Built on a century of combined expertise

Kristie began her career as a stockbroker in 1980 with Shearson American Express in Iowa. She went on to found American Finance Inc., a prominent commercial finance company she managed for over 16 years, providing capital for hundreds of commercial projects.

She served as Market President and Regional President at two publicly traded banks before launching Bender-Carey Consulting in 2018. Kristie has earned SECRET Clearance status with the U.S. Government.

She has served on the Board of Directors for the Southern Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo committee, and currently sits on the board of E3s|End To End Solutions. She is a member of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Businesswomen, National Association of Women in Construction, Realtors Commercial and Industrial Society, and Pikes Peak Association of Realtors.

Kristie volunteers as a certified family investigator for CASA of the Pikes Peak Region and has been featured in the Business Journal's "One-on-One" and Style Magazine's "People to Know." She was honored as "Women of Influence" by the Colorado Springs Business Journal and named to the Top 10 Women Leaders in Finance 2022.

Mark brings over 25 years of experience in retail, CPG, and fintech. He has served as CEO of both public and private companies, and led Blackhawk Network's growth from a startup into a leading player in prepaid financial services. He significantly expanded InComm's operations, increasing revenue across multiple business lines.

He has secured over $250 million in capital raises across four companies and leverages his expertise as an active advisor to leading prepaid card companies, including KargoCard in Shanghai, China. He collaborates with Private Equity and Venture Capital firms evaluating and investing in tech, retail, CPG, and fintech ventures.

Before his business career, Mark played professional baseball for 11 years with the San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles.

Michael brings 45 years of experience in the construction materials industry. He served as VP of Operations for one of the world's largest publicly traded aggregate producers, and later as President and CEO of a privately held aggregate company in Colorado.

His career includes VP and GM roles at Redlands, CRH, Lafarge, and Martin Marietta. He has managed multiple leveraged buyouts and acquisitions throughout his career.

Major General Bryan served approximately 35 years in the U.S. Army as a Master Parachutist, Ranger, and Special Forces Signal Corps Officer. He served as Commander of a Signal Company in the 7th Special Forces Group, Commander of the 35th Airborne Signal Brigade at XVIII Airborne Corps, and Vice Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency.

He founded the 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion and was the first Commander of Joint Task Force - Computer Network Operations, the predecessor to U.S. Cyber Command.

After military service, he served as Sector VP at Northrop Grumman and President of Mantech International's Defense Systems Group, scaling revenue from $600M+ to over $1B in 18 months. He is a Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors, completed Harvard Business School's program for Corporate Board of Directors, and is founder and senior facilitator of The Leadership Forum.

At Bender-Carey Capital, he aligns promising small and medium-sized companies specializing in IT, AI, network security, cyber security, and space operations with the capital needed for R&D and growth.

Brian McKelvey is Vice President and Managing Partner of Bender-Carey Capital, a hybrid merchant banking and capital advisory platform focused on delivering creative financing solutions for lower middle-market companies, real estate sponsors, independent sponsors, private equity firms, and fund managers. In this role, he leads business development, capital formation, transaction origination, and strategic advisory engagements across debt, equity, preferred equity, structured capital, mergers and acquisitions, and special situations transactions.

Brian brings nearly two decades of experience spanning wealth management, institutional asset management, capital raising, and investment banking. He began his career in finance in 2007 as a Wealth Advisor with a division of Citigroup, where he advised individuals and families through comprehensive financial planning and investment management strategies.

He subsequently transitioned into institutional asset management, joining Transamerica Capital Management, where he partnered with independent advisors, banks, broker-dealers, and wirehouse firms to deliver retirement and investment solutions. Brian later served as Director of Marketing & Business Development for Crescat Capital, a thematic global macro investment manager, and as a Business Development Consultant for Weatherstone Capital Management, a third-party model portfolio strategist.

His capital markets experience includes serving as Senior Executive – Origination (U.S.) for Melior Capital Management, a Swiss-based life sciences advisory and co-investment platform, where he worked with institutional investors and emerging growth companies seeking strategic capital solutions. He also served as Managing Director with Weild & Co., a middle-market investment bank, advising founders, entrepreneurs, and growth-stage companies on capital raising and strategic transactions.

Most recently, Brian was a Managing Director with Bright Harbor Advisors, an independent private funds and placement advisory firm, where he advised alternative investment managers on institutional capital formation strategies and investor engagement initiatives.

Tyler James Ferguson is Senior Vice President of Origination, bringing a decade of experience in structured financing and capital advisory. He has originated eight-figure transaction volumes across commercial real estate and corporate finance, and maintains active family-office relationships spanning North America, the UAE, and Europe.

Tyler advises clients on capital stack strategy, deal structuring, and institutional placement, and has led origination teams at investment banks and advisory firms. Outside of his advisory work, Tyler is an active investor and film producer, with producer credits including Martini Shot, starring John Cleese and Matthew Modine.

Scarlet has been operating in credit repair and small business funding since 2017. She has educated hundreds on credit fundamentals and founded two small business funding companies. Her focus is on commercial real estate, hospitality financing, and financial literacy for underserved communities.

Jay brings over 10 years of experience in commercial real estate development, investment structuring, and growth advisory. He has structured complex transactions across multiple asset classes and is a recognized leadership coach and speaker on influence and negotiation.

Norilyn brings nearly 3 years of experience supporting executives in corporate environments. She previously served as EA to a trucking consulting firm and the CEO of a Japanese-owned company, specializing in administrative coordination and executive operations.

Sid Selvamohan is an alternative investment professional with over 12 years of experience in private equity, real estate and private debt across Canadian and US markets. He holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Toronto.

Sid has advised private clients and private equity firms on debt and equity capital raises across the full capital stack, from senior debt placement and bridge financing to private equity structuring and fund formation. He underwrote over $2B in transactions in the last year alone.

Colin Toggas brings experience across private credit, commercial lending, asset-based lending, and mortgage underwriting. He has supported the underwriting, due diligence, and portfolio analysis in residential and commercial loan transactions, working with private lenders, banks, and institutional investors.

His background includes underwriting, field examinations for asset-based lending facilities, and quality control for agency residential mortgages. He has experience evaluating real estate investments, construction projects, working capital facilities, and borrower credit profiles across a variety of lending platforms.

Before entering financial services, Colin competed as an NCAA Division I wrestler at Ohio University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. Outside of work, he coaches youth wrestling and enjoys following the Baltimore Orioles.

Mia joined the Bender-Carey team in 2024. She studied accounting at WVUIT with a minor in business management. Her career began in the timber and lumber industry, where she advanced from receptionist to accounting assistant in accounts receivable.

Throughout her career, Mia has supported finance departments across coal mining, home health, construction, tax firms, and non-profits.