“The Succession”

October 8th and 9th, 2025      Bayfront Convention Center

Sponsored By:

Joseph R. Lucot is the Chief Executive Officer of Guttman Holdings, Inc., a 100% employee-owned company, based in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. Guttman Holdings consists of Guttman Energy, Source One Transportation, and Guttman Renewables.

Joe’s nearly 40 years of executive leadership experience includes global business operations, as well as finance, accounting, risk management, and operations expertise.

Joe was appointed CEO of Guttman Holdings in 2023 and previously served as Guttman Energy’s Chief Financial Officer from 2018-2023.

Joe played an integral leadership role during Guttman Energy’s transition from a 91-year-old family-owned company to a 100% employee-owned company in 2022. Joe led the establishment of Guttman Holdings and its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

Prior to joining Guttman Energy in 2018, Joe served as the EVP, Chief Administration Officer, and Chief Financial Officer for Giant Eagle, Inc., a grocery, pharmacy, fuel, convenience store retailer, and distributor, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.

Prior to Giant Eagle, Joe spent more than eleven years at Alcoa, Inc., in Pittsburgh, New York City, and Geneva, Switzerland in several leadership roles, including Chief Financial Officer for its European Group, Chief Financial Officer for its Global Rolled Products group, and Corporate Controller and Chief Information Officer.

Joe’s leadership experience also includes roles as President & Chief Operating Officer for West Point Products, LLC.

Joe began his career in public accounting and spent 11 years with Coopers & Lybrand.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Duquesne University, as well as a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Brad Franc is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, attorney, and CPA (inactive) with proven abilities in business, succession and strategic planning. Brad has successfully launched three separate companies, two of which were named eight separate times by INC magazine as the fastest growing companies in the United States.

Brad has successfully launched three separate companies, two of which were named eight separate times by INC magazine as the fastest growing companies in the United States. The first company, Legal Network, Ltd., was the first legal interim staffing company in Western Pennsylvania. Legal Network was subsequently acquired by a publicly held company. Thereafter, Brad, along with three others, birthed PCN Network, a national real estate closing company. In May of 2014, Brad successfully sold PCN to a private equity firm. In 2010, Brad launched his third company, Medallion Analytics Corporation which has received funding from both Innovation Works and two private venture capital funding sources.

In 2018, Brad created his fourth company, The Succession Coach, LLC. The Succession Coach is a consulting company that provides succession and strategic planning solutions for closely held companies throughout the country, in which Brad has successfully counseled hundreds of companies. In that same year Brad published The Succession Solution: The Strategic Guide to Business Transition, an Amazon best seller. His book has been sold in over twelve different countries.

Brad recently retired as a director from the law firm of Houston Harbaugh, P.C. and was with the firm for more than thirty-five years. He was the firm’s president and member of its executive committee for over fifteen years. He concentrated his legal practice in the areas of business planning, mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, federal and state tax issues, and succession planning. Prior to attending law school, Brad was a Certified Public Accountant at EY & Company.

Sherri Garner Brumbaugh has over 34 years of experience in the trucking industry, beginning her career at her family-owned and operated truckload carrier in 1991. President and CEO, Sherri became owner of Garner Trucking, Inc. in July 2012. Garner Trucking began business with one truck and was founded by her parents, Vern and Jean Garner as Vern Garner Trucking. The company currently operates 90 power units and 365 dry van trailers and an auto, truck and trailer repair business. The company’s average length of haul is 350 miles with dry van truckload services operating primarily in the Midwest. In 2025, Garner celebrates 65 years in the trucking industry!

Garner Trucking in recent years has received recognition as a Best Fleets to Driver For – 9 years consecutively, and in 2022 the top honor of Best Fleets to Drive For and named for the third year in a row the 2025 Best Fleets to Drive For Hall of Fame! They were recently named the top carrier in the hall of fame category with the first annual Stratosphere Award for the second year in a row! Garner has been named a Top Trucking Company for Women to Work For in transportation in 2023 & 2024. Also being named 2022 Truckload Carriers Association’s Safe Fleet Award! In 2024, Sherri received the Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame award.

Sherri has served the industry as a board member for The American Trucking Associations, Past Chair, The Ohio Trucking Associations and Indiana Motor Truck Association.

Sherri has served on the Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking for the Federal Department of Transportation. She was acting Secretary of this committee. The committee gave recommendations to Secretary Chao to address human trafficking issues in our country as they relate to all transportation sectors. Those recommendations are still used and are visible today in local airports, truck stops and public venues.

Other organizations important to Sherri are her volunteer efforts with Scouting America and bringing a truckload of Christmas wreaths in collaboration with Wreaths Across America to her hometown cemetery. Garner also delivers, annually, a truckload of wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery. She is a member of College First Church of God and performs with the Chancel Orchestra.

Sherri graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Education in Music and received her Master of Education from Bowling Green State University. She is married to Jerry Brumbaugh, they have three sons and two grandchildren.

Mike Malley is currently chief strategic officer, owner and operator of Malley’s Chocolate, LLC., leading operations and personnel across the specialty retailers’ 18 regional stores, e-commerce, fundraising and manufacturing facility headquartered in Brook Park, Ohio.

As grandson of company founder Albert Martin (Mike) Malley, and in partnership with his siblings, he lead the successful completion of an investment and recapitalization of the 90 year old company in February, 2023. He serves as a third generation of family chocolatiers since its incorporation in 1935.

Malley re-joined the family business in 2012 after a progressive 23-year career in the publishing industry. He was Advertising Director and Sales Manager at Crain’s Cleveland Business before returning to chocolate, and previously held multiple executive editorial, publisher-level and sales management positions with Questex Media and Advanstar Communications, Inc. Throughout his career, Malley was recognized for leading innovations in traditional print and electronic media, and for helping business-to-business publications expand their audiences and advertising sales revenue.

At 64, he is also active in several local and civic organizations, including as Director, Board Member for Cleveland Roots, an organization dedicated to urban agriculture while providing affordable access to fresh produce; Board member of Case Western Reserve Weatherhead School’s Center for Family Business; Past Board member of Cleveland Spice Acres; and was past Director, Board Member of LifeBanc, a local organ procurement agency and past Director, Board Member for the Cleveland Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland; and is an alumnae of Leadership Cleveland, class of 2018.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from Cleveland State University and recent graduate of Leadership Cleveland Class, 2018. Malley lives in Brecksville, Ohio with his wife Angela, with whom he has two adult children.