Andrew S. Ward is a Director in the Valuation & Financial Opinions Group. His concentration is in ESOP and ERISA Advisory Services. Mr. Ward has over ten years of experience in performing valuations and financial advisory services for a variety of purposes, including ESOP transactions and annual ESOP updates, fairness opinions, solvency opinions, merger and acquisitions, gift and estate taxation, post-acquisition purchase price allocation, dissenting shareholder disputes, marital dissolutions, corporate dissolutions litigation support, and appraisal review. Mr. Ward has significant experience in performing analyses for a broad array of industries, including, but not limited to, advertising, manufacturing, agriculture, aircraft conversion, apparel, bakery, banking, biomedical engineering, bookbinding, chemical manufacturing, coal mining, commodities, communications, computers consulting, consumer goods, engineering, food and beverage distribution, forest products, freight forwarding, government contracting, healthcare services, information system services, insurance, investigative services, investment companies and partnerships, investment holding companies, plastics, printing and publishing, and professional sports. Prior to joining our firm, Mr. Ward was a senior associate with a national valuation firm and a consultant in the specialty consulting division of a Big 4 international accounting and consulting firm. In these roles, Mr. Ward performed, supervised, and executed numerous valuation, financial advisory, and litigation consulting engagements. Mr. Ward earned a BA with a concentration in Economics and Management from DePauw University and was a Management Fellow in the McDermond Center for Management and Entrepreneurship. Mr. Ward is a candidate of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) in business valuation. Mr. Ward is also a member of the ESOP Association and its Valuation Advisory Committee, the National Center for Employee Ownership, and the Business Valuation Association of Chicago. Mr. Ward frequently speaks at professional conferences and seminars and authors articles on valuation and ESOP related topics.