Dennis Ford, President and CEO
Dennis Ford is President and CEO of BHA and responsible for its overall business growth. He has 25 years of experience working primarily with emerging technology companies across multiple industry sectors. Dennis is an expert at using database services to create business solutions and using the Internet to create an interactive dialog between buyers and sellers. He is a big proponent of using profiling and matching technology to find that all-important business fit in the marketing and selling process. He is also an expert in social networking strategies and technology.
Dennis is the author of The Peddler's Prerogative, a well-received book on selling, and The Fund Manager's Marketing Manifesto, a guide to best practices for fundraising in the alternative investment industry.
Prior to joining Brighton House, Dennis was founder and CEO of Next Phase Business Development, which invested and participated in technology companies, helping them determine the straightest line between nascent technology and revenue. In 1998, Dennis was Vice President of Business Development at Engage Software (a wholly owned subsidiary of CMGi Solutions), where he ran the Software and Data Services Division and ramped it up to $50 million in 24 months. Dennis sits on the board of the University of Massachusetts Entrepreneurial Center, an incubator that brings together venture capital firms, UMass students, and start-up companies to launch new businesses.
Daniel C. McDermott, Founder
Dan McDermott is founder of BHA and CEO of Parker Point Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of BHA and a registered broker-dealer. As an industry veteran, Dan saw a need to market hedge funds more effectively and efficiently. He launched BHA and pioneered the concept of matching alternative investors with fund managers based on investors' mandates. This was a significant departure from the marketing approach that was widely used at the time and had fund managers pursuing alternative investors indiscriminately. Dan also initiated the development of BHA's software platform that automates the matching of investors and fund managers.
Prior to founding BHA, Dan was co-founder and Managing Director of Coastal Partners, a multidisciplinary alternative investment firm that specialized in marketing hedge fund vehicles to sophisticated clients in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Richard P. White, Vice President of Finance and Administration
Richard P. White is Vice President of Finance and Administration. He is responsible for all financial and administrative functions, including accounting, human resources, and general office operations. Rick establishes company-wide objectives, policies, programs, and practices to ensure BHA’s sound financial structure.
Marc D. Avila, Chief Technology Officer
Marc Avila is Chief Technology Officer of BHA and responsible for implementing the company's vision and long-term strategy using next-generation technology. As CTO, Marc also oversees the continued development and evolution of the BHA software platforms and communities.
During the past ten years, as CEO of 3 Media Web Solutions, Marc has managed the development of more than 300 websites for firms of all sizes, including Fortune 1000 companies, in a variety of industries, such as alternative investments, high-tech, manufacturing, retail, and health care. Marc attended Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts.
David Hatch, Vice President of Product Development
David Hatch is Vice President of Product Development and is responsible for product strategy, project management, and the technical architecture for the next generation of BHA's internal and external systems. He has extensive experience in building large-scale, data-intensive, Internet applications for ISPs, media companies, and Web 2.0 social networking sites. During the past 15 years, David has held senior technical management positions for numerous Internet ventures, including multinational media corporations (such as CBS and News Corporation), Internet systems builders (such as CMGi Solutions and Delphi Internet), and venture-backed start-up companies (such as Gather.com, Peoplestreet, and Avalere, which is now part of Iron Mountain Digital). David holds graduate degrees in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the University of Arizona. In addition to his technical expertise, David brings in-depth knowledge in the areas of Internet community development and social networking to the BHA team.