Alan Eugene Stark

Alan Stark is a longtime CPA and tax partner at Hayashi & Wayland, a Salinas, California accounting and consulting firm founded in 1976 that serves the Central Coast with expertise in agriculture, wineries and vineyards, not-for-profits and governmental agencies. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Stanislaus (1979) and an MBA (with a tax emphasis) from Golden Gate University (1984). He holds the CPA and CITP (Certified Information Technology Professional, earned 2008) designations.

Across a career spanning more than three decades, Stark served as a tax partner and co-director of the firm's tax and computer/technology departments, handling tax planning and compliance for clients ranging from individuals to multi-million-dollar companies. His blend of tax and technology expertise made him a visible voice locally — he appeared as a tax commentator on KSBW TV's morning show — and he has contributed as an author to trade publication *Accounting Today*.

Beyond the core CPA practice, Stark is associated with the firm's wealth-management affiliate, Hayashi & Wayland Investment Services, LLC (SEC/CRD #167098), a small registered investment adviser based at 1188 Padre Drive in Salinas that manages roughly $90+ million across a couple hundred accounts, offering portfolio management and financial planning for individuals and small businesses. The stub title of "Partner, Chief Compliance Officer & Chief Executive Officer" corresponds to a leadership/officer role at this investment-services arm.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the California Society of CPAs, and has served as a founding board member of the nonprofit Christian Music Today. In late 2024, Hayashi & Wayland's team joined national firm CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen); the legacy hw-cpa.com site now redirects to claconnect.com.

• Primary professional focus is CPA tax, accounting/consulting, and wealth-advisory services, not venture investing; his verifiable "investing" activity is through Hayashi & Wayland Investment Services, a registered investment adviser providing portfolio management and financial planning to individuals and small businesses.
• Investor-aggregator databases (e.g., Foundersuite) list Hayashi & Wayland / Alan Stark under "Angel Investors" at the seed stage — this is an aggregator classification and could not be corroborated by any primary source, disclosed startup deal, or Stark's own stated thesis.
• No public, self-authored investment thesis, target check size, sector-specific startup focus, or geographic startup mandate could be verified from primary sources.
• Domain expertise most relevant to founders/operators: tax strategy, financial/technology systems, agriculture and food/ag-business, wineries & vineyards, and nonprofit/governmental accounting — reflecting the firm's Central Coast client base.