Meet the team.

James Clarke brings a solid entrepreneurial background to the Business Accelerator Project. Clarke founded Salt Lake-based CLEARLINK in 2001, where he served as CEO and chairman.

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"Having created CLKARUNK from a simple idea--and very little capital--then to see that same strategy come to fruition through the collective efforts of hundreds is my greatest accomplishment," he says.

After leading CLEARLINK for nearly 10 years, Clarkes stake of the company was acquired by Pamlico Capital (formerly Wachovia) in 2011. Today, Clarke serves as managing partner of Clarke Capital Partners, specializing in growth equity. "[I enjoy] injecting small pools of capital along with some sophistication and guidance to small profitable businesses to help create dramatic growth," he says.

Clarke, who is Harvard graduate and is set to receive a masters degree from Oxford University later this year, was attracted to the Business Accelerator Project due to the opportunity it poses to help stagnant businesses reach their full growth potential. "There is so much opportunity in the current market to help good businesses become great," he says. "I want to assist entrepreneurs to smell success long before success becomes reality."

Clarke's first priority when examining a business' viability is the management team. "'A teams are more important than 'A ideas," he says. He begins his examination process by asking, "Are these the right managers to make this a viable business and to grow it to have solid terminal value and a potential exit?"

Clarke has served on the boards of Havens Residence Club, 1-800-Pharmacycom and HireVue.com, among others. Clarke also plays an active role in Utah's arts community and has served on the boards of Kingsbury Hall, the Utah Symphony Utah Opera and the Deer Valley Music Festival Clarke and wife, Andrea, serve on BYU-ldahos Presidents Advancement Council and are founders at BY Us Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.

Kent Thomas brings more than 30 years of accounting, finance and general management experience to the Business Accelerator Project. He currently serves as the CEO and founder of Advanced CFO Solutions, a firm dedicated to meeting the accounting and financial needs of more than 100 small and medium-sized clients with experienced, outsourced, part-time consultants.

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Under Thomas' direction, Advanced CFO has assisted its clients in raising more than S600 million in equity...