Board of Advisors
Arnold Cohen
Mr. Cohen was a founding partner and former chairman of Mahoney Cohen Family Office Services and co-founder of Mahoney Cohen & Company, CPA, P.C. Acquired by CBIZ in 2009, Mahoney Cohen grew from a two-man partnership founded in 1969 to a nationally recognized company, ranked among the largest 100 accounting providers in the country with a staff of over 265 including 31 partners and office in New York City, Miami, Florida, Boca Raton, Florida, and Houston, Texas.
Mr. Cohen was a founding partner and former chairman of Mahoney Cohen Family Office Services and co-founder of Mahoney Cohen & Company, CPA, P.C. Acquired by CBIZ in 2009, Mahoney Cohen grew from a two-man partnership founded in 1969 to a nationally recognized company, ranked among the largest in the country with offices in New York City, Miami, Florida, Boca Raton, Florida, and Houston, Texas.
The diversity of Mr. Cohen’s interests is reflected in his involvement, for many years, with the American Friends of the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, where he serves as Chairman of the Board and a Director. In 1987, he received the Albert & Jean Nerken "Lamed-Vav" Award for Outstanding Service to Israel and the Jewish People from the American Friends of the Rambam Medical Center. He is the recipient of the 1987 Accountants, Bankers & Factors Award from the American Jewish Congress for Exemplary Service to the Business Community. Mr. Cohen is a member of Brandeis University's President's Council and is also a Fellow of the University. In 1989, he was saluted by Brandeis when he was the recipient of the Distinguished Community Service Award. He is a member of the Board of Directors of The Educational Foundation for the Fashion Institute of Technology. Mr. Cohen served served on the Board of Playwrights Horizons for twenty-one years. He is a member of the Who's Who Worldwide Directory of Business Leaders. Mr. Cohen earned his bachelors degree in accounting from New York University.
Joseph Harary
Mr. Harary is the Chief Executive Officer and principal owner of the Moret Group. Moret is a family of Companies engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of women’s and men’s apparel under proprietary brands, licensed brands and private label programs. Moret distributes its products to substantially all major retailers in the United States ranging from Wal-Mart to Neiman Marcus.
Moret’s proprietary brands include 2(x)ist, Boy Meets Girl and Scanty, as well as licensed brands from certain of the largest global apparel and entertainment companies including, Danskin. Everlast, Jockey, Candies, Hello Kitty and Marvel. Moret manufactures and manages active wear and intimate apparel programs for Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, Target, JC Penny, Sears/Kmart, and many large regional retail chains.
Bernard Mermelstein
Mr. Mermelstein is the chairman and chief executive officer of MZ Berger, & Co. Inc. (“MZB”) an international designer, brand manager, manufacturer and distributor of watches, clocks, and accessories with over 50 years of operating history. MZB’s proprietary brands include Elgin, Gruen Swiss, Sharp, Waltham and Benrus. In addition, MZB licenses products with certain renowned global entertainment brands, such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Marvel and Sanrio.
Mr. Mermelstein joined MZB in 1973 while he was pursuing his Juris Doctorate degree from the New York Law School. He identified important historic timepiece brands for MZB to acquire and license, and strategically marketed these brands to the growing mass market consumer demographic. Mr. Mermelstein spearheaded sales and marketing efforts with certain of the world’s largest retailers. He initiated the opening of MZ Berger Hong Kong approximately 25 years ago and helped build its supply chain model emphasizing a vast network of subcontractors in China, along with a Company owned factory in Shenzhen. In 2008, Mr. Mermelstein engineered the acquisition of the World Time Retail Network, the third largest retail chain of fashion watches in China.
Mr. Mermelstein graduated from the Yeshiva College and obtained a Juris Doctorate degree from the New York Law School.
Kirk Palmer
Mr. Palmer is the founder and CEO of Kirk Palmer & Associates, Inc. (KPA), one of the leading executive search firms specializing in multi-channel retail companies and the brands and products that sustain them. Founded in 1987, KPA has been recognized by Fairchild Publications as one of the industry’s Top 10 executive search firms. KPA conducts searches for CEOs, Presidents, Vice Presidents, and other senior executives, covering all functions within the industry it services.
Over the past 25 years, Mr. Palmer has become a well-recognized figure within the retail, related wholesale and investment communities. He has worked with over 100 companies on various search and consulting assignments, covering all facets of the industry. He is known for his insights and straightforward assessments on industry trends and talent issues. Mr. Palmer is sought after for advice and counsel by clients, candidates and investors and he is quoted regularly in both national and trade publications. Since 1987 Mr. Palmer has worked closely with senior management and has provided counsel on a wide variety of topics, including executive compensation, organization structure planning, definition and development of company culture and overall industry trends.
Prior to founding the firm in 1987, Mr. Palmer had a distinguished career in department and specialty store retailing. Upon graduation, he began his retail career in 1975 with May Department Stores in human resources. He continued his human resources career by joining Gimbel’s Department Stores in 1981 and subsequently The Limited, Inc. prior to founding Mr. Palmer Palmer & Associates, Inc. in August 1987.