Latest news with #Lazear
Business Journals
02-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Lazear Expands Texas Presence with the Addition of Tommy Schulte
Lazear Capital Partners (Lazear) is expanding its national footprint across Texas with the addition of Director Tommy Schulte, who will lead the firm's efforts throughout Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Texas ranks third nationally in the number of employee-owned companies, reflecting the demand for legacy-minded exit strategies. Tommy joins Dallas-based Managing Director Doug Janowski in helping business owners explore tax-advantaged exit strategies through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). With a focus on the construction industry, one of the most popular sectors for employee ownership, Tommy will help business owners explore ESOPs as a strategic exit option that rewards employees and preserves company culture. Based in Austin, Tommy brings more than a decade of experience in the construction and development space. Most recently, he served as Director of Business Development at The Beck Group, a regional commercial construction and architecture firm, with previous roles at Millis Development & Construction and the Texas A&M Foundation. A native Texan, he earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and holds a Master of Public Administration from Sam Houston State University. 'Tommy understands the values that drive Texas businesses, and those values shape how owners think about their exit,' shared Lazear Partner Mike Morosky. 'With so many business owners evaluating succession options, his industry background is a perfect fit to help owners unlock tax-free exits through employee ownership.'
Business Journals
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Lazear Expands in New York Under Industry Veteran Rich Gioia
Lazear Capital Partners (Lazear), a leading investment bank specializing in ownership transitions through ESOP and M&A advisory, is expanding its national footprint with its 14th location in Buffalo under the leadership of Managing Director Rich Gioia. Rich brings a distinctive combination of legal expertise, private equity insight, and multi-generational entrepreneurial experience to the role. A fourth-generation entrepreneur, Rich has built a track record of acquiring, operating, and selling privately held lower middle-market companies across Western New York. As co-founder and Chairman of Gioia Capital, a family-based investment firm, and former managing member of Lorraine Capital, Rich has worked extensively with companies in need of thoughtful transition strategies. As a business owner, he is equipped with a unique insight into the complexities of succession planning. New York is home to 315 ESOPs with over 862,000 participants, ranking among the top states nationally for employee ownership. Rich's expertise is especially relevant in Western New York—a region with a rich history in manufacturing and industrial services, where ESOPs have long played a key role in preserving company culture and sustaining local economies. 'Rich's background, both professionally and personally, makes him an exceptional fit for this role,' said Bruce Lazear, Partner at Lazear. 'He knows the region, he's walked in the shoes of the business owners we serve, and he brings a rare combination of legal, investment, and operational insight to every conversation. We're proud to have him lead our efforts in Western New York, a market that aligns perfectly with our mission.' Rich began his career practicing law, including a federal clerkship with the Hon. William M. Skretny of the U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, and later at Damon Morey LLP. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester's Simon Business School (Dean's Leadership Award), a J.D., cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law, and a B.A. from George Washington University.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Auto thefts sharply decreasing throughout Hampton Roads
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Auto thefts went down by about 25% between 2023 and 2024 throughout Hampton Roads, coinciding with an overall crime drop since the pandemic, changes from car manufacturers and a long-time anti-theft program. 'It's wonderful, yes, that's exactly what we want to see,' said Virginia State Police 1st Sgt. Peter Lazear. He credits their partnerships with local and federal agencies. Auto thefts became a bigger issue in recent years with the rise of a social media trend involving people exploiting a manufacturing flaw that made it easy to steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles with a USB cable. 'It became a trend to simply steal the car, and in most cases, it was being used for a joy ride or for pleasure,' Lazear said. 'It was not really to be sold or sent to a chop shop or to be distributed someplace else.' When this trend started during the pandemic, Lazear said Virginia saw a sharp rise in auto thefts — going up by between 2,000 and 3,000 per year. Through fixes from the car companies and things like the Help Eliminate Auto Theft program, those numbers went down. Lazear said there are three easy steps to help keep your vehicle from being stolen. The first is use common sense: lock your car and take the keys with you. 'Always park in a well lit area, always take your keys with you, always be aware of your surroundings,' he said. 'Remove any of your valuables, firearms, cash that you leave in the vehicle. Just don't be an easy target, just be aware.' The second is deterrents, like alarms and VIN etching. The third is tech, like a GPS or other device to track the vehicle's location. The decreases in vehicles stolen by city from 2023 to 2024 are as follows: In Chesapeake, there was a 38.35% decrease (485 to 299 stolen) In Hampton, there was a 23.98% decrease (467 to 355 stolen) In Newport News, there was a 12.02% decrease (524 to 461 stolen) In Norfolk, there was a 37.91% decrease (1,239 to 461 stolen) In Portsmouth, there was a 22.47% decrease (632 to 490 stolen) In Virginia Beach, there was a 16.39% decrease (861 to 720 stolen) Suffolk stayed level at 154 vehicles stolen in both years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
19-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
San Francisco Outer Sunset residents voice opposition to proposed 22-story high rise
San Francisco's Outer Sunset neighborhood could soon look a little more like downtown after permits were filed for a proposed 22-story high-rise condo development. While those behind it argue the structure will provide some much needed affordable housing, longtime residents counter that it just doesn't fit. Renee Lazear has been living in the quaint Outer Parkside neighborhood in the Sunset District for more than two decades. As a fifth-generation Californian, she says historic single-family homes right by the San Francisco Zoo and Ocean Beach are what make her neighborhood so charming. "My home was built when there were only 12 houses on the block in the sand dunes. We were built on sand," Lazear told CBS News Bay Area. Her family has been living in the neighborhood for nearly 100 years. She said she is disappointed to hear that plans for a skyrise condo building at 2700 Sloat Blvd. have been proposed again to the city. "It's why people moved out here in the first place. They loved the neighborhood. Changing it with a super high sky rise making it downtown or Miami is not going to make what people love and adore about our neighborhood," she said. "It's a very lowkey vibe, family-oriented community that we have a lot of long-term multigenerational people who still live in the neighborhood, like myself," she added. "And people now finding out that this is where they want to be, they want to have a single-family home. [The] newer younger generation are moving in." This is the second plan for a high-rise to replace the Sloat Garden Center. In a previous plan, developers had pitched a 50-floor skyrise tower that was quickly rejected by the city. This latest proposal at 2700 Sloat Blvd. would have 24 floors, standing at about 250 feet tall. "We've lost our ability and our voice to speak and have a say. They've taken away notifications to the neighbors about projects like," Lazear said. She is the co-founder of SON-SF, Save our Neighborhoods SF. The organization has collected almost 4,000 signatures to stop the 2700 Sloat project. Lazear added that her concern for this new building is the impact the glass windows would have on the shadow, potentially impacting the animals at the zoo. "The animals at the zoo will be affected by a lot of different factors: traffic, light, noise pollution," she said. CBS News Bay Area brought these concerns to SBC Architects, who is leading the project for this new tower. The company is also partnering with San Francisco Housing Development Corp. "You can see that there are actually two different buildings. This is the 100% affordable, senior housing building, and this is the market-rate condominium. And it's important that we have that component in the project, because it helps to subsidize the constructions, so that the affordable housing could be delivered," Strachan Forgan, the principal at SBC Architects, told CBS News Bay Area. He said the plan is to build 446 units, of which 207 of them will be for affordable senior housing. "There's a lot of people that want to live in the west side of the city, but can't necessarily afford a single-family home. So this can provide a new price point so we can increase density in the neighborhood but also provide new residents that can help support businesses," Forgan said. He also added there will be about 10,000 square feet for retail space. But that is a concern for Lazear. "Not something we are thrilled about in the neighborhood. It's kind of big and boxy, that we're afraid is going to happen on a larger scale," she said. The Westerly San Francisco is right across from the proposed new building site. The condominiums by the ocean front were built a few years ago, but neighbors said many of those units and retail spaces have been left vacant. Lazear is wondering how this new building, should it be approved, would be any different. "It's been basically storage unit for the building that has not been leased," Lazear said. CBS News Bay Area reached out to the Westerly San Francisco for comment on how many units were currently occupied and whether there were plans to bring retail businesses into the space, but have not heard back. Forgan, on the other hand, said the proposed units of studios, one and two-bedrooms will be smaller and more affordable. "Change is sometimes difficult, but we also think that it's important to invite new neighbors into the community, because we have to rejuvenate the community, provide affordable housing," he said. He also added that he understands the concerns of the impact of the building on the zoo, but he said they have participated in studies recently on that issue. "We have done some shadow studies. That shadow moves across the zoo very quickly. The zoo obviously a very big footprint, so it really won't impact the animals," Forgan said. He added that he is optimistically waiting for the city planning department's approval, which takes about 180 days. Lazear, however, said she will be speaking with new Mayor Daniel Lurie along with city leaders to see if there are any alternative ways to transform the Sloat Garden Center. "You could take part of it, and you could turn it into a community center, maybe you could build like some 20 units or something that would be truly affordable to help people," she said. "Our area is the epitome of change, density and welcoming new neighborhoods to the community. We're not opposed to change, but we are opposed to irresponsible, unnecessary, oversized projects that will not fit," Lazear added.
