Prior to returning to the family-owned Universal Foundry & Machine Works, Mr. Thakkar was with Edgeview Partners, a Charlotte based investment banking firm.  At Edgeview Partners, Mr. Thakkar focused on sellside and advisory assignments for independent middle market companies.  Mr. Thakkar also was an associate with Paradigm Capital Partners, a Memphis based venture capital fund and KPMG, a national accounting firm.  Mr. Thakkar earned a Bachelors of Science degree in accounting from the University of Mississippi.