About Karen Gill
Karen B. Gill brings over 20 years of strategic finance and operations expertise to companies navigating critical growth and transition phases. As President and Founder of BEI Advisors and the Business Excellence Institute, she serves as a strategic advisor and fractional executive (CFO/COO) to mid-market and enterprise-level businesses across diverse industries.
Proven Approach
Karen has a wide range of expertise spanning business transformation, M&A advisory, and strategic finance. She has led comprehensive organizational transformation initiatives spanning multiple projects across international operations for billion-dollar enterprises. As an M&A advisor, her expertise encompasses both the financial modeling side—developing sophisticated business cases for transactions ranging from $20 million to over $100 million—and facilitating end-to-end transactions from both buy-side and sell-side perspectives. Utilizing respected business frameworks, Karen specializes in leading companies through organizational health and advancement initiatives that strengthen leadership teams and operational effectiveness.
Industry Expertise
Karen’s industry expertise spans manufacturing, distribution, technology, professional services, and agriculture. Her experience includes working with production companies, processing and marketing operations, equipment manufacturers, technology firms, and service organizations. This comprehensive industry knowledge allows her to understand the unique challenges, operational complexities, regulatory environments, and market dynamics that drive businesses across multiple sectors.
Karen holds an MBA from University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Economics and Business Management from University of Arizona.
Based in Yuma, Arizona, Karen serves clients nationwide while maintaining active community involvement as a Fort Yuma Rotary member and spending time with her husband and five kids.
Ana Fontanes specializes in bridging the gap between small business insights and corporate-level reporting, enabling enhanced visibility for strategic decision-making. She recognizes that while business owners often rely on CPAs and traditional financial statements, these resources typically lack the depth needed for fully informed financial decisions. Her approach integrates small business reporting with corporate-level standards, providing business owners with a comprehensive view of their operations.
Working directly with business owners, she creates Forecast Models that categorize businesses in ways that clarify financial performance by comparing current periods with past periods and budgets. This analysis reveals growth patterns and goal achievement, while also including a future component where performance analysis updates the forecast. Additionally, she assesses accounting infrastructure and delivers tailored, best-practice recommendations designed to support sustainable growth.
With over 20 years of financial management experience spanning non-profits, startups, and small to medium-sized businesses, she currently serves as fractional CFO support for various startups. Her professional journey guiding small businesses into multimillion-dollar companies enhances her ability to bridge the gap between small business and corporate-level reporting.