Donald Alber

About Donald Alber

Driven by a lifelong passion for building and scaling businesses, I’ve spent my career at the intersection of technology, finance, and global operations—leading companies from startup through international expansion and exits.As Chief Operating Officer of SMRT Systems, Inc, I oversee a global SaaS platform serving the dry-cleaning and laundry industry. Since joining in 2020, I’ve helped transform SMRT into a category leader by driving 40% annual growth, expanding operations into Europe and Australia, integrating multiple acquisitions, and achieving consistent profit with growth. Our software combines POS, workflow, accounting, and credit-card processing with marketing and analytics tools that empower operators to scale efficiently.Before SMRT, I founded and led Alber Seafoods and later acquired Jessie’s Ilwaco Seafoods, which together became one of the largest shellfish and seafood processing companies on the U.S. West Coast. With plants in San Francisco, Crescent City, Seattle, and South Bend, we exported to Japan, China, Russia, and Ukraine while supplying national retailers such as Costco and ingredient buyers like Nestlé. The enterprise grew to nearly $50 million in annual revenue and over 100 employees before its sale in 2020.Earlier, I built and managed ventures across finance and technology. I was also the CFO of Helicon Networks (a venture-funded telecom software firm that developed middleware to monitor and operate legacy and new equipment). I founded Liberty Pacific Capital (LPC), a regional investment bank with a FINRA-regulated broker-dealer subsidiary. I was the FINOPS for that broker-dealer with Series 3, 7, 24, 28, and 63 registrations. Within LPC, I oversaw a multi-clinic medical imaging network with MRI, CT, and PET scanners. I continuously completed multiple M&A transactions while managing all these enterprises. My career began on Wall Street with PaineWebber, DLJ, and UBS, where at 23 I became one of the youngest Vice Presidents in institutional fixed-income sales, structuring complex financings for major corporate clients and Japanese institutions.A former U.S. Army Officer and a Washington native, I hold a B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington and an M.A. in Accounting & Finance from the University of North Dakota. I’m fluent in Japanese, an avid skier, and a multi-engine pilot.Throughout my career, I’ve been guided by one principle: build teams that unite operational excellence with entrepreneurial vision—creating enduring value for customers, investors, and the organization alike.

Experience

1. Chief Operating Officer

   Smrt Systems

   May 2020 — Present · Raleigh, NC, US

Education

• University of North Dakota

  Master's degree, Accounting and Finance

• University of Washington

  Bachelor's degree, Economics

Skills

• Strategy
• Financial Services
• Corporate Development
• Leadership
• Mergers
• Sales Management
• Start-Ups
• Fixed Income
• Entrepreneurship
• Negotiation
• Sales
• Financial Structuring
• Strategic Planning
• Alternative Investments
• Private Equity
• Management
• Venture Capital
• Securities
• Derivatives
• Investment Banking
• Finra