On December 15, 2023, Donald O. Retreage, Jr. retired as US Lighting Group?s chief financial officer. Mr. Retreage joined USLG in September 2022. Upon Mr. Retreage?s retirement, board promoted Michael A. Coates to the position of chief financial officer.

Mr. Coates, age 47, joined us in January of this year as controller and has served as principal accounting officer, responsible for directing and coordinating accounting functions, managing the consolidation of financial data for accurate reporting and analysis, and preparing internal and external financial statements. Prior to joining USLG, Mr. Coates was a senior tax analyst at PNC Private Bank Hawthorn, a business dedicated to serving the needs of individuals and families with investable assets in excess of $20 million. Before Mr. Coates transitioned to the senior tax analyst role in 2016, he was a wealth strategist at PNC for more than nine years.

Prior to joining PNC, he was a staff accountant at a regional public accounting firm. He is a certified public accountant, a certified financial planner, and a member of the Ohio Society of CPAs and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Coates holds a Master of Business Administration in Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Cleveland State University and served five years in the US Navy.