Mr. Berns currently is a director of several companies including EBI, CPAgents, and PackageX, Inc. Mr. Berns founded CPAgents (and its predecessors) in Los Angeles, California in 1977. CPAgents both distributes life and health insurance products through retail and wholesale distribution platforms throughout the US and provides financial, business and estate planning consulting to a range of clientele including international cross border clients in Europe and Asia. Mr. Berns has developed substantial experience in cross-border transactions including management and oversight of securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, contracts, tax, litigation and operations. As a Director and CFO of EBI, Mr. Berns has successfully managed the placement of approximately $50 million in private equity capital since EBI�s inception. Investors include US, European and Japanese venture capital along with institutional funding from the European banking and insurance concern, Fortis. As a Director and founder of PackageX, Inc., Mr. Berns has managed the private placement of over $9 million in private equity financing since the inception of the company. PackageX, Inc. is a web based application service provider (ASP) offering a suite of digital tools for the packaging industry that connect employees, customers and vendors and is designed to shorten time to market, enhance customer communication and improve organization. PackageX�s collaboration interface is in use by more than 200 NYSE companies including International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) and Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG). Mr. Berns received his J.D. degree from Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, California in 1981 and his B.A. from the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California in 1977. |