BTI founder and Chairman, Ben F. Tunnell III, has headed the firm since 1974. He previously spent eight years with First Interstate Bank of California as Vice President at the corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. Mr. Tunnell received a BA degree in Economics from Claremont Mens College and completed post-graduate courses at UCLA and the American Institute of Banking where he also lectured. He served on the Board of Arbitrators for both the American Arbitration Association and the Better Business Bureau. He has also been a Registered Investment Advisor and Broker / Dealer with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a licensed California Real Estate Broker. Mr. Tunnell is an ASA, the senior designation of the American Society of Appraisers in Business Valuation, and a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser in multiple states. He has qualified and testified in Federal, State and Tax Courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings as an expert witness in appraisals of businesses, real estate, machinery and equipment, and financial analysis.

Megan Tunnell O’Rourke, President, began working at BTI in 2003. She earned a BA in English from the University of Southern California, and graduated magna cum laude from Loyola Law School. Megan previously worked at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP where she practiced in both the real estate and corporate law departments. Among her duties at BTI, Megan serves as a senior analyst in real estate, economic analysis, personal property, machinery and equipment, business and intangible asset matters. She has served as an expert witness in appraisals of personal property, intellectual property and financial analysis. She is a member of the International Right of Way Association and the American Society of Appraisers.