— SENTRY FINANCIAL
An experienced team with diverse expertise
To forge a better future by serving as a leading provider of capital (and ancillary financial and management services) to companies that provide prosocial goods or services.
— DIVISION OVERVIEW
Sentry Financial was founded on June 17, 1986, by two young lawyers who had decided to transition from the practice of law to the business world: Jonathan Ruga and Scott Young. Without office space of their own, Jonathan and Scott relied on the generosity of their friends and mentors, Sudhir Amembal and Terry Isom, who provided a couple of desks and phones in the exercise room of their offices! With a little ingenuity and a lot of effort, the fledgling Sentry found its sea legs in equipment leasing, a booming industry that would soon face widespread collapse, leaving only the strong alive.
Fortunately, Sentry made it through the storm and continued expanding into the three additional divisions it has today: Real Estate (est. 1992), Pantry & Dining (est. 2013), and Media & Entertainment (est. 2015).
— OUR mission
To provide equipment financing, debt, and equity products (and ancillary services) to companies, focusing on meeting their needs and establishing long-term relationships. In that process, we analyze and structure our financings to mitigate the risks and produce reasonable returns.
— OUR values
In our interactions with our stakeholders (e.g. customers, employees, partners, vendors, shareholders), we will conduct ourselves in a manner that exemplifies the following values.
Integrity
Act with integrity, i.e., always do the right thing.
Progress
Embrace and drive change; plan first, and then act, always keeping the end in mind.
Respect
Treat all people with respect.
Creativity
Seek out a diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds and be proactive, creative, and disciplined in identifying opportunities and in finding solutions.
Service
Be customer-focused, collaborative, and responsive.
Abundance
Embrace an abundance (not a scarcity) philosophy; celebrate the success of others.
Rationality
Make decisions based on a thorough understanding of the facts.
Curiosity
Adopt a continuous learning and improvement mentality.
Excellence
Maintain our standard of excellence in all facets of our business, including attracting and retaining the best talent and fostering a collaborative and mutually supportive work environment.
Stewardship
Each day, be passionate and determined to succeed, and make the world a better place.
— OUR TEAM
Executive Management
Jonathan M. Ruga
Chief Executive Officer
Jonathan is the CEO of Sentry Financial, a company he and Scott Young co-founded in 1986. Jonathan is responsible for Sentry’s strategic direction and is integrally involved in all of the company’s divisions: Equipment Financing, Real Estate, and Private Equity. Prior to co-founding Sentry, Jonathan worked with the law firm of Parr, Brown, Gee & Loveless, focusing on litigation, and business and corporate law. He has co-authored several professional books, including The Handbook of Leasing (1982), and International Leasing: The Complete Guide (2000). In his effort to help bring about positive social change, Jonathan is the board chair of The Justice Party and The Lightspark Foundation, the Vice Chair of Alliance for a Better Utah, and a member of the board of trustees of St. Mark’s Hospital, and has previously served on the boards of The Boys and Girls Clubs, High Road for Human Rights, The Road Home, the S.J. Quinney College of Law, and several other organizations. Jonathan and his wife, Tina, are life long residents of Salt Lake City and support a variety of local and national forward thinking organizations, including Equality Utah and Planned Parenthood.
Forging A Better Future
Jonathan M. Ruga
Chief Executive Officer
Scott F. Young, Esq.
Chief Operating Officer
As the co-founder and COO of Sentry, Scott is involved in determining Sentry’s strategic direction and leads its Equipment Financing division. After graduating from law school, Scott was a clerk at the Utah Supreme Court for Justice Christine Durham, a practicing lawyer focusing on business litigation and transactions (for over a decade at Parr Brown Gee & Loveless, and outside counsel for Sentry until he rejoined Sentry on a full-time basis in 1998. Scott has co-authored professional books on equipment leasing, including The Handbook of Leasing (1982) and The Guide to Captive Financing (1984), and lectured on the topic of equipment leasing as an instructor for Amembal, Isom, & Halladay. Scott is a member and former president of the board of trustees of The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake, a founding member of the Wasatch Clean Air Network, and a founding board member of The Lightspark Foundation. Recently, Scott was a member of the Finance Committee of the Jackie Biskupski for Mayor campaign. Scott supports an array of community organizations that promote protection of human rights and our environment.
Forging A Better Future
Scott F. Young, Esq.
Chief Operating Officer
Andrew Bebbington
Executive VP
As the Executive Vice President, Andrew is responsible for origination and execution of structured investments ranging from private equity through to project finance. Andrew is a graduate of the London School of Economics and was the winner of the “KPMG” Prize for outstanding academic performance. Andrew went on to join KPMG in London and after obtaining his chartered accountancy qualifications moved into their consulting group and was one of the founder team that established the KPMG private equity advisory group. Andrew left KPMG to do a management Buy In of a UK public company where he became the M & A Director. After acquiring a US company, Andrew moved to the US as CEO of a division operating in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical markets. He moved to Utah as CEO of a Hi tech NASDAQ company commercializing scientific technology out of BYU. More recently, Andrew has been working for various private equity groups structuring debt and equity transactions as well as providing operating management on either a full or ad hoc basis. Andrew is an active squash player and skier.
Forging A Better Future
Andrew Bebbington
Executive VP
Operations
Peter M. Corroon, Esq., MRED
Manager, Real Estate
With his extensive background in commercial real estate and residential housing, construction, civic affairs, and small business development, Peter leads the strategy development and project execution of Sentry Real Estate. He has developed, rehabilitated, and managed multi-family and commercial real estate properties in Utah since 1995. He was responsible for starting a non-profit affordable housing company, Green Street Partners, to serve unmet housing needs in Salt Lake City, which previously completed a 24-unit apartment building at 925 South 200 West in 2004 in conjunction with the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency. Peter also has a long record of public service, including as Salt Lake County Mayor from 2005-2013. He holds a law degree, a master’s degree in Real Estate Development and Finance and a BS in Civil Engineering. He currently sits on several nonprofit boards, having previously served as President of the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate, Catholic Community Services, and the Salt Lake Vest Pocket Business Coalition.
Forging A Better Future
Peter M. Corroon, Esq., MRED
Manager, Real Estate
Jared Ruga
Founder + CEO, Vavani Productions
Jared is an Emmy®-winning and GLAAD-nominated producer, writer, director, and creative executive charged with developing, financing, and producing meaningful content that engages audiences in conversation and action for a prosocial agenda. He performs most of these roles as CEO of Vavani Productions, an ethos-driven media production company he founded in 2017. Vavani’s first project, feature-length documentary QUIET HEROES, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, was internationally distributed, and won a Daytime Emmy® Award. In the nonprofit sector, Jared has served in various board, committee, and advisory roles at Sundance Institute, Voterise, Equality Utah, Restore Our Humanity, and the University of San Diego, and is Co-Founder and Board Member of both the Impact Guild and the Lightspark Foundation. Jared earned JD, MBA, and MFA degrees from the University of Utah and BBA and dual-BA degrees from the University of San Diego, where he was inducted into multiple honors societies, including Phi Beta Kappa. He has also created and taught undergraduate classes at both of his alma maters. Jared lives in Hollywood.
Forging A Better Future
Jared Ruga
Founder + CEO, Vavani Productions
G. Stephen Browning, CPA, MAcc
Chief Accounting & Information Officer
Steve is responsible for implementing and managing Sentry’s financial systems and technology initiatives. After graduating with his Masters in Accountancy, Steve worked for KPMG in Salt Lake City. Steve joined Sentry in 1987 to lead the accounting and systems functions of the company in its early years, while also developing financial and analytical tools. In 1994, Steve joined a large electrical contractor in Washington State, where as Chief Financial Officer he developed and implemented various financial management tools to better manage construction projects for the company. In 1999, Steve rejoined Sentry as its Chief Accounting Officer, in which capacity he leads Sentry’s team of Accounting and IT professionals.
Forging A Better Future
G. Stephen Browning, CPA, MAcc
Chief Accounting & Information Officer
Pamela H. Halverson
Executive Assistant to CEO, HR Director
After graduating from BYU with a BS degree in Business Finance, Pam worked for Granada where she oversaw the Defined Benefit and Retirement programs for the company portfolio. She subsequently worked for other financial institutions while living in California, Utah and Idaho. Joining Sentry in 2000 as the Executive Assistant, her responsibilities include working closely with the CEO, COO, and CIO on various projects and managing the day-to-day operation of the office. In addition, she has experience in contract administration, personal property tax, invoicing, and accounting.
Forging A Better Future
Pamela H. Halverson
Executive Assistant to CEO, HR Director
Zack McAdams
Controller
Zack joined Sentry in 2023 as a Controller focusing on the month-to-month accounting activities of Sentry’s various divisions. After graduating from Indiana State University, Zack worked for a regional CPA firm in their audit practice until he and his wife moved to Utah. Upon moving to Utah, Zack worked at Four Foods Group as an accounting manager, then Lone Peak Valuation Group where he calculated economic damages for litigation projects and helped in the business valuation practice, and then Propeller Industries where he was an accounting manager for a portfolio of early-stage and start-up companies. Zack and his wife have two little girls and spend their free time in the mountains, spending time with their girls, or reading.
Forging A Better Future
Zack McAdams
Controller
Stéphane Glynn
SVP Operations, Vavani Productions
Stéphane Glynn joined Vavani Productions in 2017 as their in-house editor. He now serves as the SVP of Operations and Post-production, overseeing all post-production processes from DIT to delivery. Stéphane has an extensive portfolio of film credits, ranging from commercials and promotional films to feature documentaries and short narrative films. Prior to joining Vavani, Stéphane worked as an editor and camera operator at PBS Utah, and honed his craft through internships with ABC-Disney, A&E Films, ATO Pictures, and Paladin Media Group. Stéphane holds an MFA in Film & Media Arts from the University of Utah, a BA in Media Studies & Psychology from the University of Virginia, and is currently working towards his MBA. When he’s not editing films or writing 50-page theses on Jean-Claude Van Damme, Stéphane “splits” his time between basketball and relaxing with his wife and two cats.
Forging A Better Future
Stéphane Glynn
SVP Operations, Vavani Productions
Tina B. Ruga, MS
Project Manager, Real Estate
Tina has been designing and renovating homes and offices for nearly two decades, including designing and overseeing the building of her own home. Working with Sentry on a part-time basis since 2008, she joined the team full-time as a project manager of residential renovation projects in 2012. Having designed and supervised over 20 residential property remodels, along with a total office remodel, she continues to expand her repertoire of projects to include retail and commercial spaces. Tina holds an MS in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Utah, and a BS in Nursing from Westminster College. A philanthropist and advocate for women’s rights, she serves on the boards of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and the Utah Women’s Coalition, and has been actively engaged with YWCA Utah and Fourth Street Clinic.
Forging A Better Future
Tina B. Ruga, MS
Project Manager, Real Estate
Brian Jones, JD
Director of Government Relations
Brian collaborates with political, business, and community leaders to identify innovative means of achieving Sentry’s vision of corporate and civic leadership. Sentry places a high priority on being not just a successful member of the business community, but also a valued and productive member of the broader community in which its people live and work. Brian’s role is to pinpoint and facilitate initiatives that serve both these goals. Since graduating from law school in 2005, Brian has practiced corporate transactional law with a large regional law firm, worked as an in-house attorney for an IBM company, taught college courses in Law, Criminal Justice, and Political Science, and worked in the local and national political arenas for much-needed government reform. He holds a J.D. from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and History from Arizona State University.
Forging A Better Future
Brian Jones, JD
Director of Government Relations
Ryan Scrivano
Investment Analyst
Ryan joined Sentry in 2021 as an Investment Analyst where he performs credit and investment analyses on equipment leasing and private equity transactions, and monitors current investments. After graduating from the University of Utah with a Master’s in Finance, Ryan worked for Goldman Sachs (on its credit risk team), then Morgan Stanley (analyzing various securities), and then Utah Retirement Systems (on its investment & operations team). In his free time, Ryan is often in the mountains either skiing, hiking, or fishing, and also enjoys playing tennis and golf with friends.
Forging A Better Future
Ryan Scrivano
Investment Analyst
Peter Fajardo
Creative Director
A seasoned designer with a passion for crafting compelling visual narratives, Peter joined Sentry in 2017. His role has evolved to encompass the strategic oversight of all creative initiatives, from brand development to marketing collateral, and ensuring brand consistency and visual excellence across Sentry’s affiliates and partners. His diverse background spanning from news graphics, healthcare, and local business advocacy, informs his innovative approach to marketing and branding. A graduate of UNLV with a BA in Graphic Design, he is deeply committed to aesthetic excellence and typography. When not immersed in the world of design, Peter enjoys indulging his creative side through drawing, enjoying the latest Drag Race episode, or hosting unforgettable karaoke dinner parties.
Forging A Better Future
Peter Fajardo
Creative Director
Florian Alberge
Graphic and Web Designer
Florian Alberge joined Sentry in 2022, as a graphic and web designer. He works in collaboration with the Creative Director in developing concepts and marketing materials for Sentry Financial and their affiliates. His portfolio ranges from performing arts to B2B product marketing and content creation. Florian holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Utah and a Maîtrise in Performing Arts from the University of Artois in France. The rest of his time is dedicated to his performing career: he is a member of Heartland Collective, a multi-disciplinary collective with collaborations in dance, visual arts, music and performance.
Forging A Better Future
Florian Alberge
Graphic and Web Designer
— community engagement
Sentry and its management team ascribe to the philosophy that business should be conducted in a humane and sustainable manner, i.e., conscious capitalism, and that one of the primary objectives in life is to help others. Therefore, the principals of Sentry (and many employees of Sentry) are actively involved in various charitable organizations to which they contribute both time and money. Some of the principals are involved in social causes and the political arena to bring about needed societal change.
In addition, Sentry and its employees participate in fundraising events for various charitable causes, provide food to the Utah Food Bank, and provide support to underprivileged families. Some of the charitable/nonprofit organizations that Sentry or its principals support or are engaged in include:
- Alliance for a Better Utah
- ACLU of Utah
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake
- Community Foundation of Utah
- David Eccles School of Business
- Equality Utah
- Guadalupe School
- Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah
- Legal Aid Society
- The Lightspark Foundation
- Natural History Museum of Utah
- Planned Parenthood of Utah
- The Road Home
- Ronald McDonald House
- Rowland Hall School
- Salt Lake Film Society
- SJ Quinney College of Law
- Sundance Institute
- United Way
- University of Utah
- Utah Film Center
- Utah Food Bank
- Utah Pride Center
- Voterise
- Westminster College
- YWCA of Utah
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