Our Story

Our business is an extension of our family. That is true from the origin of its name, ‘“Fortunata”. Fortunata is the name of a distant relative who was the first born in Sicily in 1898. Her name means “Lucky” or “Fortunate”. Coming from an Italian family who viewed the United States as the land of the free and an opportunistic country, they were hard workers and providers for their families. Our forefather worked several jobs in order to support his five children starting at the young age of 13 years. That work ethic was passed down from generation to generation. We are so lucky and fortunate to have the opportunity to live in the United States and pursue our dreams, following in the steps of our ancestors. Our goal is to continue to pass that work ethic on to our children and grandchildren. We will bring that passion, hard work and devotion to every business that we are a part of, whether in a small or large capacity.

Michelle Kuhn

Owner

Michelle has 12+ years in product/brand marketing and sales. Her most recent role was Key Accounts Director for a privately held medical supplies company where she was responsible for growth in the industrial and healthcare channels (>$10M+ revenue). Strengths include relationship management, ability to provide creative solutions, product/category ownership and marketing abilities.

Michelle’s major professional accomplishments include:

  • Ownership over various business segments P&L’s <$200M in gross sales, along with marketing and research budgets <$20M.

  • Strength in sales/marketing in various roles. Supported half the U.S. for a Medical Product category. Fostered relationship with key customers outpacing growth goal by 2-3x revenue dollars with increased GP margin YOY. Led the charge to penetrate into new markets for growth.

  • Launched new products ($12M+ GS$) to market from inception (sourcing/research) through commercialization. Executing on developed brand/marketing plans at each step.

Tyler Kuhn

Owner

Tyler has 12+ years in the technology and financial services industries with experience in program management, technology project management, financial crimes compliance, and risk. His most recent role as Head of Financial Crimes Compliance for a digital bank with over $1B total assets. He has managed multiple teams specializing in operations, data analytics, and regulatory program management. He maintains industry certifications in both compliance and risk management.

Tyler’s major professional accomplishments include:

  • Developed a financial crimes compliance program for a newly launched bank from scratch, including the creation of policies and procedures, data-based models for transaction monitoring and customer risk rating, issue management and tracking systems, and regulatory change management processes.

  • Oversaw multiple technology teams to design and deliver a mobile bank application, operations case management system, and customer contact strategy to facilitate European expansion for a large consumer bank.

  • Led a team of cross-functional experts from multiple business areas to redesign automated identity verification at a large financial institution through nine concurrent, multi-year technology projects, ultimately improving bank account approval rates by greater than 10%.

Jay Freund

Advisor

Prior to joining Stratford-Cambridge Group (“SCG”) in 2018, Jay’s 30-year career began in investment banking and evolved to principal investing in private equity and other junior capital opportunities.  Within these positions, Jay gained valuable experience partnering with lower middle-market management teams in the manufacturing, industrial/business services, and value-added distribution sectors.  Jay has been associated with firms including Canal Capital Partners, PNC Erieview Capital (fka National City Equity Partners), Banc One Capital Corporation, and The Ohio Company. His primary leadership roles at SCG are to assist in (i) originating, evaluating, closing, and managing portfolio company investments, and (ii) continuing to build and maintain investor relationships.

Jay is the past co-chairman of the leadership council for the Alliance of Merger and Acquisition Advisors (AM&amp;AA) Northeast Ohio chapter.  Currently, he is a member of AM&AA’s national Advisory Council. In addition, Jay is an active member of the Cleveland Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).

Jay contributes time to the boards of non-profit organizations in the Northeast Ohio region, particularly groups that look to improve the lives of individuals in the community.  He received a BSBA in economics from Ohio Northern University and his MBA from the Daniels School of Business (Krannert Graduate School of Management) at Purdue University.