Business Law for Entrepreneurs and Managers

Dr. Ed Barton brings over 25 years of tax compliance, turnaround management, and financial and executive management experience to bear for his clients. He has managed a broad range of financial roles — from tax consulting, leading and managing accounting and finance teams, audit preparation and defense, systems management and design, bookkeeping and tax preparation, risk management, underwriting and modeling functions of a large consumer credit debt buyer to equity structured finance commitments, as well as overseeing multiple audits for PCI DSS compliance and SAS 70 certification.

Ed provides tax, legal, and turnaround consulting services as a partner in Centerbridge Law Group, PLLC, a property tax and turnaround-focused law firm. Additionally, Ed is currently serving as Chief Executive Officer of FZ Holdings, Inc. - the parent company of fusionZONE Automotive, LLC, Lead Revenue, LLC, and FZA Digital, LLC - portfolio companies of Primus Capital. He previously worked as the Vice President of Finance, General Counsel, and Assistant Professor of Business at Saint Martin's University.

Ed is the co-Founder of Clarity Energy Consulting, LLC and related companies. Clarity Energy Consulting delivers strategic, comprehensive supply and demands energy risk management solutions. The Clarity team provides bottom-line focused results for under-served mid-market sectors across industry verticals. Ed focuses on structured finance, sales, general management, legal, and compliance consulting services for Clarity and its clients.

Operating and Turn Around Experience

Before fusionZONE and Saint Martin's University, Ed worked with small and mid-sized businesses, consulting on financial operations and transaction structuring with CFO Selections in Bellevue, Washington.

Before CFO Selections, Ed was president and chief operating officer of G2 Web Services, another Primus Capital portfolio company. As the head of G2 Web Services, he was responsible for managing the company's performance and corporate strategy. Barton oversaw all facets of the G2 business, including sales, marketing, finance, technology, and the delivery of exemplary client service and support. Before becoming president, Ed led G2's finance, legal, and human resources teams as vice president of finance. In that capacity, he worked on multi-national tax and accounting issues, state and local tax audit defense, advanced financial modeling, banking relationships, purchase accounting, and tax and compliance reporting.

Ed has also served as CFO, president, and chief executive officer at private-equity backed B-Line, LLC, a leading purchaser of bankrupt consumer accounts. At B-Line, he oversaw the underwriting and purchase of more than $45 billion of bankruptcy receivables, grew their client base of top-tier U.S. banks by 65 percent, and managed the development of an integrated, multivariate risk-scoring model for underwriting loan portfolios. Additionally, as CFO, he led multiple rounds of private equity investment in the company and secured nearly $1 billion in structured financing with global lenders.

As a chief financial officer at private-equity-backed Lone Star Steakhouse, he restructured corporate finances to help lead the company through the 2008 financial crisis, including multi-site sale-leaseback transactions, development and evaluation of profitability metrics for four-wall restaurant performance, and the the the inventory controls and standard costing models.

Before moving to Seattle, he held several financial consulting roles, including multi-state tax preparation, professional services financial management, project management, and process design. Ed also served as an Army engineer officer, which sparked his passion for operational efficiency.

Community Involvement

Active in his community, Ed served as a City of Mill Creek Planning Commissioner for five years, as an elected member of the Snohomish County Charter Review Commission, and was a member of the Snohomish County Historical Preservation Commission. He also served on the Board of Managers for the Northshore YMCA and as Treasurer for the Skyview Junior High School PTSA. Ed ran for the Washington State Legislature in 2014 and was endorsed by the Seattle Times. Ed currently serves as a local board member for the United States Selective Service System.

Education and Credentials

Ed earned a Juris Doctor from Northwestern California University, a Master in Business Administration from Syracuse University Martin Whitman School of Management, a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance & business economics from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master Certificate in Six Sigma from Villanova University. He also earned an LL.M. with Merit in Economic Regulation from the University of London and a Doctorate. in Leadership Studies from Marshall University.

An attorney licensed to practice in the States of California and Washington as well as the Federal Courts in the Southern District of California, the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Supreme Court. Ed is a Certified Public Accountant in Washington State and Florida, a Chartered Financial Analyst since 1998, and is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute. Ed is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Bar Association, the Turnaround Management Association, and the American Bankruptcy Institute.