
OUR TEAM
We have business heritage going back over 50 years, and a large network of professionals available to assist with individualized advice and guidance for all of our clients. With our team’s expertise we’ve garnered a national following for tax and financial engineering services, which focus on small businesses and their owners.
If you are a business owner looking for strategic tax consulting, and to prepare for retirement, look no further.

R. Kenner French
Chief Investment Officer
Kenner, a newly appointed Forbes.com small business contributor, is responsible for all investment related decisions, especially those involving portfolio companies. He has been with Vast and its related entities since 2006. Prior to joining Vast, Kenner worked with ING Group, the multinational investment firm, as a Regional Vice President. His professional history also includes leading at companies such as Wells Fargo Bank as a Vice President, Pacific Portfolio consulting (leading investment research), Mercer Investment Consulting (investment research analyst for the Northwest), and Wall Street-based Ladenburg, Thalmann & Company, Inc. (holding a number of positions). Kenner is the author of two books. His first written in 2007 is titled The Small Business Owner’s Marketing Manifesto: An Essential Guide and his second one published in 2020 called The Entrepreneur’s Manifesto: A Collection of Smart Financial Advice. He is laboring on a third one with a working title of The Family Wealth Manifesto: An Essential Guide due out in 2021. The northwest native speaks all over the world on topics ranging from investments, retirement, marketing, and other topics affecting entrepreneurs. He attended Harvard University, Washington State University, and Olympic College. Kenner lives just outside of Seattle, with his wife of over 25 years and two sons.

Pierre LeDorze

James Martin, III

Morgan Maloney

Michelle Lawson
Michelle Lawson has worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years. She has worked at both world wide brokerage, Morgan Stanley, and smaller independent Broker-Dealer (BD), Liberty Partners Financial Services LLC. Most recently she served as Chief Compliance Officer of a registered investment advisor (RIA) and the Operations Director for both a BD and RIA. She comes with a wealth of experience with all aspects of business – client service, operational and compliance. In addition to the professional history she brings her skills learned while successfully raising 3 amazing daughters; that she is still certain will run the world one day if they get their way. Based out of Bakersfield, California she has the perfect access to any landscape (beach, mountain snow, lakes, desert, etc.) within a couple hours and takes advantage when possible.

Katelyn Whittemore
