Alfred King | former Chairman, Valuation Research Corporation

“Chess Barbatelli and I worked together at Valuation Research. I had joined in 1976 and met him as soon as he started working for the company in 1983. We first worked closely following his relocation to San Francisco, the headquarters for the Western Division. As Managing Director at that time, Chess was a strong business development manager, primarily because of his valuation knowledge and the active contact and follow-up approach he utilized with our client and prospect base; in short, he enhanced the company’s reputation for highly professional, timely, and detailed service. Upon being relocated to our Milwaukee headquarters in 1989, just as “junk bond” financing declined and the resulting disposition of assets through the RTC (Resolution Trust Corporation) stalled, the company had to be strengthened. Chess was elected as President by the Board of Directors, which I was a member of. As president, Chess worked both to revitalize traditional valuation services and to initiate new services. He also led the difficult task of developing and implementing plans to return us to profitability by scaling back domestic operations. As the company’s performance improved, he also initiated a strategic planning effort for our business services offerings which included evolving a culture where professional and business development functions would become blended rather than separate as they were historically. Chess demonstrated this vision and dedicated effort due to his problem-solving nature and desire to achieve goals successfully together. I can unreservedly recommend Chess as a strategic thinker who formulated and then implemented the tactics required to successfully attain the company’s goals.”