of its new Advisory Committee. The Members of the committee are all independent professionals with ties to the Car Wash & Service Station Industry and Capital Markets. The Committee currently includes:

Steve Welge, President of Fillner Construction

Mr. Welge has worked in the construction industry since 1984.  Prior to joining Fillner Construction in 1990, Steve worked in several positions at ARCO, including construction engineer, environmental compliance officer, and head of maintenance.  Steve has a BS in Engineering from UNR and an MBA from SCU.  Steve joined Fillner as a Project Manager/Estimator, then moved on to real estate acquisitions/sales, project entitlements, and financial assessment of various development projects.

Fillner Construction and Electric is a one-stop shop combining fuel, electrical and general construction development. The firm has specialized in service station construction and development since 1958. Their four divisions offer general construction work, fuel construction, electrical contracting and most recently, lighting (primarily LED).  Fillner is based in the Sacramento region, and operates throughout Northern California and Northern Nevada. They provide both design-bid-build, and design-build services.

Michael Geyer, President of Auto Convenience Centers & ARCO AM/PM®

As managing partner of Ramon Canyon Associates, L.P. since 1993, Mr. Geyer completed the land acquisition, planning, permit approval process, secured the necessary financing and constructed an auto center on 1.6 acres of land in Cathedral City, California. The site has been improved with a 3,200 square foot ARCO AM/PM® convenience store/gas station and  4,900 square foot full service Hand Car Wash and Detail Center. He concurrently formed Auto Convenience Centers (ACC), a California corporation, to own and operate the Cathedral City ARCO franchise and car wash business. ACC has operated the AM/PM and car wash from May, 1995 through October 2007 when the business was sold by Paul Dadgar, Irvine Advisroy Group, LLC.

In early 2000 Mr. Geyer began development processing, as a managing partner of Eagle Plaza LLC, for a 2.1 acre site in the City of La Mirada, County of Los Angeles. The project  consists of a 3,200 square foot ARCO AM/PM®, an attached 2,500 square foot fast food restaurant w/drive thru and a non-branded five fueling position large truck diesel fueling canopy. The project opened in July of 2003, and in 2007 ranked in the top 1% ($206K) in monthly average convenience store sales, and the top 3% (423K gas gallons) in monthly average fuel sales for ARCO AM/PM® franchised operators,  generating in excess of $23,000,000 in sales.

Geyer was selected by the BP ARCO Leadership Team to serve on the inaugural Franchise Advisory Council which initially convened in July, 2005. In February 2009 he formed 1010 Fairway Drive LLC to purchase the leasehold estate from BP West Coast Products, LLC for an ARCO AM/PM® in the City of Industry, California. Auto Convenience Centers concurrently purchased the franchise business.

Steven Elser and Kurt Wagenknecht, Partners in K12 Architects Inc., Architects

Kurt P. Wagenknecht and Steven C. Elser formed K12 Architects in June of 1998.  Based in Sacramento, California, K12 Architects provides comprehensive architectural services for a variety of project types including, car washes, fuel stations, retail, office, industrial, and commercial buildings.

With over 25 years experience, Elsner and Wagenknecht have constructed many high end Full Service and Express  Exterior Car Washes throughout Northern California. Their services include project evaluations, site evaluations, master planning, program analysis, construction cost estimates, design, construction documents, and construction administration.

Carl Agamata, CEO, Carl Agamata Enterprises, Appraisers and Business Valuation

Mr. Agamata is a specialist in cost engineering with the proven abilities to effectively analyze and inspect proposed or existing commercial, industrial, and residential real estate projects. With experience in virtually all aspects of construction services, he provides appraisal review and cost/inspection on a wide range of projects – including retail malls and shopping centers, office buildings, apartments and single family residential, industrial and commercial business parks, casinos, hotels, sound and movie studios, theaters, religious institutions, community, mixed and special-use developments such as car washes and gas stations. Mr. Agamata holds a BS in Civil Engineering from California State University, Long Beach, and has advanced training in accounting, appraisal, real estate, computer science. Before forming his own company, he was employed by Bank of America and U.S. Bancorp Financial.

Chantal M. Mariotti, Executive HR Consulting Group, HR Consultants

Ms. Mariotti founded Executive HR Consulting Group, Inc., in April, 2003, providing a full range of HR services – from labor relations to training and employee relations. The company serves a number of industries, including the car wash industry, restaurant and hospitality, architectural, banking, scientific, internet and retail. With a high level of experience in customer service, Executive HR Consulting Group understands how to become a business partner with their clients.

A graduate of the Institute Chateaubriand in Cannes, France, Chantal was initiated to the HR field in both the banking and insurance industries. She then started her career in hospitality human resources in the lodging industry and worked with Hyatt Hotels for nine years. Her experience includes working in both union and non-union environments and successfully implemented the “shared-services” concept, directing two properties simultaneously.

Throughout her career, Chantal has successfully negotiated numerous labor-management agreements with various labor/union organizations, and served as Trustee on the Los Angeles Hotel and Restaurant, Employer/Union Trust Fund. She is an active member of the California Chamber of Commerce, The Society for Human Resources Management, Professionals in Human Resources, The Employment Management Association and the California Restaurant Association.

Robert Geringer, President Geringer Capital, Investment Bankers

Mr. Geringer is an experienced and diversely skilled entrepreneur in a variety of industries, with a particular focus on real estate. He has participated in the management of numerous private and public real estate development companies in various locations across the United States. His business acumen draws upon his years as an accomplished tax and business attorney, whereby he gained practical and legal experience in development, finance, taxation, syndications, mergers and acquisitions, and creative financing solutions to maximize real estate values.

Highly experienced in all sectors of real estate development, Mr. Geringer has achieved great success in the development of commercial and residential real estate projects in California, New Mexico, Tennessee and Texas. Mr. Geringer received a B.A. in Economics from UCLA, a J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law, and an LL.M. in Tax Law from New York University School of Law.

Scott Strong, President Strong, Inc., Specialty Construction Contractor

After graduating from high school in 1985, Mr. Strong began working full-time construction during the day and attended full time college at night. In 1991, he graduated a B.S. in Engineering & Construction Management from California State University at Long Beach.

Prior to starting Strong Inc., Mr. Strong was the Vice President of United Pacific Environmental which specialized in fueling system work, environmental clean-up and service station construction.

Since 1998, Scott Strong has led Strong Inc. in construction of gas stations, carwashes, truck stops and fueling systems. From remodels, to facility upgrades to ground-up construction, Strong provides up-front consultation, cost analysis, and turn-key construction contracting. Strong Inc. is based in the Long Beach area and operates throughout southern California.