smoke wallin
Managing Director
Smoke is a CEO, entrepreneur, M&A leader, investor, naturalist, and humanitarian with extensive leadership and board experience across industries, including consumer products, beverage, cannabis, distribution, finance, hospitality, health and wellness, and technology.
He is co-founder and director of Dignity Moves, which aims to end unsheltered street homelessness by building interim supportive housing with rapid, cost-effective, scalable solutions. He also serves on the board of SACRED (Sexually Abused Children’s Relief Endeavor), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing immediate temporary financial assistance to families in crisis due to child sexual abuse.
Smoke is also the Chair of Taliera, a company he founded in 2006 to incubate, celebrate, and advise iconic brands. He has led billions in M&A, deals, and financings. He has founded numerous companies and brands and navigated 50+ M&A transactions. He helped build National Wine & Spirits (merged into now #2 largest) into one of the US’s most innovative billion-dollar beer, wine, spirits, and beverage distributors. Smoke also served as Chair/Pres. of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA).
Smoke is an active leader in the YPO Young President Organization, and served as the Chair for YPO’s Pacific One chapter from 2022 to 2024. He served as Global Network Chair and champion of multiple international YPO events. In 2024 he was a keynote speaker for the YPO Global Leadership Conference as part of their Leaders Across Borders LAB spotlight in Miami and Istanbul. He also attended the YPO CEO Chicago Booth Seminar.
He served on the Board Member of the American Freedom Fund and served as Junior Achievement of Indiana’s Chairman and Chair of the Experiential Learning & Entrepreneurship Foundation. Smoke served for over a decade as a Vanderbilt University Business School Board Member and its President. He is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition, including the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Vanderbilt. He has a longstanding and successful public speaking and media presence, regularly contributing to CNBC’s Fast Money, Closing Bell, Nightly Business Report, Fox Business’s Varney & Co., CNN, and numerous publications, radio, and podcasts.
Smoke holds an MBA from Vanderbilt and a BS in Agricultural Economics from Cornell, where he was a wrestler and Sigma Nu.
INSIGHTS & PERSPECTIVES FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Actionable insights, strategic thinking, and expert advice to help you plan, prepare, and succeed in your exit journey.
Featured
Thought Leadership
Building for an Extraordinary Exit™ Starts on Day One
September 15, 2026
Founders rarely begin building a business with an exit in mind. The early years are consumed by proving an idea, winning customers, preserving cash and creating momentum. Decisions about governance…
In the News
The Buyer You Never Saw Coming
September 11, 2026
Press Releases
Barry brown is Appointed by STS Capital Partners as Vice President of Business Development
September 9, 2026
STS Capital Partners is pleased to announce the appointment of Barry Brown as Vice President, Business Development. In this role, Barry is responsible for expanding the firm’s relationships with busin…
Featured
In the News
How to sell your business without losing your legacy
August 31, 2026
Many owners assume a strong exit is just about price. But learning how to sell your business without losing your legacy takes more than a good valuation, it takes a deliberate process that protects th…
Featured
Podcasts & Videos
What is Your Business Really Worth to the Right Buyer?
August 25, 2026
A Podcast with STS Founder & Chairman Rob Follows on Finding the Hidden Value in Your Business
Thought Leadership
Why Great Companies Fail to Sell
July 16, 2026
The quality of a business is rarely the sole determinant of a successful transaction. More often than many founders realize, the outcome is shaped by whether the business is introduced to the buyers w…