Brief Biographies of Principals

Elli Benno, cofounder and principal of The Benno Group, is an accountant with a dynamic management career in distribution and business development. He is a strong collaborative leader with an effective combination of strategic vision, practical business knowledge, technical expertise, and execution ability. He has over twenty-five years of diverse accomplishments in nearly every functional area of businesses of all sizes. Having served as a chief financial officer and chief operating officer of a large food distribution company, Elli brings valuable business leadership experience to The Benno Group clients. Having started a data services company, Elli actively counsels small start-up businesses on how to successfully navigate common pitfalls of business creation. He works with The Benno Group clients on strategic planning, marketing and sales support, finance and accounting, human resources, and facilities management.

Elli has a proven mastery and proficiency of the internal and financial operations of business. With business owners, he works to redesign financial reporting systems and implement new competitive performance metrics. His clients include technology firms, retail firms, food service and professional services firms. His accounting experience includes cash management, banking, investment strategies, tax planning, preparation of financial statements and budgets, annual audits, benefit plan administration, and union labor contract negotiations. Key disciplines include business process reengineering, process improvement/change management, and activity-based costing.

Elli is very active in assisting aspiring entrepreneurs with his activities with SCORE, the volunteer arm of the Small Business Administration. He particularly specializes in working with not-for-profit organizations, as well as volunteer staff and civic organizations. Elli holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the State University of New York at Albany.

Suzanne Benno, cofounder and principal of The Benno Group, brings her extensive experience in accounting systems development and analysis to business owners and managers. In her work at The Benno Group, Suzanne currently serves as a turnaround advisor to clients seeking to improve their profitability. She works with a diverse range of clients in the accounting and finance arenas.

Suzanne has proven expertise in the design and implementation of accounting and data systems. She also offers in-depth assistance in the preparation and/or revision of business plans. Suzanne’s communication style is clear and concise. She has taught at several area colleges and is currently on the faculty of State University of New York, Empire State College. Suzanne conducts numerous lectures, workshops and training sessions for professionals on business solvency, financial statement preparation and analysis, cash management and business plan development. She is a frequent presenter for the Small Business Administration and local Chambers of Commerce.
Born and raised in Albany, New York, Suzanne has a Master's degree in Education from Russell Sage College and a Master's degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Albany. She is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the National Business Educators Association.

Yaneev Benno, cofounder and principal of The Benno Group, brings a talent for complex critical thinking that drives profitability for small and medium sized businesses. He has proven expertise in process reengineering as well as management information systems analysis and design. He particularly specializes in restaurants and hospitality-oriented businesses.

Yaneev currently serves as a Food Service Director for SAGE Dining Services, Inc., where he oversees multi-unit food service operations for a highly reputable Jesuit school complex in the Washington, D.C. area. In this capacity, he has taken an operation that was running an annual capital loss, and turned it around to be a highly lucrative and profitable business experiencing tremendous success with many opportunities for strong future growth.

Before coming to SAGE Dining Services, Yaneev served as a senior business analyst for IBM and Verizon. In this capacity, he designed management information systems for companies of many different sizes. He excelled in this position through skilled communication that connected him with key decision makers for many companies on a global level.

Yaneev graduated from the State University of New York at Albany with a Master of Business Administration in 1996, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Computer Science in 1994. He completed a Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management program in 2005 and is an adjunct instructor at Stratford University. He lives with his family in the Washington, D.C. area.