Chris Bleez

Chris began his career with an accounting firm in 1994 after graduating from Western State College of Colorado, and quickly became a Partner in a CPA firm in 1999, at the age of 28.

In 2003, Chris expanded its focus beyond traditional CPA services and started the Colorado M&A and Investment Banking practice. Since 2003, Chris has become involved in over 200 merger, acquisition, or sale transactions in California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. Chris’ commitment to the acquisition and sale industry is personified by earning the Certified in Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) designation, and by obtaining his Series-7 and Series-79 securities licenses in 2004.

Chris contributes to the national M&A community through his service on the Board of Advisors for the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AMAA), where he chairs the Certification Committee. As Chair of the Certification Committee, Chris currently serves as the lead instructor for the Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) designation, taught through DePaul, Pepperdine and Thunderbird Universities’ Executive MBA Programs, where he coordinates the curriculum, instructors and testing for the program.

Chris has contributed many articles and speaking engagements on the subject of private company valuation, mergers, acquisitions and sale transactions. In addition, Chris was retained by Wiley Publishing to co-author a book entitled Middle Market M&A: Handbook for Investment Banking and Consulting, which was released in 2012.

Chris remains active in many professional organizations, including serving as Treasurer for the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance (Chamber), sits on the boards of the UCCS Chancellor’s Leadership Council, the Alliance of M&A Advisors (AMAA), and Trustee for Western State Colorado University (WSCU). He is a member of the Alliance of M&A Advisors (AMAA), Association of Corporate Growth (ACG), Colorado Association of Business Intermediaries (CABI), AICPA, and the Colorado Society of CPA’s.

Personally, Chris is active in many outdoor and athletic pursuits. He’s climbed all of Colorado’s 14,000 ft mountains, as well as Mt. Ranier in Washington and Mt. McKinley in Alaska. He also runs ultra-marathons and Ironman-distance triathlons.