Keystone North America Inc. has implemented corporate governance policies that are consistent with the guidelines published by the Canadian Securities Administrators.
The Company, through it's US and Canadian boards, has the benefit of guidance from eight, highly qualified directors with a diversity of experience of whom seven are unrelated and independent.
Robert H. Byrne is a corporate lawyer and consultant, having
advised clients in matters of mergers, acquisitions, corporate
finance, taxation, and disclosure for 23 years. In 1997, Mr. Byrne
co-founded TSX-listed Student Transportation of America ("STA"),
currently the fourth largest provider of school bus transportation
services in North America. In that capacity, he manages STA's
board and committee affairs and completed over 30 acquisition
transactions. Mr. Byrne is also a director of Cardinal Logistics,
an Atlanta-based third party logistics provider with $350 million
of annual revenue. He sits on Cardinal's Governance and
Compensation Committee and its Audit Committee. From 1992 to 1996,
Mr. Byrne was general counsel at Laidlaw Transit, completing over
80 acquisitions for NYSE-listed Laidlaw. Prior to that, he was a
corporate law partner at the Toronto law firm of
Morris/Rose/Ledgett. After studying undergraduate Economics, Mr.
Byrne received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of
Windsor in 1983. He is also a graduate of the Canadian Institute
of Chartered Accountants In-Depth Taxation Course.
Frank
Cerrone
Frank Cerrone is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and
Secretary of Retirement Residences Real Estate Investment Trust
and its subsidiaries. Mr. Cerrone joined Retirement REIT on April
30, 2002 on its combination with CPL Long Term Care Real Estate
Investment Trust. Mr. Cerrone was Vice-President, Legal Services
of CPL REIT from October 1998 to April 30, 2002. Prior to joining
CPL REIT, Mr. Cerrone was Vice-President, Corporate Counsel of
Investment Planning Counsel of Canada Ltd. (now IPC Financial
Network Inc.). Mr. Cerrone was a partner with Gordon Traub and
practiced corporate/commercial law specializing in mergers and
acquisitions and corporate finance of health care facilities from
1989 to 1996. Mr. Ceronne sits on the board of Medical Facilities
Corporation.
Eric
Demirian
Eric Demirian is the Chief Executive Officer of Parklea Capital
Inc., an independent investment banking and corporate finance firm
servicing mid-market clients. Prior to joining Parklea, Mr.
Demirian was Executive Vice President of Group Telecom Inc. From
1983 to 1999, Mr. Demirian was with PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP
where he was a partner and an industry practice leader. Mr.
Demirian holds a BBM from Ryerson University. He is also a
Certified General Accountant and Chartered Accountant.
John Earle
John S. Earle has over 40 years of combined experience in funeral service operations, cemetery sales and operations and talent development within the death care industry. He is currently the President of John Earle Consulting, a company that assists funeral home and cemetery owners and operators in designing and implementing business solutions, which he founded in 2006. From 1983 until late 2006, Mr. Earle served as Senior Vice President of Arbor Memorial Services Inc. where he lead the company's entrance into the funeral service business, developing the funeral group into a half billion dollar asset with revenues of $120 million. John draws from an education in marketing and business management from the University of Western Ontario, London, and the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. John has been a featured speaker at numerous funeral service conference and educational seminars, both in Canada and the United States. He is recognized as a North American authority in developing reception, food and beverage centers within existing heritage funeral home operations.
John Heen
John Heen is a business lawyer in private practice in Lincoln,
Nebraska with 40 years of experience in merger and acquisition and
private and public financing transactions, including numerous
transactions in the funeral home industry, and the licensing and
commercialization of university based intellectual property. Mr.
Heen also served as general counsel to Senior Technologies, Inc. a
Lincoln, Nebraska manufacturer and distributor of alarm and call
systems to the nursing home industry between 1990 and 2002, prior
to its sale to a NYSE company.
Robert L.
Pierce
Robert L. Pierce is President of Pierce CFO, a company founded
in 2003, that provides Financial Consulting and management
services to funeral home and cemetery companies. Mr. Pierce
co-founded Thomas- Pierce & Company in 1986, a company that
provided brokerage services for $2 billion of cemetery and funeral
home transactions. He acted as the company's Chief Financial
Officer and Vice President from 1986 until his retirement in 1999,
after which he continued to provide technical and valuation
services to the company until 2003. Mr. Pierce was the Chief
Financial Officer of Cem-a-Care of Florida, et al from 1979 until
1985, a company with seventeen cemeteries and funeral homes. Prior
to that, Mr. Pierce practiced as a Certified Public Accountant
with McMillan Unruh, Koehner & Pierce from 1968 to 1979. Mr.
Pierce is a 1968 graduate of Florida State University with a
degree in accounting and business.
Steve Tidwell has been actively involved in the Funeral
Services Profession for nearly 3 decades. Steve began his career
in funeral service as a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer
working in a local funeral home and later at a large funeral home
and cemetery combination in Nashville, Tennessee. He has since
worked with the Funeral Services Industry's largest brokerage
company, two industry consolidators and was a co-founder of
Keystone in 1996.
Steve works closely with Keystone's
Senior Leadership Team to develop and implement organic growth
strategies as well as their external growth and acquisition
strategy. Steve strongly believes that the key elements that
distinguish Keystone from other companies is a clear vision for
the future of funeral service, the innovative services ideas which
Keystone continues to develop, the Funeral Services background of
the company's leadership and a strong team approach to management.
Steve is an active member of the National Funeral
Directors Association, Sigma Chi Fraternity, Tampa Club and The
Centers for Creative Leadership
Lorie
Waisberg
Lorie Waisberg is also a director of Chemtrade Logistics Income
Fund, FMF Capital Group Ltd., Metalex Ventures Ltd., and Granby
Industries Income Fund . From August 2000 to October 2002, Mr.
Waisberg served as Executive Vice President, Finance and
Administration for Co-Steel Inc. Prior to August 2000, Lorie
Waisberg was a partner at Goodmans LLP.
The Chairman of the Audit Committee is Eric Demirian.