Meet Our Executive Leadership Team

Craig Riebe, CEO

Craig works with small and large American businesses to develop custom tax incentive programs that governments worldwide have allocated. Craig previously worked in tax controversy and defended hundreds of clients’ complex audits, mediations, and appeals throughout the entire administrative process and even in federal court. Craig has developed an in-depth understanding of the IRS examination process and built a skilled executive team to lead ABGi’s tax incentive services. Together the team crafted a unique methodology built on industry best practices that conservatively qualifies and quantifies tax incentives.

Before joining the tax incentives world, Craig was a trial and complex litigation attorney working for national Am Law 100 firms defending clients throughout the United States in highly publicized lawsuits. Before law school, Craig worked for some of the world’s largest accounting and consulting firms, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Grant Thornton, and FTI Consulting. Craig earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, double majoring in Finance and Accounting, and J.D. from The University of Arizona.

Davis Jackson, Vice President

Davis has over 15 years of litigation and advocacy experience defending millions of dollars before the IRS, with a remarkable track record of taxpayer outcomes. As Vice President of ABGi, Davis oversees the defense of ABGi’s clients, shielding them from any regulatory scrutiny and ensuring the best outcomes. Davis joined the ABGi team in the summer of 2022 to advise on best practices and ensure all projects meet the IRS’s stringent standards. Compliance is critical in the tax industry. Through his operational oversight, Davis makes continuous improvements to ABGi’s processes, ensuring our commitment to ethics and process always yields the greatest return on investment for our clients.

Robert Stabell, Executive Vice President

Bob began his career with Coopers and Lybrand and continued with Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) for over 20 years in the Special Projects division, focusing on the R&D Tax Credit and Specialized International Incentives. Bob joined ABGi USA as Executive Vice President in 2017 and is the International Opportunities Coordinator for ABGi Group in North America. Bob excels in educating tax professionals on tax incentive strategies that will spur growth and innovation for American businesses and is the course administrator for ABGI USA’s NASBA-certified continuing education programs.

Earning his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M with a double major in Finance and Accounting, Bob has been a CPA and CMA for over 30 years. In 2001 he earned his MBA with honors from the University of Texas Option 2 program.

Matt Hunt, National Director of CPA Alliances

Matt has over 20 years in the accounting industry as a CPA and CFE. Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from Indiana University and his MBA in Financial Management and Control from DePaul University. Matt worked in public accounting with Grant Thornton, and after leaving, he partnered with a team to build the Sarbanes-Oxley-mandated Corporate Audit function at USG Corporation. Matt has worked in multiple Internal Audit roles with mid-to-large-sized companies such as CVS Health and Illinois Tool Works, a Fortune 200 global manufacturer leading the Fraud and Compliance function within Internal Audit. Matt then joined The Heico Companies, a family-owned manufacturing and construction conglomerate, leading their Internal Audit function and reporting to the Board of Directors. Matt is now ABGi’s National Director of CPA Alliances and Relationships and leads a team responsible for our national CPA firm partnerships.

Blake Windhorst JD, RTC Director

Blake has conducted over 400 hundred individual research tax credit studies identifying over $350 million in research tax credits for American businesses. He has assisted companies in identifying credit opportunities in multiple industries with a strong focus on manufacturing, engineering, architecture, and oil and gas. Blake spent a portion of his career as a “Big 4” Tax Manager assisting taxpayers in evaluating various credit and deduction opportunities to reduce tax liability and generate cash flow. As a licensed attorney with over 11 years of experience, Blake’s clients and team rely upon his extensive tax knowledge to analyze and substantiate the R&D tax credit within its technical, legislative, and regulatory framework. Blake earned his law degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas, and is licensed to practice in the State of Texas. Blake is an Honors Graduate with a BBA in Finance from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Blake was an Ernst and Young Consultant before joining the Executive Management Team at ABGI USA.

JT Daniels, 179D Group Practice Leader

JT has spent the last decade as an Electrical Engineer in the energy efficiency sector for commercial buildings. Originally driving cost savings measures nationally for The Home Depot, JT brought his technical acumen to the 179D space, delivering more than $250M in 179D deductions for clients across the nation. JT is the 179D Practice Leader of ABGi USA and has developed a reputation for creating a highly ethical, legal, and technically valid work product that exceeds client expectations.

Kristi Hughes, Marketing Director

Kristi started with ABGi USA in the fall of 2022 with over 15 years of national and global B2B marketing experience. Kristi is a results-driven marketer who creates strategic initiatives and tools that impact customer success. Her marketing philosophy is rooted in providing customers with the information they need to make the best decision possible. After attending the University of Houston, Kristi worked predominately in the healthcare and manufacturing industries, where she developed a strong “customer-first” approach to marketing. Kristi upholds ABGi’s core values of ethics and integrity in all marketing strategies and plans.

Laurent Chemla, Financial Manager

After graduating from the University in Paris, Laurent began his career as a Financial Auditor with Arthur Andersen, then transitioned into international finance with Schlumberger and Kraft Foods. After completing his MBA from the Booth School of Business in Chicago, Illinois, he continued his international finance career at Continental, Compass Group, and A2Mac1 until joining the ABGI team.

Laurent manages all of ABGi North America’s finances, which include ABGi USA, ABGi Canada, and ABGi Brazil, all concurrently while leading ABGi USA’s Administration Division. Laurent serves as the Financial Liaison with Visiativ, ABGi’s parent company. His international experience, and over 25 years of P&L management, provide invaluable expertise to the ABGi team.

Randy Durham, National director

Randy has over 20 years of experience in logistics and supply chain management, working with large companies in various industries such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, automotive, oil and gas, and many others. His ability to understand the nuances and complexities of different sectors is invaluable to our clients and ABGi USA because he can identify business activities that may qualify for tax incentive programs. Randy’s keen attention to detail allows him to establish processes that streamline client workflow and increase productivity for his team. Randy works with mid-to-large American businesses to equip them with the resources they need to claim federal and state tax benefits.