Top Shelf Partners, LLC
Focused on Emerging Growth Companies
Top Shelf Partners is the premier destination for accredited investors, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, corporate executives, and industry leaders in the commodities sector, focusing on North American equity markets. Since 1994, we’ve been at the forefront of uniting industry leaders with financial opportunities in the rapidly evolving industry.
We host exclusive, invitation-only events like the Commodities Global Expo 2024, offering delegates the opportunity to engage in one-on-one meetings with senior management, attend presentations by world-class speakers, and network in a sophisticated yet welcoming environment. Our team carefully screens both attending companies and investors, ensuring a high-quality, productive experience.
Guided by our Advisory Committee, which includes some of the most successful investors in the precious metals sector, Commodities Global Expo 2024 is the ideal place to discover emerging growth companies with future potential.
John began his career in 1992 as an equity analyst on the Merrill Lynch global allocation fund (MALOX). From 1993-2019, John was a senior executive for Mutual Fund and ETF providers, spending most of his career at Merrill Lynch Funds (now Blackrock) and JP Morgan Chase Funds. He was ranked #1 in both gross and net sales once at Merrill Lynch and three times at JP Morgan Chase (out of 40 senior executives.) He has contributed articles to Kitco since 2017 and was asked to be a regular contributor to Kitco in June of 2021. Kitco is the world's leading source of information about metals and mining over the past 40+ years, and has over 620,000 followers. John has made multiple appearances on Kitco as a featured guest, has been the keynote speaker at over 250 client seminars and webinars and has been a speaker at 12 global commodities events.
He was a member of the precious metals PM team at Sprott in 2017 and has developed a compelling track record (see performance tab) based on a proprietary methodology, which combines technical analysis with public information gathered from direct interaction with senior management of commodities companies. He believes that building a diversified portfolio of 25 to 50 exceptional resource stocks is critical to success. The commodities sector is the most volatile of all sectors, so John's "go anywhere" approach allows him greater flexibility than the average PM, who is many times constrained by prospectus language such as holding 5% or less in any one stock, focusing on tax-efficiency at the potential expense of total return, being 80% invested at all times, etc.
In September 2019, John started Feneck Consulting Group, LLC, based on demand from commodity companies, especially those in the metals and mining sector. The enterprise also works with HNW Financial Advisors and clients, educating them about the opportunities and risks in the financial markets and, specifically, in the commodities markets. To learn more about John's background, please visit his LinkedIn profile. He has passed the series 7, series 63, CMFC and CIMA level one, but is not a licensed advisor, RIA or CPA at present, as he is focusing more of his efforts on consulting.
John lives in Scottsdale, AZ and is a single Dad to an amazing 11 year old daughter that is his best friend. On the weekends, he is a professional musician and enjoys performing and writing music, along with playing sports and traveling.
Ashleigh Barry is a multi-award-winning journalist and communications executive with a distinguished career in investigative television news reporting and has won multiple Emmy Awards and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award. Ashleigh spent 20 years as an anchor, investigative, and cold case reporter for television networks including ABC, CBS, Fox News Channel, NBC, and MSNBC. As CEO of Barry Media & Communications Consulting, a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council-certified Women-Owned Small Business, Ashleigh brings her extensive communications expertise in consulting on media techniques, communication strategies, and shareholder engagement.
Certified by the International Coaching Federation, Ashleigh specializes in executive presence coaching. She advises high-level executives on media techniques and strategic communication, leveraging her experience to enhance their public profiles and corporate messaging. As the primary host for Global One Media, Ashleigh conducts exclusive interviews with CEOs of publicly traded companies, providing in-depth analysis of high-potential stocks on major exchanges including the NYSE, NASDAQ, and the TSX Venture Exchange.
Ashleigh's career also includes significant roles such as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications for Western Magnesium Corporation and senior executive positions in the federal government at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Her work with the VA involved advising four Presidential VA Cabinet secretaries on communication strategies and building multi-million dollar programs to improve Veterans' lives.
Learn more about Ashleigh Barry here.
Paul Harris
Paul has over twenty-five years’ of experience in the mining sector in investor relations, communications, research and news reporting roles. Paul has 16 years of experience in the Colombia gold sector, including investor relations roles with junior explorers, developers, and producers. Paul founded the successful Colombia Gold Symposium in 2016 and has written for the industry-leading publication Mining Journal since 2015. Previously, Paul spent five years in Chile reporting and analysing the copper sector for CRU and Metal Bulletin. Paul received a BA in Business Administration from the University of the West of England, UK; and a MA in International Relations from the University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. He is fluent in English and Spanish.
Kimberly Smith
Kimberly is the co-founder of Haste Coffee Company. Before that, she spent 6 years as a sales executive at Silpada Design, and has a background in event planning.
Kimberly is a leader on her son’s lacrosse field, avid school volunteer and creative problem solver for her friends and family. Creating a welcoming environment for everyone she works with and cares about is her passion!
Einar Arnarson has a diverse background in software engineering, leadership, consulting, and sales, working with high-value brand companies. He is a self-taught investor with over 10 years of experience successfully investing his own money. As the founder of Value Discovery Media, he oversees a website focused on long-term investment trends and value investing strategies.