Solidaris Leadership
WE PROVIDE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT BENEFIT THOSE MOST IN NEED
OUR MISSION
We create investments that foster the basic tenets of being a good human: Truth, Justice, Brotherhood, Peace, Compassion, and Love.
The transactions we support are based in the belief in the goodness of man and the desire to help those who cannot help themselves.
PRESIDENT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Geoffrey Dietrich, Esq., JD LLM(Tax)
Geoff Dietrich is a proven leader in the financial industry, known for his extensive experience and expertise in navigating complex financial products. With over 20 years of diverse professional background, Geoff has established himself as a trusted advisor and strategist, guiding clients towards achieving their financial goals.
Having begun his career as an Infantry Second Lieutenant, Geoff developed a strong foundation of discipline, leadership, and adaptability during his deployments to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. These invaluable traits have carried forward into his financial career, enabling him to effectively navigate the ever-changing landscape of the industry.
After his military service, Geoff pursued his legal education at Brigham Young University, where he gained a comprehensive understanding of the legal intricacies surrounding finance and business. It was during the challenging period of the 2008 financial crisis that Geoff showcased his entrepreneurial spirit as he built a law practice from scratch. Geoff found a passion for understanding and capitalizing on tax laws and regulations which allowed him to assist high-income earners and business owners in managing their complex financial transactions. Recognizing the need for specialized services in this niche market, Geoff co-founded Cantley Dietrich LLC, a national boutique tax law firm, with Professor Beckett G. Cantley, JD LLM. With a dedicated focus on serving clients with intricate financial needs, the firm has garnered a reputation for providing bespoke solutions tailored to each client's unique circumstances.
As a thought leader in his field, Geoff has contributed significantly to the advancement of financial knowledge. His articles on business law and tax have garnered widespread recognition and have been among the top 10% of downloaded authors on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). Geoff's ability to dissect complex financial concepts and present them in a clear and accessible manner has earned him the respect and admiration of his peers. Geoff's educational achievements further enhance his proficiency in financial products. His Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM) from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, known for its top-ranking LLM (Tax) program, solidifies his expertise in navigating the intricacies of taxation in financial transactions.
As co-founder of Cirrus Investments, LLC, a national boutique private equity issuer/sponsor, Geoff furthered the advancements in tax he and his partner, Beckett, made. Over the course of seven years, millions of dollars in life-saving technologies, products, services, and biomedical research has been donated to charities that make an impact around the globe.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Geoff remains committed to making a positive impact on the community. He actively supports charitable causes and volunteers his time to assist wounded or disabled veterans. Serving on the boards of several charities, Geoff leverages his expertise and influence to drive meaningful change. Additionally, he finds enjoyment in participating in charity golf and clay shooting tournaments, using these opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals who share his passion for giving back.
PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
Scott G. Snyder, CPA
As a Principal Consultant for Solidaris, Scott brings an understanding of how critical compliance permits business to move forward. Scott provides deep expertise and strategic guidance from his knowledge base across various sectors. He serves Solidaris and his portfolio clients guiding them through complex challenges and providing tailored advice and innovative solutions. Scott’s expertise extends beyond immediate goals and capital raises, seeking to shape the direction of the organizations he serves to build a resilient and dynamic team.
Scott joins Solidaris bringing his experience in public and private accounting, compliance, and risk management for his clients. Scott graduated from Brigham Young University with an MS and BS in Accounting and has worked in risk analysis, public accounting, and in securities-related accounting functions since beginning his thirty (30) year career.
From his early career assignments, Scott has provided a combination of tax, audit and consulting work for clients at (then) Big Five accounting firms in both domestic and international assignments. Scott has served in a variety of roles in-house to a publicly traded company with their SEC filings, accounting needs, and also serving that company’s international subsidiaries’ Foreign Exchange transactions.
As a Senior Vice President (SVP) at Bank of America, Scott served as a division supervisor in the Mortgage Servicing division. His roles included supervising over 40 employees and managing annual capital expenditure budgets of $450 million for corporate real estate, collection of over $600 million in corporate advance balances, and supervising monthly billing and collection on 500,000 sub-serviced loans.
After leaving Bank of America, Scott served as Senior Vice President (SVP), Controller at Mr. Cooper, one of the country’s largest mortgage servicers. Scott was primarily responsible to provide, supervise, and lead in accounting services for key business segments. Scott’s supervision and leadership represented about $1.4 billion in annual revenues, and mortgage servicing rights valuation ($6.4 billion value), reserve analysis, CECL reserve analysis, and hedging activities.
PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
Suzanne M. Disparte, Esq.
Suzanne Disparte, Esq. is a Principal Consultant with Solidaris Capital LLC (“Solidaris”). Suzanne brings significant expertise to Solidaris in civil tax controversy and litigation, including audits, appeals, U.S. Tax Court litigation, and voluntary disclosures.
Suzanne’s legal career began with her Juris Doctor degree from Brigham Young University in 2008, where she excelled academically and was selected by two of her professors to serve as the Coordinating Editor in the publication of a Wolters Kluwer legal casebook.
Prior to joining Solidaris, Suzanne practiced tax law with prominent law firms in Southern California and Washington, D.C., representing businesses and individuals in complex tax disputes with the IRS and State taxing agencies. In her practice, Suzanne has represented individuals, partnerships, corporations, trusts, non-profit organizations, and many of the possible related combinations of the foregoing. Her clients’ tax issues have included IRS and State audits of charitable donation deductions, income tax, sales tax, employment tax, and international tax. She has successfully defended clients against potential tax and penalty liabilities ranging from several hundred thousand dollars to multi-millions of dollars. From this breadth of experience with diverse clientele and tax matters, Suzanne has developed a keen understanding of the intricacies of tax law and planning.
Suzanne also worked in the Office of General Counsel for a worldwide non-profit organization. In her role there, Suzanne drafted legal memoranda on the tax procedures of over 100 countries.
Admitted to the Utah State Bar and California State Bar, Suzanne has consistently served her clients with distinction, offering the benefit of her rich experience and unwavering advocacy in resolving complex tax issues. Her eye for critical detail coupled with her ability to see big picture strategy bring depth and strength to the innovation created by the Solidaris team.
The Road To Solidaris
01
August, 2016
Professor Beckett Cantley, JD, LLM(Tax), and Geoff Dietrich co-founded a law firm, Cantley Dietrich LLC. Leveraging Prof. Cantley’s abundant articles about IRC § 831(b) Captive Insurance Companies (CIC) and knowledge of Syndicated Conservation Easements (SCE), the team intended to bring a compliance-oriented approach to transactions of significance.
02
November, 2016
The IRS issues Notice 2016-66 making certain micro-captive transactions reportable.
03
December, 2016
The IRS issues Notice 2017-10, which makes conservation easements above a 2.5 multiple a listed transaction.
04
2017
Research in Code, Treasury Regulations, and case law builds the foundational intellectual property (IP). Legal theory is overlaid with real-world economics and matures into reality—the “Transaction IP.”
05
December, 2017
The Transaction IP is beta-tested with the donation of an innovative medical device by a small group of investors.
06
December, 2018
Transaction IP includes the intellectual property of sellers in the first donations of a specialized disaster kit.
07
2021
Cantley Dietrich obtains third-party opinions supporting their research and the Transaction IP.
08
June, 2021
Cantley Dietrich determines to operate transactions under an investment issuer/sponsor umbrella – thus, Cirrus Investments LLC is formed.
09
July, 2022
Broker opinion writers and other law firms lend additional legal and transactional support to the Transaction IP and Cirrus Investments, solidifying the validity and value of the use case.
10
December, 2022
Utilizing a registered broker-dealer with the Transaction IP, the first sales occur supporting donations of an unprecedented wound care. All disaster kits are phased out as the contract concludes with seller.
11
2023
Multiple ideas are reviewed and discarded to add a second transaction to 2023 Transaction IP. A newly-formed solution for the blind is announced.
12
January, 2024
The founding owner of Cantley Dietrich LLC and Cirrus Investments LLC, Prof. Beckett Cantley, retires.
13
March, 2024
Solidaris Capital LLC is formed to license the Transaction IP to a broader audience; Cirrus will continue to operate as an investment sponsor for registered broker-dealers.
14
May, 2024
Solidaris Capital hires Suzanne Disparte, Esq. and Scott Snyder, CPA as Principal Consultants to support the growth and compliance services.