The KASA Team
Our team is composed of Professionals and Senior Advisers with deep operating and investing expertise in the financial services industry and strong reputations and networks among management teams and regulators. We take a hands-on, collaborative approach to working with portfolio companies and dedicate a team of Professionals to assist management with strategic priorities, including operating strategies, recruiting, financing and acquisitions. Our team consists of over 30 carefully selected professionals.
Kian Salehi
Managing Partner
Mr. Kian Salehi is a co-founder of KASA Capital. Mr. Salehi directs the firms operations and finances.
Prior to co-founding KASA, Mr. Salehi was with Hemisphere Companies; a full-service investment and development group. At Hemisphere, Mr. Salehi was responsible for identifying, evaluating and executing various investment opportunities. Prior to joining Hemisphere, Mr. Salehi was intimately involved in various family held entities.
Mr. Salehi holds a bachelors degree in economics and minor in management from the University of Minnesota.
Arash Pirzad-Allaei
Managing Partner
Mr. Arash Pirzad is a co-founder of KASA Capital. Mr. Pirzad heads the internet technology development of the website network.
Prior to co-founding KASA, Mr. Pirzad founded Auto Direct Midwest, LLC, a network of websites that retails after market auto parts. The network is based on a proprietary E-commerce platform developed and designed by Mr. Pirzad. This technology has grown the Auto Direct Midwest, LLC website network to be one of the largest players in the industry.
Mr. Pirzad holds a bachelors degree in computer engineering and masters degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota.
Scott B.
Controller
Scott B. is the Corporate Controller for KASA Capital, LLC and all subsidiaries. He maintains all accounting and financial functions.
Prior to joining KASA, Scott owned and worked with several private companies in sectors of Real Estate, Finance, and Retail. In addition, he brings over 15 years experience in business valuation and acquisition analysis.
Mr. Bostrom holds a bachelors degree in Business Finance from the University of Wisconsin.
Max R.
Operations Manager
Max leads the sales training and employee development program for KASA Capital. He also deals directly with manufacturers and suppliers to streamline purchasing and sales relations. He works with vendors to secure product lines and consistently seeks new business to expand and diversify the parts catalog.
Max brings over 10 years experience in the aftermarket automotive industry to the KASA Team. He has extensive first hand experience in hot rod and car customization. He works directly with dealerships and manufacturers to develop the latest and most innovative custom trends.
He became ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified parts specialist in 1999 from Mesa College in Mesa, AZ.
Max R.
Merchandising Manager
Max leads the sales training and employee development program for KASA Capital. He also deals directly with manufacturers and suppliers to streamline purchasing and sales relations. He works with vendors to secure product lines and consistently seeks new business to expand and diversify the parts catalog.
Max brings over 10 years experience in the aftermarket automotive industry to the KASA Team. He has extensive first hand experience in hot rod and car customization. He works directly with dealerships and manufacturers to develop the latest and most innovative custom trends.
He became ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified parts specialist in 1999 from Mesa College in Mesa, AZ.
Devin V.
Merchandiser
Devin identifies potential sourcing merchandise, acquires wholesale accounts and provides support to customers across the spectrum of the KASA network of sites. He also brings a wealth of automotive knowledge to the organization.
Landy G.
Merchandiser
Landy joined KASA Capital as a Merchandiser, specializing in Motorcycle Vendor Relations.
Prior to joining KASA, he was mechanic for Hitching Post Motorsports in St. Paul, MN.
Landy graduated from the Marine & Motorsport Technology program at Hennepin Technical College in Minneapolis, MN. He is also a graduate of the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI) in Phoenix, AZ. He specialized in the Kawasaki K-Tech Program.
Rob D.
Merchandiser
Rob D. joined KASA Capital as an Automotive Merchandiser.
Rob has been in the automotive industry for over 8 years as an Automotive Technician and has worked for Carousel Audi, Morries Mazda and Superior Ford all based out of Minneapolis, MN.
He is an ASE certified Automotive Technician and graduated from WyoTech Institute, focusing on Automotive Technology.
Gentry B.
Marketing
Before joining KASA, Gentry worked as a proofreader for Print Craft Inc., a commercial printing company as well as doing customer service for Litho Express, a major media and CD manufacturer. Gentry has freelance written for various local and national publications, largely in the area of music and entertainment.
Gentry graduated from Northwestern College with a BA in Journalism and Communication as well as a minor in Philosophy.
Joshua V.
Marketing
Prior to working at KASA, he interned at the Grand Forks Herald newspaper in Grand Forks, ND. While there, he worked in various departments including photo, copy editing and niche publications. His background is in editing, proofreading and content writing.
Josh graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2007 from the University of North Dakota with a BA in communication.
Bryson A.
Program Manager
Bryson is a computer programmer with KASA Capital. He is responsible for maintaining all aspects of the website network.
Prior to working for KASA Capital, Bryson headed the IT department for L&L Exhibition Management, Inc. At L&L, Bryson was responsible for network administration, web design, application development, and report managing and design.
Bryson graduated from Dakota County Technical College in 2003, majoring in Computer Programming.
Sebastian F.
Web Developer
Sebastian is a computer programmer with KASA Capital. Sebastian works with the Development Team to incorporate new features into websites and updates to the database.
Prior to joining KASA Capital, Sebastian was the Webmaster for Northern Michigan University Dining Services, where he developed web applications and maintained their server.
Sebastian graduated from Northern Michigan University in 2009 with a B.S. in Computer Science.
Ratna D.
Web Developer
Ratna is a computer programmer with KASA Capital. She involves in developing and maintaining a network of websites.
Prior to KASA Capital, Deepthi worked for Virtusa India Pvt. Ltd as a software engineer and was involved in maintaining both Virtusa's internal websites as well as client projects.
She holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from Andhra University, India.
Josh R.
Data Administrator
Josh is part of the data management team, responsible for developing and maintaining product lines on KASA Capital's network of websites. Officially certified in Microsoft Excel, he uses advanced processes in Access, Excel, and Visual Basic to bridge product lines and our online catalog.
Josh has several years of experience in Aftermarket accessories and more than 10 years of experience creating and maintaining spreadsheets and databases.
Jeremy D.
Web Developer
Jeremy is a Web Developer with KASA Capital and helped launch the initial network of KASA websites.
Jeremy is currently completing his BSC at Reading University in London, England with an emphasis on computer programming.
Merrell M.
Graphic Designer
Merrell is a Graphic Designer at KASA Capital. Mr. Moua develops and designs the overall look and feel of websites.
Prior to joining the KASA Capital's team, Merrell was the head Graphic Designer for Cyberex Marketing, Inc. and tackled various freelance projects around the Twin Cities metro-area.
Merrell holds a bachelors degree in Visual Communications (with an emphasis in Multi-Media) from Brown College. Mr. Moua won the "Best in Show" award for the Summer 2006 and the Fall 2008 Portfolio Shows.
Dana B.
Graphic Designer
Dana is a KASA Capital Graphic Designer.
Prior to joining KASA Capital, Dana was an integral member of the marketing team at Davisco Foods International, serving as Creative Project Manager in the promotion of whey protein products online, in print and in trade show promotions. Her expertise in web site design & graphical user interface has been essential in the launch of retail and community web sites in both the US and in France.
Dana holds an AA in graphic design from the Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
