BusinessReport.com

Thomas Adamek

President

Stonehenge Capital Co.

Adamek’s firm, Stonehenge Capital, was founded in 1999 and manages about $580 million in private equity in 10 regionally targeted funds, according to the company. Stonehenge also says it is the largest provider of state tax credits in the United States, having structured and placed over $1.3 billion in credits across 20 states, and a leader in community development banking, having received $80 million in New Markets Tax Credits in 2009, more than any other entity in Louisiana.

Joseph Mason

Associate professor

LSU

Mason is a relative newcomer to Baton Rouge, having joined LSU’s faculty in 2008 as the Hermann Moyse Jr./Louisiana Bankers Association Endowed Chair of Banking. Over his career, he’s testified before congressional committees, the Federal Reserve Board and the European Parliament, according to LSU. He has been a frequent guest on CNBC and Bloomberg Television and been quoted in BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal and forbes.com, among many others. He has spoken about the credit crisis to professional groups in Chicago, Rome and New York.

Buddy Roemer

President/CEO

Business First Bank

With just over $252 million in deposits as of June 30, 2009, Business First Bank isn’t the biggest bank in the Capital Region, but it’s one of only two in the area’s top 10 that are headquartered here. It’s also the only one headed by a former Louisiana governor, which makes Roemer one of the most high-profile bankers in the state. Roemer also is a minority owner and board member of Roemer, Robinson, Melville & Co., an investment bank that launched last year with $30 million in funding for venture-capital deals along the Gulf Coast. In August, the bank closed on its first deal, the $11 million purchase of a 228-unit apartment complex in Dallas.