Los Angeles Professional Industries Leaders to Honor Donald J. Nunnari and Michael M. Savoy

Black and White Ball on June 4 Benefits the Nation's Leading Respiratory Hospital

More than 500 influential business people in Los Angeles representing  finance, clothing manufacturing, law and retail industries will recognize two of their leaders at the Black and White Ball on June 4, 2016. The event is presented by Gumbiner Savett Inc., Merchant Factors Corp., and the Savoy Family, and will benefit National Jewish Health, the leading respiratory hospital in the nation.

Donald J. Nunnari of Merchant Factors Corp., and Michael M. Savoy of Gumbiner Savett Inc., will be honored with the prestigious National Jewish Health Humanitarian Award at the event. This much-anticipated gala brings together professionals across Los Angeles who share a passion for giving back. Nunnari and Savoy have made significant civic and charitable contributions to the community, and are distinguished leaders in their fields. They will join an esteemed group of people across the country who have received the National Jewish Health Humanitarian Award.  

The Black and White Ball will be held at the Skirball Cultural Center, with a 6 p.m. cocktail party sponsored by DML Marketing Group, followed by dinner and dancing. 
    
For more than 50 years, the Los Angeles community has held events to help National Jewish Health continue to treat children and adults with the most difficult cases of respiratory, cardiac, immune and related conditions. National Jewish Health helps people in California and across the globe find answers, treatments and cures where others cannot. The Denver-based hospital was founded in 1899 and treats all patients, regardless of ability to pay.

Dinner Co-Chairs include Robert Ezra of Freeman, Freeman & Smiley LLP; Ronald Friedman of Marcum LLP; Robert K. Lewin of CIT Commercial Services; and Debbie Steinberg. Serving as Honoree Chairs are Valerie Colin of Gumbiner Savett Inc., and William Kernochan of Merchant Factors, Corp. 

For more information about sponsorships and tickets, please contact Catina Lesavoy at 800.821.3670 or LesavoyC@njhealth.org, or visit lapsdblackandwhiteball.com.

Honoree Bios
Donald Nunnari is executive vice president and West Coast regional manager of Merchant Factors Corp., a Re factor started in New York over 30 years ago. Merchant and its affiliate Merchant Financial provide old-line factoring in the traditional industries and asset-based lending. Nunnari graduated from St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. 

Nunnari started the West Coast office of Merchant Factors Corp., in 2004. His responsibilities include the day-to-day management of the company’s full-service office, which includes portfolio management, client relations, sales and marketing, along with development of the next generation of factoring professionals. 

He began his factoring career as a collector at United Factors in Downtown Los Angeles. United was the largest old-line factor in the apparel industry. He later developed his career as the wholesale and retail credit manager at the Domerich Division of Chemical Bank, also in Los Angeles, ultimately becoming a client account executive. Prior to starting Merchant in Los Angeles, Nunnari spent 15 years at Republic Factors as a senior business development officer. The last three of those years were with HSBC Business Credit, which acquired Republic Factors.   

Nunnari is past president of the Textile Professional Club. He has served on the board of City of Hope fashion group. He is a member of the Commercial Finance Conference of California and the former treasurer on the executive board of the Fashion Business Incubator. He is a guest lecturer on factoring at the Los Angeles campus of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. 


Michael Savoy is a shareholder at Gumbiner Savett Inc., and was the firm’s managing director from 2006 to 2015. Savoy was born and raised in New York City and graduated from Pace University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1973. He has over 43 years of work experience and his primary emphasis is business-related accounting and tax matters, working with high net-worth individuals and their businesses. He works closely with clients on succession planning and exit strategies, and has been a speaker for the CalCPA Education Foundation on these issues, with an emphasis on employee stock ownership plans.

In December 2010, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Savoy to the California Board of Accountancy. He was secretary/treasurer in 2012, vice president in 2013 and president in 2014. He was again appointed to the board by Governor Edmund G. Brown in 2014 and is currently secretary/treasurer. He has played an active role in bringing mobility and mandatory peer review to California, along with being instrumental in changing some of the mandatory continuing education requirements for CPAs.

He is currently the treasurer for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, where he has been an active member since 2009, serving on its finance committee, executive committee and board.

Savoy is a proud family man who has been married to his wife, Darcy, for almost 26 years, and they have three children, Sloane, 24, Skye, 22, and Benjamin, 17.