Experienced leader with 20 years of experience in multiple industries, including private equity sponsored financial services, telecommunications and technology companies. Oversee capital structure, including placement of senior, term and junior debt and equity financing. Accurate monthly reporting of financial and operating metrics for all stakeholders. Strategic partner with CEO and operating departments to make decisions based on data analysis and financial metrics. Manage external audit and tax compliance functions. Sale process – Led successful sale to private equity sponsor completed in 2016, including investment bank selection, creation of all investor materials and presentations, coordination of responses during due diligence, key presenter in all investor and lender meetings, creation of financial model, review of all legal documents, and execution of incremental debt facilities to finance a portion of the purchase. Led financial due diligence for acquisition and secured incremental financing. Credit facilities – Significant senior facility expansion during six-year tenure, including 4x growth of lender commitments, growth of two lender facility to seven bank syndicate, and negotiation of decreased interest costs. Refinancing of junior facility, increase and refinancing to support sale, expansion to support facility growth to refinance debt from acquired company. Experience drafting and amending credit agreements, working with company and lender counsel. Data analysis – Led company efforts for data analysis and review, encompassing all operating aspects of the business, including call center performance, marketing, inside and outside sales, pricing and margin analysis, conversion rates and operational performance.

1. Rich Smolen
25108 Island Drive Plainfield, IL 60544
Cell: (847) 624 – 4262 RichSmolenCFO@gmail.com
LinkedIn: RichSmolenCFO
Twitter: @RichSmolenCFO
SUMMARY
Senior executive leader in the financial and technologies sectors, including private equity owned, with
an extensive background in capital raising, debt refinancing, M&A, financial planning and analysis,
financial modeling, investor relations and insurance/risk management. Interfaced with key
stakeholders, negotiated agreements and contracts. Delivered innovative solutions to reduce costs,
raise over $500 million in capital, improve business performance, and measure and drive growth.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
KELLER LENKNER LLC, Chicago, IL 2019 – 2020
National law firm representing a broad array of clients as plaintiffs in complex litigation at the trial
and appellate levels.
Chief Operating Officer
 Led effort to select and kick off NetSuite implementation and integrate with existing systems.
 Thought leader on building data warehouse structure including tools for data visualization for
use creating dashboards and providing analytics into all aspects of the business.
 Developed schedules to capture complicated settlement agreements and calculate payments.
 Built financial models and dashboards for multiple businesses within the company.
OASIS FINANCIAL, Rosemont, IL 2011 – 2018
Provider of early liquidity to personal injury victims
Private equity backed: D.E. Shaw, Parthenon Capital Partners
Chief Financial Officer 2014 – 2018
Vice President, Finance 2011 – 2013
Strategic partner with CEO and operating department heads. Oversaw capital structure, including
placements of senior, term, and junior debt. Led sale of company to private equity sponsor. Managed
monthly reporting processes on data analysis and financial metrics.
 Managed successful completion of sale process in 2016 to private equity firm. Selected
investment bank, reviewed/created all investor materials, coordinated due diligence responses,
key presenter in all investor/lender meetings, developed financial model, reviewed all legal
documents, and negotiated debt facility to finance the acquisition.
 Oversaw due diligence and refinance of acquired debt for 2017 acquisition which expanded
product offerings into adjacent space.
 Led significant debt expansion, growing available debt by more than 4 times, which enabled
portfolio, revenue and EBITDA growth to a scale large enough to attract private equity interest.
 Partnered with operations and marketing teams to create dashboards providing visibility into
acquisition costs, conversion, pricing, margin, and operational performance.
 Led revenue recognition accounting project, including development of the financial model
reflecting the change and guided auditors and lenders to understand the change.

2. Rich Smolen Page 2 of 2
 Negotiated decreased interest costs, expansion of borrowing base availability and relaxed
financial covenants, increasing profitability and growth in originations.
 Led initiative to build internal data analytics team, managing resource and prioritizing projects
to support sales expansion and weekly automated performance reporting.
 Developed key metrics for monthly board reporting after private equity sale to provide
visibility into operational and financial health.
TELECOM TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT, INC., Seattle, WA 2010 – 2011
Cellular infrastructure provider to large wireless carriers in rural areas
Private equity backed: Battery Ventures, Trilogy, T-Mobile Ventures, Ignition Partners
Vice President, Finance
 Created forecasts based on current and potential customer contracts. Managed process to raise
equity and debt financing from current/prospective lenders and investors to grow revenue and
support new customers.
 Participated in strategic merger discussions, created acquisition models, and prepared/reviewed
due diligence materials.
 Created and reviewed market-level forecasts, internal scenarios and monthly financial results
for quarterly and special board meetings to guide discussion.
OPTIONSXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC., Chicago, IL 2008 – 2010
$250M Full service online discount brokerage and trading firm
Public: OXPS
Director, Corporate Finance 2008 – 2010
Senior Finance Manager 2008
 Developed and modified acquisition models, coordinated review of due diligence materials,
and reviewed all legal documents for two completed acquisitions.
 Developed and updated earnings forecast model used to provide guidance to equity analysts.
 Reporting to public investors, including 10-Ks, 10-Qs, quarterly earnings, proxy statement,
annual report, annual shareholder meeting and monthly press releases.
 Primary responsibility for all board materials, monthly management reporting, and quarterly
reviews with CEO and department heads.
LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, Oak Brook, IL, V.P. Planning and Analysis 2006 – 2007
Acquired Looking Glass Networks
Public: LVLT
LOOKING GLASS NETWORKS, INC., Oak Brook, IL, Various Positions 2000 – 2006
Built and managed fiber networks for carriers and enterprise customers in large US markets
Private equity backed: Madison Dearborn, Battery Ventures
PARADIGM GROUP, Northbrook, IL, Associate 1999 – 2000
SALOMON SMITH BARNEY, New York, NY, Financial Analyst 1998 – 1999
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, Urbana-Champaign, IL B.S., Finance 1997