Ray Salama
President, Atticus Financial Group
Ray Salama has been in the leasing industry for more than 25 years, both operating a private leasing brokerage firm and as part of the leadership team of one of Canada’s largest leasing companies. Ray has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, business executive, sales professional, manager, and professional trainer and coach.
Ray is past president of Vancouver Executives Association, past president of Canadian Progress Club of Vancouver and he is currently a board member and the 2014/2015 Chair of the Better Business Bureau of Mainland BC. He has many years of volunteer experience in various community groups, including ten years of coaching youth soccer.
He is the President of Atticus Financial Inc., one of the premier lease origination companies in Western Canada.
Reg Renner
Financing Specialist
Reg Renner was born and raised in Surrey, BC and attended high school and university in Portland, Oregon. His summer job at a forest seedling nursery turned into a 33 year career as a grower, superintendent and manager in the BC greenhouse industry.
In 2004, he joined Atticus Financial and quickly realized that his combination of forestry and greenhouse experience allowed him to work with a diverse group of clients across North America. As his experience and contacts grew he began to expand into the renewable energy industry and now consults to and works with equipment suppliers, engineers, governmental officials and project developers. He has also spoken at multiple bioenergy conferences and recently completed a ten part series on ‘Project Financing’ for the Canadian Biomass Magazine.
Reg lives in Langley, BC with his wife of 35 years and they are now learning to enjoy ’empty-nesting’. This includes volunteering at his church and local senior care facility and traveling to England to visit his married daughter and son-in-law.
Al Wozney
Leasing Specialist
A first glance at Al Wozney’s resume might lead you to wonder how he ended up in leasing. After all, he spent 18 years working as a counsellor for people with developmental disabilities — something his degree in Humanities and Education had prepared him for. Then he was the national sales manager for a large jewellery company. It was only after all that experience that he found himself at Atticus, specializing in retail and business equipment.
And, you know, it’s a good fit. Al is comfortable dealing with all kinds of different people, and he’s well-schooled in the importance of customer service. He also thoroughly enjoys the challenges of lease financing. You’ll enjoy working with him.
David Bau
Leasing Specialist
David Bau has been in the leasing industry for well over a decade. Primarily focused on the local, small-ticket equipment leasing market, David has specialized knowledge in financing IT equipment, as well as substantial experience in providing restaurant equipment leasing.
David is meticulous. He uses his close attention to detail to find his clients the absolute best lease rates available.
Alan Barr
Leasing Specialist
A Vancouver born and raised guy with over 40 years of experience in business-to-business sales, Alan Barr brings a wealth of knowledge to commercial leasing. As a successful business owner that specialized in computer equipment, he fully understands the benefits of IT leasing for commercial and government accounts, both large and small.
Alan has a proven track record in the IT sector as well as assisting some of our large corporate clients to arrange leases for railway equipment.
Equally important to Alan is building long-term relationships with his clients which have resulted in developing many friendships that go beyond ‘just doing business’.
“I like the service aspect that leasing also provides vendors,” Alan says. “Couple that with the fact that there are many opportunities for offering flexibility and variety in the leasing industry, especially when coupled with Atticus.”
When he isn’t in the office arranging leases, you might just find him indulging in his other great passion – traveling by boat to exotic locations.
Bradley Witt
Leasing Specialist
You wouldn’t be far off base if you said Brad ‘inherited’ his interest in leasing from his father. You see, his father, Rolly Witt, was one of the founding fathers of auto leasing in the Greater Vancouver Region. And his dad made a point of passing along the things he’d learned to his son… along with a lot of instructive stories about dealing with customers, equipment suppliers and lenders. Something else he seems to have inherited from Dad is an affable nature and an insistence on being 100% open and honest with everyone he deals with. That’s one good reason why he has a strong client base of repeat business and new referrals. Another good reason is that he has a no-nonsense approach to leasing. If he tells you he can get it done, he will get it done, and at the most competitive rates he can find.
His specialty is all-make vehicle and truck leasing, and he has recently expanded into equipment lease financing. When he isn’t working, you’ll find him sculpting, painting, playing all kinds of sports, or simply enjoying time with his family, friends, and his dog Winston!
Ken Coe
Leasing Specialist
Born and raised in the lower mainland, Ken joined us after a very successful 33 year career in the investment industry. Highlights of his career include being a director and past president of the Vancouver Security Traders Association, a licensed T.S.X. trader, a registered representative, and a senior partner in a U.S. wholesale trading business. ”I learned a lot about small companies and the junior resource business along the way.” says Ken. ”I am very excited about joining the Atticus team and look forward to helping individuals and companies grow their businesses.”
Mario Mastroianni
Senior Leasing Specialist – Northern BC
Mario has over 20 years’ experience in the vehicle and equipment leasing industry and he has developed deep relationships with clients across Northern BC and Alberta. Mario is very involved in his home community of Prince George BC, including coaching youth soccer teams and being president of a local athletic association, both for over 10 years each. In addition, Mario has volunteered for many other Northern BC community associations over the years. He is a team-player in every sense of the word.
Mario’s passion for volunteering in sport and other community service carries over to his work life. He enjoys working in a fun environment with other like-minded people and he has a passion for providing excellent customer service and advice – which results in a large and loyal customer base and ongoing referrals from happy clients.
Cole Balog
Leasing Specialist – Alberta
Cole is a natural fit for a career in agricultural leasing. He was raised in the heart of Southern Alberta’s thriving agricultural region by a family with large and diverse agricultural interests and holdings. For over 100 years, the Balog family has been merchandising and representing the region’s beef, livestock and auction sectors.
With a background in such areas as agriculture, banking and accounting, Cole has a unique understanding of the entrepreneurial spirit that pervades Alberta’s agricultural sector.
Cole has a Bachelor’s of Management Degree from the University of Lethbridge, with a specialty in Finance. He also attended California State University, Los Angeles, studying Economics, while on a full baseball scholarship. After graduating, Cole worked with HSBC for three years before moving into corporate accounting with a private accounting firm for two years after that.
Cole’s real passion is to be intimately involved with and to support the agricultural industry, and he sees the opportunity to do so by working with Atticus. Here, his mission is to expand the Atticus presence throughout Southern Alberta’s Business and Agricultural marketplace. Cole takes particular pride in helping others (especially farmers and entrepreneurs) to achieve their objectives, through timely and useful communications and by his willingness to be a team player.
Maureen Verby
VP Operations
You could say that Maureen is an expert in leasing – she has been in the industry for her entire career.
Maureen started out in leasing over 20 years ago as a fresh-faced university graduate wanting to put her degree in economics to work. Since then she’s worked in leasing for large trust companies and for both large and small financial services companies — thoroughly learning the business through experience and her mentors.
Atticus relies on her to handle all credit and administration functions for the company. Got a leasing question? You can always get a fast, honest answer from Maureen.
When she’s not working, you can find her hiking or cycling local trails, skiing, or gardening. She recently took up photography, loves cooking and has enjoyed hosting international exchange students through her son’s school. Recently she’s been volunteering with the Parkinson Society and the SPCA. We’re proud to have her with us.