History
Shaun and Deanna met in 2006 while working together at Refinery, an interactive agency outside Philadelphia. After Refinery was sold, they went their separate ways until their professional paths crossed again in 2009 at IBS Direct, a direct marketing company in King of Prussia. Shaun needed an expert financial controller, and he knew just who to call. Deanna and Shaun have worked side-by-side ever since.
Via Fidelis’ logo was born out of a fascination for the hexagon. Hexagons have proven to be the most efficient shape on the planet, and they can be found in nature in many more places than just the bee hive. The hexagon is structurally sound with very little waste thanks to the clever, repeating 120° angles. Via Fidelis strives to bring stability and effective results to the companies they work for in the most efficient way possible. Let Via Fidelis solve your business puzzle.
Consultants
Owner & CFO
Shaun Buss
Shaun is an entrepreneurial and operationally focused CFO with extensive experience building and selling businesses. Via Fidelis combines Shaun’s entrepreneurial spirit with decades of experience in accounting in order to help other small business. Prior to starting Via Fidelis with Deanna Romeo, he began working with IBS Direct in 2008 as a consulting CFO. As a consultant, he initially focused on improving financial reporting and profitability. After navigating the recession of 2008/9 and improving profitability 2x, he joined IBS Direct full time in 2012. He went on to refinance the company and complete 5 acquisitions that have tripled revenue and increased net income 300%. Recently, he completed the successful sale of the business for the owner to a group of industry investors.
Prior to joining IBS, Shaun consulted with a number of companies filling the role of part-time CFO. Working with a pharmaceutical consulting firm, he successfully improved the company’s profitability and led the sale of the business in 2009.
Before he began consulting, Shaun was the CFO and Sr. VP of Operations for Refinery, an interactive agency, from 1999-2007. When he joined the company, both as an executive and shareholder, there were just 20 employees. Without outside investment, he helped grow the company to 160 employees, ultimately selling the business to WPP, a global advertising agency, for all cash in 2007.
Shaun began his career at Arthur Andersen as an auditor in the Enterprise division, which worked exclusively on small to middle market companies. After earning his CPA, he moved into the consulting group and worked on various litigation, valuation and systems implementation projects.
owner & Controller
Deanna Romeo
Deanna began her career with Refinery, an interactive agency, in 2006. Here Deanna started as a Project Accountant, focusing on accounts receivable and revenue recognition for a multi-million dollar company. Other responsibilities includes maintaining a finance help desk utilized by 160+ employees, budgeting, and reporting. After being promoted to Senior Accountant, she became responsible for the month-end close, including the creation and analysis of financial reporting. In 2007, Deanna received her first experience with M&A as Refinery was sold to WPP, a global advertising agency. Throughout this process, she helped senior management with due diligence requests.
In 2010, after finishing her MBA at Methodist University, Deanna became the Senior Accountant and HR Coordinator at Public Savings Bank. While here, Deanna began to demonstrate her process improvement skills. She cut the month-end process by two-thirds and spearheaded the accounting and reporting for their nationally ranked secured credit card program. This is also where she began her work in employee relations as the main HR contact. She was the company liaison for 30+ employees, overseeing onboarding, payroll processing, and benefits. Public Savings Bank was acquired by Capital Bank in 2011, where Deanna was an integral member of the transition team.
In 2011, Deanna joined IBS Direct as Accounting Manager before being promoted to Controller in 2015. While at IBS, she oversaw everyday functions of both the accounting and human resources departments. Here she was again able to streamline processes to reduce month-end closing to just five days; and instituted programs that helped reduce workers compensation insurance costs annually. Deanna was responsible for maintaining a monthly financial package that also included key operational statics. This report was presented monthly to management and used routinely to make critical business decisions. She increased her M&A experience by helping the company acquire four companies which tripled revenue and drastically increased headcount. Together with the CFO, Deanna led the process of integrating financials and employees of these acquisitions. In 2018, IBS Direct was sold to Logan Marketing Group, where Deanna was a key member of the due diligence team.
