Experienced professionals delivering top-notch services.

Jim brings a wealth of experience developing professional services businesses and a passion for solving operational complexities, engaging with customers, and driving results.

Before joining Escalon, Jim served as the President and COO of BlueStar Energy/AEP Energy. Under his leadership, the start-up company experienced exponential growth in customers (residential, commercial, and industrial), geography, and profitability. Before BlueStar, Jim held various leadership roles at Motorola, including leading the rollout of the Android mobile device portfolio with the largest wireless carrier in North America.

Jim is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt (MBB), has earned an MBA from Northwestern University, and has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign.

David Horning serves as Escalon’s Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the delivery of scalable, technology-enabled solutions across accounting, finance, tax, and HR. In this role, he leads strategic and operational initiatives that streamline delivery, enhance client engagement, and increase productivity. With more than 20 years of experience in financial services and over a decade as a fractional CFO for venture-backed startups, David brings a proven record of helping companies grow with confidence and clarity.

David holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, along with M.S. and B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder.

Andy is a seasoned finance executive with 29 years of experience in public and private companies across the pharmaceutical, cannabis, energy, and technology industries. He brings a strong mix of both technical accounting and operational finance experience, having worked in public accounting at Price Waterhouse, SEC Reporting at Motorola, and in FP&A roles for multiple companies. One of those companies was privately owned, which he helped lead to a successful exit resulting in the company’s acquisition.

Andy has spent the past five years in the growing U.S. cannabis industry, serving as the CFO of a start-up and as both the SVP of FP&A and Corporate Controller for Cresco Labs, a public multi-state operator with revenue over $750 million.

Andy holds a BS in Accounting from Miami University in Ohio, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and is a non-practicing CPA. He lives outside Chicago with his wife and three boys.

Anita has also worked extensively with Skattefunn and support schemes for entrepreneurial businesses.

Escalon Services is small in Norway, but big in the world. We assist entrepreneurs and general managers in small and medium-sized businesses with internal administrative services such as accounting, payroll, HR and insurance, as well as helping our customers grow and scale both nationally and internationally.

We have offices in both Oslo and Bergen, but work digitally and help customers all over Norway, as well as several European countries in addition to the USA.

Brandon brings more than 30 years of B2B sales leadership experience, including extensive expertise in financial services. A proven growth leader in the outsourced accounting and CFO services industry, Brandon helped scale a SMB Financial Services startup to more than $12 million in revenue in just a few years. He joins Escalon to accelerate new business growth, expand our market reach, and drive the next phase of company growth.

Brandon leads all sales and marketing teams and efforts, bringing a unified growth strategy focused on accelerating revenue, expanding market reach, and driving new business opportunities across Escalon.  Brandon studied Management at San Diego State University as well as South Western Community College, and is based in Southern California.

Hugh is an accomplished tax executive and licensed attorney with over 27 years of experience providing business tax services to a broad array of clients in varying industries, with a focus on technology-based SMB’s.

Before joining Escalon, Hugh was a Tax Partner for KPMG, LLP, a Big Four global public accounting firm. He also served as the Tax Risk Management Partner for KPMG’s Pacific Southwest and Northern Pacific Business Units.

Hugh received his Juris Doctor degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science from The University of Texas at Austin. He is also an active member in the Tax Sections for both the State Bar of Texas and the State Bar of Arizona.

Rachel Fuller serves as Head of Diversified & International at Escalon, where she leads teams supporting founders and growing businesses across a diverse range of industries and global markets.

Rachel’s career path has never followed a traditional route. Her professional experience spans accounting, electrical engineering, entrepreneurship, business operations, and executive leadership. Before joining Escalon, she spent years helping build and operate a family-owned business while balancing the responsibilities of raising three children. Those experiences shaped her practical, results-oriented approach to leadership and her belief that great solutions come from understanding both the technical and human sides of a challenge.

Since joining Escalon in 2022, Rachel has held five leadership roles, helping drive growth, operational excellence, and innovation across the organization. She founded and scaled Escalon’s International vertical, building a high-performing team that supports hundreds of founders from around the world as they establish and expand their U.S. operations. In her current role, she leads both the Diversified and International business units, overseeing teams that support a significant portion of the company’s client base and revenue.

Rachel is known for her ability to connect strategy with execution, build strong teams, and navigate complex business challenges. Drawing from experiences as an accountant, engineer, operator, business owner, and working parent, she brings a unique perspective to leadership and organizational growth. Outside of work, Rachel is a proud mother of three who enjoys traveling, reading, painting, crafting, and tackling everything from puzzles to home projects. A lifelong builder at heart, she is happiest when creating, improving, or solving something—whether that’s a business process, a piece of artwork, or a challenge that others have yet to figure out.

Erika Lake is a senior Human Resources executive and strategic advisor with nearly three decades of experience building, scaling, and transforming people functions across high-growth and established organizations. She has led HR strategy for companies ranging from early-stage startups to complex, global organizations with over 2,500 employees, including environments navigating rapid growth, operational transformation, and private-to-public transitions.

Erika is known for designing and implementing modern, people-first HR infrastructures that drive both business performance and employee engagement. Her expertise spans organizational design, executive coaching, performance management, compensation and benefits strategy, and culture transformation, with a strong emphasis on aligning people strategy to business outcomes.

Throughout her career, Erika has partnered closely with executive leadership teams to lead through change — including mergers and acquisitions, workforce scaling, and organizational restructuring — while maintaining a clear focus on culture, compliance, and long-term sustainability. She brings a pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach to complex HR challenges, balancing operational excellence with a deep understanding of the employee experience.

As a consultant and trusted advisor, Erika works with organizations to build foundational HR programs, develop leadership capability, and implement scalable systems and processes. She is particularly skilled at translating business goals into actionable people strategies, helping organizations create environments where both employees and the business can thrive.

Karl Pawlik leads our Technology and Life Sciences practice at Escalon Services. Karl has over 20 years of experience working in various leadership roles in finance, accounting, and strategy, with the last 10+ years being dedicated to the role of CFO of venture and pre-venture funded start-ups. Earlier in his career, Karl held global finance, business development, and strategy roles with Fortune 500 companies including Applied Materials, and St. Jude Medical (now Abbott), where he was part of the team that acquired CardioMeMs and NanoStim.

Karl has a passion for setting up organizations for success and gives back to the community by coaching competitive youth water polo.

Karl received his B.S. degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Arizona and an M.B.A. from California State University at Northridge.

John has 20+ years of finance and operations experience working for global media brands including Sony BMG Entertainment, Capitol Records, and Tickets.com. John has served as CFO for a number of early-stage high growth tech companies, and most recently for an early-stage cryptocurrency / blockchain company called Make Sense Labs. John has an MBA in finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and a BS degree from Indiana University. He is also an actively licensed CPA in the state of California.

Yair joined Escalon in 2014. He is a business and financial leader known for his ability to develop and deliver strategic company-wide financial policies and procedures. He has hands-on experience assisting non-profits in corporate development, continuation planning, and workforce retention.

As an astute leader, Yair adds value through proactive decision-making, business process reengineering, proven global leadership, and mentoring and coaching skills. Before joining Escalon, Yair was the Vice President of Finance for Nielsen Social (a Nielsen McKinsey company) and managed various finance responsibilities within Nielsen Online. Yair also served as CFO of a chemical trading company and treasurer of a multinational telecom company.

Yair has a BA in Accounting and Economics from Tel Aviv University and was a member of CPA Israel.

Fergus Clare is a senior technology executive with over a decade of experience driving growth, operational scale, and product innovation across SaaS, healthcare, and professional services. He has launched more than $80 million in new service lines and led enterprise platform strategies that directly accelerate revenue and customer retention.

At Escalon, Fergus oversees the technology and product infrastructure as well as systems that power the firm's back-office operations, building scalable governance frameworks and modernizing the platforms that enable Escalon to deliver for thousands of clients. He is based in Chicago.

In combination with his background in finance and accounting, David has over 5 years of executive leadership experience in sales, professional services, HR and tax consulting. David brings a proven track record of building high-performing teams and driving substantial revenue growth through consultative selling and strategic partnership development.

Prior to joining Escalon, David demonstrated exceptional leadership as the Director of Business Development at Early Growth Financial Services, where he helped top venture funds and technology companies streamline their back-office operations. After Early Growth was acquired by Escalon in 2021, he helped manage the consolidation of sales and marketing through multiple strategic acquisitions, before the company was in turn acquired by New Harbor Capital, a leading PE fund out of Chicago.

David earned his BS in Business Administration with a double option in accounting and finance from CSU Hayward in 2012.

Outside of his professional pursuits, David is an avid outdoorsman having thru hiked both the Pacific Crest Trail (2013) and Continental Divide Trail (2014). He continues to share his love of nature and the outdoors with his wife and two young children.

Kim is a seasoned HR leader with experience spanning small market, mid-market, and Fortune 500 organizations. Her background includes managing the full spectrum of HR functions in smaller and mid-sized companies, as well as leading specialized areas such as Total Rewards, Payroll, and Benefits in large, complex environments.

With a foundation in HR Management from Strayer University, Kim brings both breadth and depth to human capital strategy. She has successfully designed and implemented HR initiatives that align with organizational vision, improve employee engagement, and drive measurable business outcomes. Her experience includes leading large-scale HR projects across multiple geographies, implementing and optimizing HRIS platforms such as Workday, PeopleSoft, and ADP, and fostering cultures rooted in collaboration, innovation, and excellence.

Passionate about creating people-first organizations, Kim brings focus to building safe, productive, and inclusive workplaces where employees can thrive while advancing business performance.

André R. Steffens is a seasoned IT leader with almost two decades of experience across Project Management, Risk Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, and cross-functional deployments. He has gained international experience working in North America and Latin America within Manufacturing, Engineering and Construction, Aviation, Consulting Services, and Software industries.

André leads a team of IT professionals at a fast-growing services company with employees worldwide, where he is responsible for delivering reliable IT solutions, cybersecurity, and driving SOC2 compliance efforts. He has successfully completed numerous M&A infrastructure integrations, cloud migrations, IAM implementations, end-user technology projects, IT procurement, and asset management strategies.

In addition, André has implemented new office locations and expansions, process automation, SOC2 audit cycles, vulnerability management, IT policy definitions, and network availability initiatives.