THE CORPORATE STRUCTURE
ALL CORPORATIONS WILL BE NEWLY FORMED BAHAMIAN CORPORATIONS THAT WILL BE FORMED AT THE TIME OF CLOSING OF THE FUNDING BY BAHAMIAN ATTORNEYS. THE UTOPIAN RENAISSANCE WILL BE THE BAHAMIAN HOLDING COMPANY (THE PARENT COMPANY) FOR ALL ITS WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY CORPORATIONS.
EXECUTIVE TEAM BIO'S
Erica Drake - Founder, President, CEO & Chairman of the Board
​​
As a third-generation entrepreneur, third-generation real estate developer and third-generation ultra-luxury travel industry executive, Erica Drake has been designing this resort in her whole life. Veteran entrepreneur, business coach and author of the acclaimed entrepreneurial text book, Maverick Entrepreneurs' Complete Battle Guide to Raising Capital, Erica Drake is a pragmatic leader with over 30 years of executive-level and entrepreneurial experience. Ms. Drake’s executive level positions include: National Sales Manager for the largest travel consortium in the United States where she managed over 2,300 travel agents sales and marketing programs; Vice President of Sales and Marketing for a Worldwide Cruise Line; and then President and CEO of her four different companies. Her executive corporate management experiences includes sales, marketing and operations, and 20 years’ experience in C-level positions, including chairman of the board and board member for 3 different companies.
Entrepreneurial Background. Ms. Drake’s leadership career began in executive-level positions in sales and marketing in the ultra-luxury travel industry, where she is known as a maverick for her innovative ideas, personal passion and sales and marketing achievements. At the age of 29, Ms. Drake left her position as Vice President of Sales of a cruise lines to become an entrepreneur. She founded and was president of three different travel start-up companies where she raised millions of dollars for her companies’ growth from both debt and equity investors. Ms. Drake went on to develop innovative sales and marketing business models that revolutionized the travel/cruise industry. These companies include: Cruise Vacations International (CVI), Dream Vacations International (DVI), and DVI Execgo. Ms. Drake’s aggressive attitude, pioneering ideas and relentless zeal placed her companies as industry leaders in direct sales of travel. Her accomplishments include: closing national deals with every major cruise line and travel supplier, including Disney; and developing a national direct sales team, which closed $22M+ in sales and built a sales pipeline in excess of $175M+ within the first six months of operations; she also recruited, trained, motivated and supported thousands of outside sales professionals (who paid $500 for their training programs). Please note: the business models of CVI, DVI and DVI Execgo are almost identical to Maverick’s. It was with her three companies that Ms. Drake successfully sold and trained thousands sales professionals through sales seminars to teach them about a new business opportunity.
​
Overview of Experience. Ms. Drake’s talents include a variety of disciplines: Strategic Planning; Executive Coaching And Training; Business Plan Development; Marketing; Advertising; Press and Media Relations; Social Media; Negotiating Corporate Investment Banking; Management of National Sales and Marketing Teams (Both B-B and B-C); Operational Management; Networking; Financial Modeling and Management; and Public Speaking.
She has negotiated multiple corporate sales, including selling her own three companies, and participated in numerous mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures and strategic vendor contract negotiations. Ms. Drake’s career also includes extensive executive business consultation in numerous different industries: insurance, real estate, technology, social networking and e-commerce, technology, manufacturing, trucking, biopharmaceutical, medical and health care, outsourcing, travel, cruise, resort and hotels, as well as many others.
Consulting with Entrepreneurs on their Capital-Raising Quest. Ms. Drake learned the language of investors, the process of raising capital, and how to network with and close an investor prospect with mutually acceptable terms while funding her own companies. It was during these initial financing that Ms. Drake developed her expertise in finding creative solutions to raising capital, networking, deal structuring and contract negotiations. Over the past 20+ years, Ms. Drake has worked with top corporate and SEC legal and financial advisors, expanding her knowledge of strategic deal negotiations and financial modeling techniques. Ms. Drake fully understands the funding process and what it takes to close an investment transaction in today’s market. As a result, she has successfully closed many multi-million dollar deals with investors, and spearheaded multiple funding negotiations for multi-million dollar projects and initiated mergers and acquisitions for her clients. She is well respected by the investment community, and over the past two decades has developed an enviable worldwide network of highly respected investment contacts, including top executives and decision makers with institutional, private equity, VC, angel and hedge funds funding sources. To date, Ms. Drake has assisted her clients in bringing in term sheets in excess of $400M.
As a third-generation real estate developer, Ms. Drake grew up on and worked at my father’s and grandfather’s construction sites which were very large residential development communities. Her passion for and talent in creating architecturally different real estate projects that often have unique business models with multiple revenue centers, resulted in her being hired by real estate developers to design and develop their business models, business plans and total project plan. She has been hired by real estate developers to design 4 different ultra-luxury resorts, two mini-amusement parks, a fractional super-yacht company, and a multi-city ultra-luxury urban-townhome development. She has worked hand-in-hand with the construction executives on each of these designs. On all of these projects, she designed the basic site plans, the total business model and revenue centers and she wrote their business plans and created their budgets and financial projections. She has also been hired to write feasibility studies, sales and marketing plans and to develop their retail organizational chart for their amenities. These real estate development projects are almost all in the ultra-luxury industry, and she has used similar themes that she knows are desired by this niche market through-out my designs. These themes include: (1) flowing water, waterfalls and lush landscaping intertwined with distinctive architectural designs; and (2) uniquely designed business models that create additional revenue centers while limiting risk exposure to the investors.
​
Ms. Drake has been involved in multiple multi-billion resort development projects, including designing the business model and writing the business plan for multiple ultra-luxury resorts with condo-hotel business models. In her entrepreneurial training company, where she assists and advises corporations of all sizes with the process of raising capital. Ms. Drake’s entrepreneurial experience has taught her to see the macro-vision of the companies direction, while developing the micro-elements needed to make it successful. Ms. Drake is a graduate of the University of Paris – Sorbonne (Paris, France) and George Mason University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and speaks French fluently. She has traveled the world extensively and enjoys: boating, sailboat racing, and international cultures. Ms. Drake lives in the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida area.
​
Eric Egnet – Chief Strategy and Innovations Officer (CSIO) and Board Member
​
Eric Egnet is a seasoned executive, business strategist, and senior technologist with over 28 years in executive management and senior leadership roles. He works across different industries helping companies to grow successfully, transform, and innovate their businesses. He is an operating partner, thought leader, and speaker cited in several leading journals and was named one of the top 100 Social CIOs for three consecutive years by the Huffington Post. He is an accomplished entrepreneur and pre-seed investor and serves on several emerging technology company advisory boards. Eric has spoken domestically and internationally on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, IoT, cybersecurity, and fintech.
​
As a C-Level Officer of early-stage startups, mid-market, and large-market companies, Eric has been part of many successful business exits and double-digit M&A transactions. He has led and strategically diversified businesses, developed and implemented innovative technologies, and participated in several funding rounds. He has created competitive advantages, driven sales & marketing, launched new businesses, established strong partnerships, scaled operations, and was crucial in helping one company go public successfully.
Eric is a team-oriented business builder with proven expertise in developing, growing, and scaling organizations through strategy, innovation, transformation, and execution. He has a solid track record for providing strong business leadership, management, and creative direction. He has a keen understanding of applying tactical business and innovative technology strategies to create new business offerings, advanced capabilities, market differentiation, and competitive advantages.
​
Eric started his career in technology and software development at Borden Inc., a seven-billion-dollar global manufacturing conglomerate. After several accomplishments and promotions over five years, he was recruited into healthcare by a search firm. He rapidly and strategically became more strategic and business-focused over the ensuing years, becoming an Executive and Chief Information Officer for several successful growth companies.
​
He served as EVP and CIO of Cross Country Healthcare, a Travel Nursing company, helping them to grow, scale, and diversify from a thirty-five-million private company purchased by Morgan Stanley to a six-hundred-fifty-million dollar publicly traded company. He then launched a successful healthcare media company and a due diligence consultancy for Boston-based venture capital firms. He served as an operating partner and CIO for a venture-backed company in the pharmacy automation space. He helped this company expand and grow its operations and team during his time there, doubling its client base and raising fifteen million dollars in a funding round. After successfully selling his companies, Eric started a Healthcare IT company with some former executive business partners. This company became Vitalize Consulting, which helped U.S. hospitals implement leading clinical electronic medical record (EMR) systems from multiple vendors nationwide. Vitalize grew to six hundred and fifty consultants strong and was acquired after six years by SAIC for two-hundred-million dollars.
​
Eric then became President, COO, and CIO of MSI Global Transformation Solutions company, providing immigration, compensation, tax, global mobility, domestic relocation, talent management, and global expansion services. He helped lead, create, and scale drive MSI's array of domestic and international businesses, significant technological advancements, and global service diversification in a tenure of over eight years, establishing strong industry partnerships and serving and clients worldwide.
​
He is the founder of Trendigm, an innovation & strategy consultancy and pre-seed-level private equity firm with investments in a portfolio of emerging technology, disruptive innovation, and deep tech companies in the following industries: Robotics, Healthcare, Fintech, Life Sciences, Sky Computing, Global Procurement, Blockchain, Personalized Nutrition, and Ultra-Luxury.
​
Eric possesses an in-depth understanding and action-oriented mentality for what it takes to set, execute, and achieve aggressive business goals and objectives. Eric has a proven ability to develop, coach, and lead action-oriented teams of highly skilled individuals to work together to achieve business results. He is a creative and strategic "outside the box" thinker, leader, and entrepreneur with the vision, commitment, desire, and passion for successfully driving and accomplishing business growth plans.
YARA ARIAS, CPA - Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Board Member
​
Our CFO is a highly experienced financial executive. She is a CPA who was a highly respected executive for one of the big-four accounting firms. Our CFO's is experienced accounting and auditing professional with over 25 years in public practice and industry specific. Most of her career has been focused on public practice serving multiple clients from manufacturing to retail, aerospace to government contractors, healthcare to insurance, banking to professional services. Her expertise includes annual audits of financial statements and quarterly reviews for publicly held and private companies, agreed-upon procedures, audits of benefit pension plans, and special purpose projects.
​
But her true passion is in real estate. She joined a New York accounting firm’s Real Estate Practice Group, where she completed financial statement audits, quarterly reviews, federal, state and city tax returns, quarterly tax projections, and audits pertaining to tax abatements for NYC property developers for the Firm’s largest real estate client. The engagement, Riverside South Manhattan, is a $3 billion project on 57 acres along the Hudson River, consisted of 19 buildings; during her four-year employment she provided various services and completed audits and partnership tax returns for 10 of the 19 sites. In addition, she completed certiorari audits in relation to the reduction of property assessments for NYC rental properties for other clients.
​
Yara also led an internal audit position for a top SEC filer in Florida ranking 109 on the Fortune 500, where she served as the liaison to oversee its Latin America division, and conducted operational audits for key locations in Canada, Mexico, and its distribution hub in the US. Her responsibilities expanded into evaluating controls and risks, reviewing compliance, monitor operations and financial results, and made recommendations to improve the company’s internal control and risk environments.
​
During her most recent experience with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Yara leads the testing of a $16.3 billion engagement for its SOX controls and business processes, overseeing a team of 15 located in the US and Argentina. In addition, she leads one of the Firm’s initiatives to help clients assess levels of financial risks and materiality via an internally developed technology tool. To effectively execute this initiative, she leads a team of 7 located in the US and India. Yara is also a mentor to 16 staff across the US network.
Yara obtained a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Old Westbury and is an active Certified Public Accountant in the states of New York and Florida.
Douglas R. Dxxxxx - Chief Operating and Technology Officer (CO&TO)
​
Doug Dxxxxx has an impressive career, highlighted with extensive executive management experience within multiple high-tech industries, implementing new technologies, managing change and growth, and simply making difficult situations feasible. His experience includes positions as: Vice President of IT Development Systems at Deloitte (his current position until Solaris is funded), and VP of IT for United Health Care, Vice President of Information Technology for Benefitfocus; Division Director of Central Management and Operations Center for Northrop Grumman; Sr. Director and Chief Security Officer for Navisite; Vice President of Hosting and Operations for Global Telesystems Inc.; and Director, Security Engineering for Qwest Communications.
Mr. Dxxxxx is a highly motivated, respected and pragmatic leader with 25 years’ of experience designing, building and managing exceptional IT organizations that perform intricate services and technological designs for companies with both internal and external needs. He is an expert in customizing and executing strategic action plans to drive profitability, performance, productivity and employee/customer satisfaction. Mr. Dxxxx is an instinctive leader with the proven ability to create, clearly communicate and build consensus in the sharing of a high-level business vision at all organizational levels. He is skilled at delivering and using lucrative strategic alliances both in and outside the respective organization and has extensive business background working in domestic, international and multi-cultural environments. Mr. Dxxxxx’s career history has a broad range of proven achievements that span multiple industries such as: High-tech, Healthcare, Government, Telecom, Software, Insurance, E-commerce and Banking.
Highlights of Mr. Dxxxx’s career achievements include: Designed and managed corporate computer infrastructure for 120,000+ people with below industry average level of engineers but with high customer satisfaction and employee retention; Responsible for the disaster recovery plan implementation for Katrina destroyed facilities in Pascagoula, MS for major Shipyard datacenter functions; Directed $57.6 million budget and 24/7 hosting call center facility serving 1,000+ customers in 6 countries; Implemented new process engineering and system controls throughout the Solaris to achieve SAS 70 Type II (SSAE16), HIPAA and PCI certifications, while preparing the organization for potential SOX audits; Saved 21% operational costs from $150 million dollar budget through operational review and leaning exercises on day-to-day management; Built out four datacenter facilities in a six-month period in four different countries, while coming in under budget and within scheduled timeframes; Saved $16 million in 1 year by cutting networking costs 61% to $24 million, while improving performance by 15%+; Implemented ITIL V3 framework to be the first managed service provider to achieve its ISO 20,000 certification; Led vendor negotiations across the board of IT services and lowered IT Budget by 14% with negotiated deals with Microsoft, AT&T, EMC, Oracle and others; Managed Integration team for technical aspects of 22 different M&A activities with the total of 52% cost saving; Project managed the implementation of new corporate ERP system to integrate all aspects of the corporate service from lead inception through billing. Founded and raised $60 million dollars for new Managed Hosting company; Consolidated 200+ datacenters into 4 mega centers within one year providing infrastructure savings of $18 million; Was Capture Manager for a $130 million federal managed service contract that provided a 22% profit margin; and, Implemented Six Sigma Lean Methodology to optimize operation aspects of Solaris’ internal IT organization, and to provide labor and service efficiencies that lead to a defined 22% saving across the organization.
In addition to his impressive business career, Mr. Dxxxxx is also a former College Football player and was asked to try out for the 1988 Olympic Handball Team. Mr. Dxxxxx has a BA in History & Minor in Management Information Systems from the University of Rochester. He has held multiple security clearance up to and including Top Secret with different federal agencies. Mr. Dxxxxxx is married and has four children and lives in Raleigh Durham, North Carolina.
In addition to his impressive business career, Mr. Dxxxxx is also a former College Football player and was ask to try out for the 1988 Olympic Handball Team. Mr. Dxxxxx has a BA in History & Minor in Management Information Systems from the University of Rochester. He has held multiple security clearance up to and including Top Secret with different federal agencies. Mr. Dxxxxx is married and has four children and lives in the Raleigh, NC area.
Judy Adamski – Chief Marketing Officer and Board Member
​​
Judy Adamski started her artistic career 30+ years ago as a Fine Arts major in college. Following her education and a formative career as a multi-million dollar producing real estate agent, incorporating her artistic background and entrepreneurial spirit, she co-founded KDG Studio/Marketing. As the Art Director for KDG, Ms. Adamski has been creating masterpieces for companies of all sizes, including such companies as: Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Virgin Atlantic and other iconic brands around the nation.
Her graphical design talent is renowned in the travel industry as the chief art designer of the well-known DVI catalog. In her capacity as Art Director and lead designer for KDG Marketing, Ms. Adamski has developed corporate images for more than 350 different early stage/start-up companies. She has been developing branding strategies for established and start-up businesses since 1998.
​
Having started a retail business after college, and owning/managing it for over 6 years and having been a successful Real Estate agent prior to her career in the advertising industry, Ms. Adamski can relate to the challenges facing an entrepreneur. Her desire and goal for each entrepreneur is to develop a strong identity that will serve them well from the initial branding to becoming a fully funded corporate entity. Ms. Adamski is widowed and resides outside of Charlotte, NC.
Tatiana Mersiadis – Chief Administration Officer (CAO) and Strategic Advisor to the Board of Directors M
As an experienced educator, Tatiana Mersiadis grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and learned early on that teaching was her passion. She moved to Vancouver, British Columbia and studied Education at McGill University. Tatiana has worked in many different schools across Quebec and British Columbia throughout her 30 years in the education field.
​
She is an accomplished teacher, with a Bachelor of Education and Physical Education from McGill University, in Montreal, a Diploma in French Education from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and a Master’s in Education from the University of British Columbia.
​
Passionate about making a difference in people’s lives, today Tatiana is working in partnership with Darren Jacklin and committed to expanding her investment portfolio with him to make a greater humanitarian difference across the planet. She is also supporting and working with Daystar Junior School Kirombe in Uganda. Her life example teaches us to follow our dreams, no matter how great.
Dr. Grace Lee - Strategic Advisor to the Board of Directors
Dr. Grace Lee is an international speaker, global educator, executive coach, social media influencer and former neuroscientist. With her profound insights and practical wisdom, she has left an indelible mark on the global stage, impacting more than 40 countries, and spanning across 30+ industries. As an executive coach and trusted private mentor, Dr. Lee's expertise lies in guiding individuals towards holistic professional development and personal growth within the realms of business leadership and diplomatic communications. Here clientele encompasses a wide spectrum, including corporate executives, visionary entrepreneurs, health professionals, government officials, military personnel, and private bank financiers. With her guidance, these diverse individuals have honed their skills, enhanced their leadership abilities, and refined their diplomatic business acumen.
​
Dr. Lee's global impact extends beyond individual interactions. She has spoken internationally to deliver keynotes, seminars, and workshops to public companies, private companies, startups, and academic organizations with a unique adaptability across cultures. Her ability to seamlessly navigate the intricacies of various cultures and industries enables her to create tailored experiences that resonate deeply with her audiences, facilitating meaningful connections and lasting change.
​
Dr. Lee's remarkable journey is a testament to the exponential power of focused entrepreneurship. In just a span of four short years after she founded her company, her relentless dedication and innovative approach have propelled her from gainful employment to an internationally recognized speaker, educator, coach, and mentor. Dr. Lee's strategic vision, depth of knowledge, and unwavering commitment in the pursuit of excellence placed her as a sought-after executive coach with a strong multi-platform social media presence. Through her proprietary strategy in creating, communicating, and publishing insightful content, she attracted over 300,000 social media followers and her YouTube channel exceeded 10 million views worldwide in less than three years.
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND: Dr. Lee's experiences started in academia, when she answered a call of opportunity to take on an undergraduate neuroscience research project focusing on spinal cord restitution post-injury. Her interest in neuroscience has a poignant origin that traces back to the age of 8, when a life altering car accident claimed the life of her mother due to brain trauma and nearly left her with a spinal cord injury that would have resulted in quadriplegia. Her pursuit of excellence led her to Edinburgh University, where she completed a Masters in Neuroscience, delving into the intricate realm of neurodegenerative diseases with a primary focus on multiple sclerosis. Following that, she undertook a PhD in Neuroscience. Her dissertation, a comprehensive exploration of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's and ALS, illuminated the intricacies of the brain in both health and disease states.
​
Following the successful completion of her PhD, Dr. Lee embarked on a transformative path that led her to the dynamic field of healthcare ethics. Her vision extended beyond research, as she spearheaded a nationwide Canadian initiative aimed at reforming policies to enhance healthcare for patients with traumatic head injuries. Simultaneously, she explored the ethical complexities of emerging neuroimaging technologies applied to patients unable to provide consent, addressing the profound moral implications inherent in such cases. Dr. Lee's influence extended further into the realm of mental health, where she championed the ethical considerations surrounding diagnoses in children and adolescents.
​
Dr. Lee's multidisciplinary academic research resonates through her numerous publications in esteemed medical journals from her pioneering work in ALS and Motor Neuron Diseases to her insightful contributions to Neuroethics and Behavioral Neuroscience. ENTREPRENEURIAL BACKGROUND: After 9 years in research, Dr. Lee made a pivotal decision to transition from academia to the dynamic landscape of industry. Her foray into the business world commenced with a commanding senior-level position in marketing and product growth management within the biotechnology industry, where she bridged the gap between cutting-edge science and strategic market positioning to address challenges in pharmaceutical drug development. After two years in biotechnology, she made the bold decision to transition into executive coaching full-time. This pivotal juncture marked a "do or die" moment in her journey, where she recognized that pursuing her passion was not just a choice but a necessity for personal fulfillment and professional growth. Through sheer determination, dedication, and an unshakable belief in her mission, she founded and cultivated her company that embodies her expertise, values, and unwavering commitment to growth.
​
Dr. Lee's executive experience includes public speaking, executive coaching, sales and sales processes, business development, business grow-and-scale consulting, multi-channel digital marketing, YouTube channel growth and monetization, digital content strategy, financial and wealth management, qualitative and quantitative research, and building inspired teams.
As CEO and Founder of her company, Dr. Lee has been involved in multiple exclusive, by invitation only masterminds with business moguls, social media celebrity influencers, and titans of internet marketing. In these esteemed circles, Dr. Lee has had the privilege of engaging with industry visionaries and learning from the very pioneers who set the course for the online business landscape. By interacting with these luminaries, she has harnessed their insights, strategies, and wisdom, honing her own skills and knowledge to become a pioneer in the realm of executive coaching in the online space. Dr. Lee's academic to entrepreneurial journey has empowered her to push boundaries and drive transformation while expanding the possibilities of achievement in every facet of endeavor. She has traveled the world extensively and enjoys fully experiencing different environments, cultures, and ways of life. Dr. Lee lives with her husband in their majestic homestead in Greater Vancouver, Canada.