Don Gerould has a 25+ year history as a successful entrepreneur and investor in small to mid-sized businesses. In addition to his own entrepreneurial success, Don has served as a senior-level F500 executive, business advisor, and exit strategist known for building operational processes that align with core values and maximize profits.

With the objective of helping like-minded entrepreneurs create opportunities for personal and professional freedom, Don founded Cogent Equity. Cogent collaborates with successful business owners to help them realize maximum valuation from the sale or other disposition of their companies.

on Gerould assumed leadership positions as President for three key Cogent clients: Berry Sign Systems (acquired by Cogent in 2015), Surf City Marathon (acquired by Cogent in 2003), and Z57, Inc., (a Cogent client from 2001 - 2008). To support the growth of Surf City Marathon, Cogent founded Event Marketing Alliance (an e-commerce, business intelligence, and database marketing firm) that processes 50,000 event registrations annually for partners of Surf City Marathon.

In 2013 Cogent executed an exit event for investors of Surf City Marathon creating an annualized rate of return of 275% over an eight-year period. Z57 also completed a successful exit for ownership in 2012.

Don and his team have a track record of turning around businesses, achieving a high return on investment capital, and generating multimillion dollar revenues by beginning with the end in mind and quickly identifying root causes.

Don Gerould’s experience also includes key roles at Amazon and Citysearch. As Sr. Manager of Sales Operations, Don built an international team to support the rapid growth of the Amazon Local business. At Citysearch Don led a $30 million sales organization in 20 US markets.

View more of Don Gerould's work at Berry Sign Systems. Connect with Don on LinkedIn.