Board of Directors
Donald W. Prosser
Non-Independent Director and Chairman
Mr. Prosser joined the company’s Board of Directors in September of 2003, serving as Director and member of the company’s Compensation, Audit, and Nominating Committees. He has been designated as the company’s Financial Expert under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Mr. Prosser is a professional CPA, specializing in tax and securities accounting, and has represented a number of private and public companies serving as CPA, member of Boards of Directors, and as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Prosser brings to the company his great depth of expertise in tax and securities compliance and accounting, corporate finance transactions, and turn-around. From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Prosser served as CFO and Director for Chartwell International, Inc., a public company publishing high school athletic information and providing athletic recruiting services. From 1999 to 2000, he served as CFO and Director for Anything Internet, Inc., and from 2000 to 2001, served as CFO and Director for its successor, Inform Worldwide Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded company. From 2001 to the present, Mr. Prosser serves as CFO and Director for Net Commerce, Inc., a public company selling internet services. From November 2002 through 2007, Mr. Prosser served as Director and CFO of VCG Holding Corp., a public company engaged in the business of acquiring, owning, and operating nightclubs which provide premium quality entertainment, restaurant, and beverage services in an up-scale environment to affluent patrons. His accounting firm performs accounting services for VCG Holding Corp. Mr. Prosser has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1975, and is licensed in the state of Colorado. Mr. Prosser attended the University of Colorado from 1970 to 1971, and Western State College of Colorado from 1972 to 1975 where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in both Accounting and History in 1973, and a Master's degree in Accounting, Income Taxation in 1975.
Charles B. Davis
Non-Independent Director
Mr. Davis joined Arête's Board of Directors in 2006, and serves as a member of the company’s Nominating and Compensation Committees. With over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Mr. Davis is a valuable addition to the Board of the company. From January 1981 to June 1983, Mr. Davis was Operations Manager for Keba Oil and Gas Co., where he was responsible for drilling, completion, and producing operations. From July 1983 to April 1986, Mr. Davis was Vice-President of Operations for Private Oil Industries. From April 1986 until August 1988, Mr. Davis did consulting work related to well site operations. In August of 1988, Mr. Davis joined DNR Oil & Gas Inc., as President, running the day to day operations for 150 to 200 wells, and involved in exploration activities. Mr. Davis graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Science degree.
John R. Herzog
Non-Independent Director
Mr. Herzog joined the company’s Board of Directors in September of 2003, serving as independent Director, and as a member of the company’s Audit, Nomination, and Compensation Committees. He brings a depth of concrete, practical, and entrepreneurial experience in business start-ups, turn-arounds, technology-oriented business, and technology development projects. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Herzog served as Director of Billing Services for Eglobe, Inc., where he managed daily operations, conversion of the billing system, and generated an additional $1 million per year of revenue for this company. From 2000 to 2001, he served as Director of IT for Anything Internet, Inc., a public company. Since 2001, Mr. Herzog has been President of Business Information Systems, Inc., developing applications, consulting on software development, business systems, and programming. Mr. Herzog has also served as a Director of Net Commerce, Inc., a public company, from 2001 to the present. Mr. Herzog graduated from Drexel University in 1967 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and in 1970 with a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. He received a Doctorate from Temple University in 1976.
Charles L. Gamber
Non-Independent Director
Mr. Gamber joined the company’s Board of Directors in September of 2003, serving as an independent Director, and as a member of the company’s Nominating and Compensation Committees. Mr. Gamber is currently the President and CEO of 86 Phoenix, LLC, a real estate and property development corporation doing business in Colorado. Mr. Gamber has also served as a Director of Net Commerce, Inc., a public company from 2001 to the present. He has served as a consultant for Donald W. Prosser, PC and VCG Holding Corp., a publicly held company with an emphasis in areas of organizational needs, financial projects, and business development. Mr. Gamber has fourteen years of sales and service experience in the restaurant industry. He has owned and operated All America Auto Transport of Colorado for six years, and was with Toyota Motor Distributors for five years, leaving them as a District Sales Manager to pursue his own interests. Mr. Gamber received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Western State College in 1973.
William W. Stewart
Non-Independent Director
Mr. Stewart joined the Board of Directors on December 19, 2001 at the time the company entered into a letter of intent with Mr. Stewart to form a subsidiary corporation to pursue acquisition and management of minor league sports franchises. From December, 2001 until August, 2002, Mr. Stewart ran the operations and directed the business plan of Eagle Capital Funding Corp. (Eagle Capital) to pursue capital funding projects. In addition to serving as an outside director; he serves as a member of the company’s Audit, Nomination and Compensation Committees. Mr. Stewart worked in the brokerage industry as an NASD licensed registered representative from 1986 to 1994. Mr. Stewart started his career with Boettcher and Company of Denver, Colorado and left the Principal Financial Group of Denver, Colorado in 1994 to open his own small-cap investment firm, S.W. Gordon Capital, Inc., where he has been its president since 1994 to the present. He has consulted with many small companies, both public and private, on capital formation and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Stewart formerly served as CEO and is an owner of Larimer County Sports, LLC, a Colorado Limited Liability Company, which owns the Colorado Eagles Hockey Club, a minor league professional hockey franchise in northern Colorado. Mr. Stewart was born in The Pas, Manitoba, Canada. Mr. Stewart attended the University of Denver on a full athletic scholarship where he played hockey from 1979 to 1983 as right wing, and served as assistant captain during his senior year. Mr. Stewart graduated with a BS, Business Administration from the University of Denver in 1983, with honors as a Student Athlete.