About Marrin
We bring together a cohesive team of seasoned business advisors, forward-thinking visionaries, and adept operators, bound together by an unwavering dedication to nurturing advancement and achieving the highest standards of quality. Our central mission is "Leave Businesses Better than You've Found Them". Our motivation is rooted in the creation of tangible value. Leveraging our comprehensive proficiency in guiding our portfolio to capitalize on the capabilities of people, processes, and technology, we empower enterprises to amplify their appeal to customers by refining performance and elevating the customer experience.
Leah Berend, CPA
Managing Partner & Founder
With a background in accounting, business administration, and investment, Leah Berend leads the team of Marrin Investment. She previously held the positions of Chief Financial Officer of Oxbow Industries, a Private Equity firm, and Controller and Chief Administrative Officer in the alternative investment industry at FactRight.
Leah’s qualifications include certification as a public accountant, as well as a Master of Science in Accountancy, and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership. She was recognized as a Top Women in Finance Honoree by Finance & Commerce in 2022 and is a member of various professional organizations, such as the Association for Corporate Growth, Team Women, Financial Executives International, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Minnesota Society of CPAs.
She sits on the board of the Association for Corporate Growth MN Chapter.
The name Marrin rhymes with Sharon,
but the meaning is all about Grandma Ruthie...
Our founder draws inspiration for naming the firm from her remarkable grandmother. Born Ruth Marrin, a formidable force despite her petite stature. Standing at just 4'11", Ruth exuded strength as she lovingly managed her household of seven children and extended warm hospitality to all. In a time when higher education was uncommon for women, she defied expectations by studying four languages and a range of liberal arts courses at her university. Ruth's insatiable thirst for knowledge and elegant grace persisted throughout her life and became a legacy cherished by subsequent generations.
“History is instructive. What it suggests to people is that even if they do little things, if they walk on the picket line, if they join a vigil, if they write a letter to their local newspaper… Anything they do, however small, becomes part of a much larger sort of flow of energy. And when enough people do enough things, however small they are, then change takes place.”
Howard Zinn, American historian (1922-2010)
