Karen Kurek is a partner with McGladrey LLP and
head of the Firm’s National Industrial Products Practice. She is
considered the “Voice of Manufacturing” for McGladrey and its manufacturing
professionals across the nation. Karen delivers financial assurance
services to her clients along with consultation in the areas of tax planning and
strategy formation (acquisitions, divestures, and international/cross border
matters). Throughout her career, she has consulted with, and/or delivered,
financial assurance services to scores of manufacturing and distribution
companies, as well as other enterprises across a broad spectrum of
industries.
Karen joined McGladrey in 2003, after 20 years with Arthur Andersen LLP where
she was a lead partner in its Enterprise Group, a practice focused on privately
held companies. At Andersen, she also held managing partner responsibility for
the firm’s Employee Benefit Assurance practice and its national Growth and
Retention of Women (GROW) initiative.
Dr. Mark L. Frigo is Director of The Center for Strategy, Execution, and
Valuation in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University and
Ledger & Quill Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor of Strategy and
Leadership. Author of six books and over 70 articles, his work is published in
leading journals including Harvard Business Review. Dr. Frigo is a frequent
contributor and an editor for Strategic Finance and lectures at universities and
conferences throughout North America and Europe. He is a leading expert on
strategy and execution in high-performance companies and strategic risk
management. Dr. Frigo is co-creator of the Return Driven Strategy™ framework
(with Joel Litman) which is used by corporate management teams, entrepreneurs,
boards of directors, investment banks and money managers to make the connection
between a company’s business strategy and its market valuation. Mark is
co-author of Driven: Business Strategy, Human Actions and the Creation of
Wealth. Driven is written for organizations and individuals who want to create
more wealth by improving how they plan their businesses and take action. This
book is about Return Driven Strategy™, a framework for planning and evaluating
businesses that can help people to get results, greater profitability, growth
and valuation. In planning, building, and running businesses, Return Driven
Strategy has helped business leaders to choose what actions to take and when to
take them. The ideas, tenets and strategies in the Return Driven Strategy
framework have been tested and refined by executives, board members, employees,
money managers, hedge funds, and academicians in North America, Europe and Asia.
For more information about the book Driven see
www.returndriven.com
Susan has over thirty years of banking
experience in Trade Services and Supply Chain Finance Sales, Operations, Change
Management, Technology, and Product Management. Prior to joining BMO Harris Bank
in the Supply Chain Finance Sales area, Susan held various positions at ABN
Amro/LaSalle Bank and travelled extensively implementing ABN/Amro’s global
platform.
Susan graduated from DePaul University,
Chicago, with a B.A. in Finance and a minor in Marketing. Additionally, Susan is a member of
the Association of Financial Professionals (AFP) and serves on the North
American Advisory Board for Bankers Association for Finance and Trade
(BAFT). BAFT is the leading
association for organizations actively engaged in international transaction
banking and serves to shape market practices, influence regulation and
legislation through global advocacy, and contributes to the safety and soundness
of the global financial system.
David F. Ross, PhD, CFPIM, CSCP
Senior Manager,
Professional Development
APICS
8430 W. Bryn Mawr
Chicago, IL
60631
773-867-1726
[email protected]
A recognized ERP/SCM professional, David Frederick Ross has spent over 35
years in manufacturing and distribution, including 22 years in ERP software
education and consulting. Dr. Ross has taught supply chain management at
Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and Elmhurst College. Currently he
is Senior Manager - Professional Development at APICS.
Dr Ross holds a PhD degree from the University of Chicago and is recognized
as a CFPIM and CSCP by APICS.
Besides articles, he has published six books in SCM. Distribution Planning
and Control (1996, 2nd ed. 2004), is used by many universities and is a
foundation book for APICS’s (CPIM) program. Competing Through Supply Chain
Management (1998) is an early text on SCM. Introduction to e-Supply Chain
Management (2003) merged the concepts of e-business and SCM. The Intimate Supply
Chain (2008), explores SCM and CEM. Introduction to Supply Chain Management
Technologies was released late 2010. This book has been adopted for APICS’s
(CSCP) program. He is currently working on the 3rd edition of Distribution
Planning and Control due in 2015. He also recently contributed a chapter on
"Supply Chain Management" for the new Manufacturing Engineering Handbook (pub.
2014).
Dr Ross has recently completed the Principles of Operations Management series
of industry education texts and courseware for APICS. Consisting of 5 books, the
series provides over 200 hours of introductory education in inventory, planning,
manufacturing, logistics, and operations topics. The series is available through
the APICS website (apics.org).
Gregory W. Baise
Gregory W. Baise is the president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers'
Association (IMA), a statewide advocacy organization representing more than
4,000 member manufacturing companies and supportive industries. Baise assumed
leadership on March 1, 1991, and is responsible for management of the
Association including coordinating statewide lobbying activities as determined
by the IMA Board of Directors.
Established in 1893, the IMA is the oldest and largest manufacturing
association in the nation. Its mission is to preserve and strengthen the
Illinois manufacturing base. The Association works with member companies to help
hold down their costs, comply with state and federal laws, and fight
economic-stifling regulations. Under Baise's watch as president, the IMA has
confirmed its position as the voice of business in Illinois both through its
public advocacy for the economic benefits of manufacturing and its lobbying
efforts. Since 1991, Baise and the IMA have achieved numerous milestones
designed to benefit the economic well being of Illinois families, including:
• Repeal of the outdated Illinois Structural Work Act
• Major
reforms of tort law and educational policies
• Becoming leaders in the
renewed focus by the business community on education
• More
business-friendly environmental legislation
• Institution of the
Manufacturers' Purchase Credit
Through a partnership with Illinois universities and community colleges,
the IMA delivers employee training to member companies. Under Baise, the
Association launched The Illinois Manufacturer, a quarterly magazine, and
published a book on the history of
Illinois manufacturing in honor of the IMA
centennial.
In 2004, the IMA , as the result of its Board’s concern over the continued
loss of manufacturing jobs in the state, became the lead co-founder of the
Illinois Coalition for Jobs, Growth & Prosperity, an organization made up of
the state’s largest employer groups. The Jobs Coalition’s goal is to educate
Illinois taxpayers about the benefits of a pro-jobs, pro-employer
statewide-economic agenda. Through numerous activities, it supports progressive
initiatives aimed at making Illinois a destination economy for business and
industry.
Gary Cokins is an internationally recognized expert,
speaker, and author in performance improvement systems and advanced cost
management.
Gary received a BS degree with honors (Tau Beta Pi; Alpha Pi
Mu) in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research from Cornell University in
1971. He was two year varsity football letterman. He received his MBA with
honors (Beta Gamma Sigma) from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of
Management in 1974.
Gary began his career as a strategic planner with FMC
Corporation and subsequently served as Financial Controller and Operations
Manager with FMC’s Link-Belt division. In 1981 Gary began his management
consulting career first with Deloitte Consulting. Next with KPMG, Gary was
trained on activity-based costing (ABC) by Harvard Business School Professors
Robert S. Kaplan and Robin Cooper. With KPMG working with Dr. David Norton, Gary
was also involved with initial research that led to the development of the
Balanced Scorecard. Prior to joining SAS, Gary headed the National Cost
Management Consulting Services for Electronic Data Systems (EDS). In 1996 Gary
joined ABC Technologies that was acquired in 2002 by SAS, a leading provider of
enterprise performance management and business analytics software headquartered
in Cary, North Carolina. At SAS he was a principal consultant and retired in
2012.
Gary was the lead author of the acclaimed An ABC Manager’s Primer
(ISBN 0-86641-220-4) sponsored by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).
Gary’s second book, Activity Based Cost Management: Making it Work (ISBN
0-7863-0740-4), was judged by the Harvard Business School Press as “read this
book first.” A reviewer for Gary’s third book, Activity Based Cost Management:
An Executive’s Guide (ISBN 0-471-44328-X) said, Gary has the gift to take the
concept that many view as complex and reduce it to its simplest terms.” This
book was ranked number one in sales volume of 151 similar books on
BarnesandNoble.com. Gary has also writtenActivity Based Cost Management in
Government (ISBN 1-056726-110-8). His three most recent books arePerformance
Management: Finding the Missing Pieces to Close the Intelligence Gap (ISBN
0-471-57690-5);Performance Management: Integrating Strategy Execution,
Methodologies, Risk, and Analytics (ISBN 978-0-470-44998-1); and Strategic
Business Management: From Planning to Performance (ISBN
978-1-93735-081-9).
Mr. Cokins has participated and served on committees
including: CAM-I, the Supply Chain Council, the International Federation of
Accountants (IFAC), the Institute of Management Accountants, the AICPA, and the
American Association of Accountants (AAA).
Mr. Cokins serves on board of
advisors or faculties and regularly posts articles for KPI Library.com, SmartDataCollective.com Business
Finance magazine’s BigFatFinanceBlog.com
, Information-management.com,
and Informs.org . He served with
Professor Robert S. Kaplan on the International Monetary Fund’s activity-based
costing advisory panel.
Unrelated to his work career, Gary is very proud
to have his project from his junior year at Cornell, programming a baseball game
simulation with his fraternity brother Pete Watzka, be accepted by the National
Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as the oldest computer baseball game.
His two grandsons are very impressed.
Louis Stratton serves as the Director of
Consulting for Porte Brown LLC. In his role, Louis provides leadership in the
areas of Technology, Strategic Management, and Managerial Accounting consulting
for clients throughout the United States. Louis has more than twenty years’
experience working with owners and manufacturing leaders with the primary goal
of increasing their operational efficiencies, improving their systems and
processes, and maximizing their profits.
Pat Dowdle, CPA, MBA, CBPP
Pat Dowdle is a Process Strategist
with the Process Strategy Group. He has over 35 years experience in Process
Management and Improvement, Activity Based Management, Balanced Scorecard,
Financial Systems, Training, Facilitation and Consulting.
Pat co-founded Process Strategy Group to manage and leverage the Process
Based Management (PBM) Assessment and Roadmap, which had been developed in prior
research and client work. PSG focuses on helping organizations become process
based through:
• Process Assessments
• Implementation Roadmap
development
• Process Improvement
Pat has facilitated over 150 workshops and process improvement sessions
across most process areas and many industries. His expertise in facilitating
these sessions has enabled his clients to achieve their objectives and improve
the organization.
Pat is the co-author of numerous books, articles, publications, and
presentations (full list available at www.processstrategygroup.com/Resources.php)
regarding the use of Process Based Management as a management approach.
Kenneth Serwinski co-founded Prairie Capital Advisors with
Robert Gross in 1996 after the pair of industry veterans recognized a
universally underserved need for objective financial advisory consultation for
closely held businesses. Since then, Mr. Serwinski has dedicated the whole of
his vast experience to providing closely held companies with the guidance and
expertise needed for some of their most critical business decisions. Today, he
continues to grow Prairie Capital Advisors’ reputation as the most
widely-respected firm of its kind, designing and implementing customized
ownership transition strategies, including private sales, management buyouts
(MBOs), Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and more, for businesses
nationwide.
Many companies seek out and trust Mr. Serwinski and
Prairie Capital Advisors for strategic guidance for their once-in-a-lifetime
business decisions. Whether they require expertise in ownership transition,
valuation, capital management or beyond, Mr. Serwinski begins each client
relationship not with a pre-fabricated solution, but with the question of, “What
are you trying to achieve?” He and his team then develop the most appropriate
solutions to deliver the best outcomes for their clients.
As a lifelong educator and respected industry expert, Mr. Serwinski is widely
published in a variety of formats and is a frequent speaker around the nation on
subjects including valuation, ESOPs and ownership transition planning. Whether
across the table from clients or publicly at workshops and seminars, he strives
to ensure business owners have the complete, accurate information they need for
confident decision making. Mr. Serwinski sits on the board of directors of three
businesses - a design manufacturing firm, a healthcare solutions provider and a
billion dollar bank. He also is a former Chair of the Advisory Committee on
Finance for the ESOP Association in Washington, D.C.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Prior to forming Prairie
Capital Advisors, Mr. Serwinski was a Senior Vice President at Merrill Lynch
Business Advisory Services, where he initiated its succession planning strategy,
was responsible for the management of Merrill Lynch’s middle market business
development staff and headed the ESOP Advisory Group. In this executive role, he
coordinated all mergers and acquisitions (M&A), ESOP and valuation
assignments on a nationwide basis. This included managing the professional
staff, giving presentations to prospective clients, preparing key proposals and
closing large-scale engagements. Additionally, Mr. Serwinski was involved in the
valuation of both public and private companies in a wide variety of industries.
Before joining Merrill Lynch, he held various corporate and commercial finance
positions for LaSalle National Bank, Chemical Bank and Societe Generale, a
French bank.
EDUCATION
Mr. Serwinski received his Master of
Business Administration Degree in International Business from DePaul University
in Chicago. He also received his Bachelor of Science degree in commerce, with a
concentration in Finance, from DePaul University. Mr. Serwinski has hosted and
attended numerous technical seminars emphasizing topics such as employee stock
ownership plans, valuations, mergers and acquisitions, accounting for
acquisitions and leveraged buyout transactions.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO)
- The ESOP Association
- "Compensation Issues in Not-For-Profit Organizations," AICPA
- National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD)
- The Entrepreneurship Institute (TEI)
Jerry Irvine
CIO &
Partner
Prescient Solutions
Irvine provides strategic direction for all clients, overseeing product
innovation and implementation of the highest quality of service. His expertise
is an indispensable resource for our clients developing IT plans.
Irvine has been deeply involved with the IT industry since 1987. As a result
of his early experience, he became an expert in network communications and
protocols when others in the industry were just learning how to use their first
computer. Armed with this expertise, Irvine entered the consulting world working
for companies like Network General and Advantis, performing detailed network
analysis, design and troubleshooting. Since then, Irvine has filled MIS and CIO
positions at multiple facilities and has managed more than 100 technicians and
thousands of devices. He has led multiple project teams, such as the largest
Microsoft Directory migration project ever. In 2008, Irvine was selected to join
the National Cyber Security Task Force, a joint operation between the Department
of Homeland Security and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This task force is
responsible for advising federal decision-makers on cyber security policy and
sharing best practices related to this urgent and ongoing need. His expertise on
cyber security has been featured in a number of national and industry
publications, including The New York Times, WGN Radio and Wired
magazine.
Ash Noah
is Vice President, External Relations for Management Accounting at the American
Institute of CPAs (AICPA). In this role, he serves as a liaison to CFOs and CEOs
to understand how finance teams are evolving and guides AICPA initiatives to
help management accountants create more value for their organizations. Noah is
responsible for building and strengthening relationships with global employers
and elevating awareness of the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)
designation. He works closely with the Chartered Institute of Management
Accountants (CIMA) in the U.K. in that effort.
Noah joined the AICPA in 2012. Prior to the AICPA, he served as CFO of the
international unit of TNT Express, the global transport and logistics provider
and led finance teams in 45 countries through significant transformation. He has
been involved with mergers and acquisitions in Brazil, Chile, India and
Spain.
Noah is a licensed U.S. CPA and a Fellow of CIMA. He is based in Durham,
North Carolina.
Derek is a Manager on Porte Brown’s accounting and
consulting services team in the McHenry office. He has more than nine years of
experience providing tax consulting and accounting services for individuals and
closely held businesses and is also one of the leaders of Porte Brown’s
Manufacturing Practice Group.
Jason Shirk. Jason is the Vice
President/ Senior Consultant for MidAmerican Group. Jason has 18 years of
experience in the employee benefits industry that includes underwriting
self-funded/fully insured contracts and a sales background with Great-West Life,
Prudential Healthcare, and WellPoint. He has the responsibility of helping
clients with all aspects of health and welfare benefits, including strategy,
health promotion and management, consumerism, pricing analysis, employee
communication development, design and plan management. He serves on Helping Hand
Center’s Board of Directors, Executives’ Club of Chicago Finance Committee,
Alain Locke Charter School Executive Committee and is a member of the Big
Shoulders Fund.