2014 Illinois ESOP Conference Speaker Bios

Transcription

1 2014 Illinois ESOP Conference Speaker Bios Peter Abrahamson Verit Advisors, LLC Peter Abrahamson has more than 15 years of valuation and investment banking experience, specializing in the valuation of business enterprises and individual securities, structuring ESOP transactions, and executing public and private market capital raises. At Verit, Mr. Abrahamson leads the technical aspects of ESOP financial modeling, valuation, tax, accounting and human capital topics for our clients. He has analyzed and structured multiple large, complex multi-investor transactions across numerous industries including business services, construction, direct consumer selling, distribution, engineering services, gaming and manufacturing. Prior to Verit, Mr. Abrahamson served as Manager in Deloitte s valuation consulting practice where he was Deloitte s national ESOP valuation expert and most often served ESOP clients as part of cross functional teams including audit, tax and human capital professionals. Prior to his tenure at Deloitte, Mr. Abrahamson was a Vice President in the investment banking group EVEREN Securities (now part of Wells Fargo Securities). During his time at EVEREN, he helped raise more than $1.9 billion in growth capital in his more than 30 common equity and preferred equity transactions. Additionally, he has experience in securities valuation for fixed income, convertible securities and options. He serves on the ESOP Association s valuation advisory committee and has spoken at numerous conferences regarding advanced ESOP valuation and transaction structuring topics. Mr. Abrahamson received his undergraduate degree as a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and his Masters of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business. Kristin Ackerman Verit Advisors LLC Kristin@verit.com Kristin Ackerman is a founding member and Senior Associate of Verit Advisors LLC. Ms. Ackerman focuses her time on production, specifically financial modeling, pitch materials, offering memoranda, management presentations, and business development. She works on the execution team helping advise middle market companies on various corporate finance solutions including mergers, acquisitions, recapitalization, and ESOPs. Ms. Ackerman graduated with a B.A. in Economics and Business from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009 and plans to pursue an MBA in Finance. She has completed the Financial Decision Making Certificate Program at the University of Chicago Graham School. In addition to pursuing higher education, Ms. Ackerman is actively involved in her community as a volunteer tutor with the Metro Achievement Center for Girls. Ms. Ackerman has also played an instrumental role in the founding and development of the ESOP Emerging Leaders group for young professionals in the industry. Victor Aspengren Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc. vaspengren@prairiecap.com Victor Aspengren is a Vice President at Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc. A company focused on business succession and the strategies needed to help create a successful transition. He lived the ESOP experience as an employee owner, HR Manger and CEO in ESOP companies. Victor is a member of the National ESOP Association and has served as a former board of director s member, former chair of the Ownership Culture Committee and is a current member of the committee. Victor is also a member of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) and is the current chair of the board of directors. Victor is a regular presenter at national and regional conferences on employee ownership, open book management, governance issues, and building a high performance culture.

2 Beth Auterman, CPA, Partner CliftonLarsonAllen LLP Beth is an assurance partner in the Champaign, Illinois office and has more than 25 years of experience in the accounting profession. She works with approximately 90 employee benefit plans a year and is highly knowledgeable about health care reform and its effects on small and mid-sized businesses. Beth is a frequent speaker on various employee benefit plan topics at seminars and conferences throughout the Midwest. As a partner, Beth specializes in providing assurance and general business consulting and has been instrumental in achieving results for her clients. In addition, Beth has served as a reviewer and team leader on the CliftonLarsonAllen LLP internal inspection team. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois in Accountancy. Beth has served on the Board of Directors of the United Way, the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and her local Rotary Club. Ted Becker Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP ted.becker@dbr.com Ted Becker is a partner in the Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP law firm. He has a national practice with more than 25 years of experience in litigation and dispute resolution. He has represented companies that sponsor ESOPs and other benefit plans, their directors and officers, plan fiduciaries, administrators, investment advisors, and service providers in high-profile lawsuits and investigations by regulatory agencies. He represents clients along the entire dispute continuum, from litigation avoidance and pre-litigation planning through pre-trial motions, discovery, trial, and appeal. He practices before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal and state trial and appeals courts, and bankruptcy courts, as well as before administrative and regulatory agencies, and in arbitration, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. He has successfully represented clients ranging from individuals and small companies to the largest financial institutions and multinationals. He earned his law degree with highest honors at Northwestern University, and was a fellow at Yale Law School, where he taught. Lee S. Bloom Aldine Advisors LLC lee.bloom@aldineadvisors.com Mr. Bloom is the founder of Aldine Advisors LLC, a professional services firm providing management and financial decision support to closely held and ESOP owned companies. Prior to forming Aldine Advisors, Mr. Bloom worked at Duff & Phelps for over 20 years, primarily in the firm s Financial Advisory practice. From mid through 2005, Mr. Bloom headed up the firm s Financial Advisory Practice in the Chicago office. While at Duff & Phelps, Mr. Bloom was professionally involved in all aspects of Duff & Phelps financial advisory practice, including ERISA, valuation, and transaction opinion engagements. Mr. Bloom also served as a senior member of the firm s Transaction Opinions review committee. Mr. Bloom is a past chair of the Valuation Advisory Committee of the ESOP Association. Currently, Mr. Bloom serves on the boards of directors of Best Travel & Tours, First Empire Securities and Xtek Corporation. He has previously served on the boards of Valin Corporation, Recology Inc., and Blue Heron Paper Company. He also serves as treasurer of Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School. Mr. Bloom graduated from Washington University in St. Louis where he received his MBA degree with concentrations in Finance and Accounting and his BSBA degree with a major in Accounting. Elyse Bluth Managing Director, Transaction Opinions Duff & Phelps Securities, LLC elyse.bluth@duffandphelps.com Elyse Bluth is a managing director in the Chicago office and leader of the ERISA/ESOP Advisory service line, which incorporates Duff &Phelps s investment banking, opinion and valuation services related to Employee Retirement Income Security Act plan investments and for employee stock ownership plan companies. Elyse has 25 years of experience in advising companies and fiduciaries on valuation and transaction issues. Elyse s clients include some of the country s largest privately owned businesses. She has advised her clients on a wide variety of corporate finance, valuation and fairness opinion issues for ESOPs, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures,

3 financing and general corporate purposes; advised trustees and fiduciaries of ERISA plans that hold employer securities or illiquid investments on transaction, valuation, proxy voting and restructuring issues, tender offers, share repurchases, spinoffs and ESOP loan restructurings; and advised selling shareholders, company management, boards of directors and fiduciaries in numerous ESOP and ERISA transactions for public and private companies and has dealt with issues, such as shareholder liquidity, specialized securities and multiinvestor leveraged buyouts. Prior to Duff & Phelps, Elyse worked for an investment management company. Elyse received her M.B.A. with a specialization in finance and concentration in accounting from the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business and her A.B. in mathematics from Bryn Mawr College. She is also a certified financial analyst (CFA) charterholder and member of the Valuation Advisory Committee of The ESOP Association, the National Center for Employee Ownership, the Advisory Committee of Employee-Owned S Corporation of America, the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, the Chicago Finance Exchange, the CFA Society of Chicago and the Business Valuation Association of Chicago and former member of the Board of Directors of The ESOP Association. Barbara Clough Blue Ridge ESOP Associates bclough@blueridgeesop.com Barbara M. Clough, QPA, QKA is a Director at Blue Ridge ESOP Associates, a nationally recognized third-party administration firm, which provides employee benefit plan administration and related services exclusively to ESOP Companies. Ms. Clough s administration experience includes private/public plans ranging from 20 to 20,000 employees as well as extensive experience with ERISA law, Department of Labor Regulations, IRS code compliance, IRS/DOL audits. Ms. Clough has worked closely with Plan Sponsors, accountants and legal counsel to provide guidance on plan design, resolution of legal and compliance matters as well as audit discrepancies. Ms. Clough holds a BS degree from the University of Massachusetts. She is a member of The ESOP Association s Administrative Advisory Committee, Administration Representative of TEA Interdisciplinary Committee, VP Programming for New England Chapter of TEA, frequent author and speaker at NCEO and ESOP Association conferences. She is a member of NCEO, ASPPA and TEA. Kjersti Cory Vice President BTC ESOP Services kcory@bankerstrust.com Kjersti Cory is a Vice President with BTC ESOP Services. She has been working with employee-owned companies for over 16 years in both an ongoing trustee capacity as well as a discretionary or transactional trustee capacity. She has been involved with several transactions including the implementation of new ESOP s, second-stage ESOP transactions, redemption and sale transactions, mergers and acquisitions as well as various refinancing, restructuring, bankruptcy and liquidation transactions. She is a member of the ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership. Chris Davis Department of Labor Chris Davis currently serves as the Associate Regional Director for the Chicago Regional Office of the Employee Security Benefit Administration, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). His tenure with the DOL began in 1988 as an Investigator. As a Senior Investigator, from 1992 to 2012, he was primarily responsible for conducting and coordinating investigations of employee benefit plans. He is also the Chicago Regional Office s Coordinator for the National ESOP Project. Mr. Davis holds an undergraduate degree in Business Education from the University of Illinois and a MBA in Finance from Northern Illinois University.

4 Patrick De Craene, CFP GreatBanc Trust Company Patrick joined GreatBanc Trust Company in He has extensive experience in the design and administration of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans. Prior to joining GreatBanc Trust, he held positions with major national banking and consulting firms, where he gained his expertise in the design and operation of large, complex retirement plans. At GreatBanc, he serves plan sponsors and their companies in the design and structure of their retirement plan needs. David Diehl Prairie Capital Advisors David Diehl is Managing Director/Principal at Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc., an employee-owned investment banking firm specializing in ESOP advisory services to support growth and ownership transition strategies of middle-market companies. Mr. Diehl advises clients on ownership transition issues with emphasis on Mergers and Acquisitions, Management Buyouts, and ESOP structuring. He is a frequent speaker at NCEO and ESOP Association events. Mr. Diehl holds an MBA from Northwestern University s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a BS from Indiana University. Julie Govreau Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP julie.govreau@dbr.com Julie Govreau is Counsel in the Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP law firm. She focuses her practice on all aspects of employee benefits law, with an emphasis on ERISA litigation and employee stock ownership plans, multiemployer plans (withdrawal liability), and welfare benefit plans. She also has experience practicing general labor and employment law. She has a national practice with more than 10 years of experience in litigation and dispute resolution. She has represented companies that sponsor ESOPs and other benefit plans, their directors and officers, plan fiduciaries, administrators, investment advisors, and service providers in high profile lawsuits and investigations by regulatory agencies. She represents clients along the entire dispute continuum, from litigation avoidance and pre-litigation planning through pre-trial motions, discovery, trial, and appeal. Prior to practicing law, she worked as an Investigator for the Chicago Regional Office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration. She has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from DePaul University and she earned both her law degree Magna Cum Laude and her Masters of Law in Employee Benefits with highest honors from John Marshall Law School. Robert J. Gross PRAIRIE CAPITAL ADVISORS rgross@prairiecap.com SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR Robert Gross is one of the co-founders of Prairie Capital Advisors, an employee owned company that provides investment banking, ESOP advisory and valuations services to support the growth and ownership transition strategies of middle-market companies. These include private sales, management buyouts, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and others. Mr. Gross is a frequent speaker on valuation, ESOPs, ownership transition planning and other topics. He is also a frequent author in industry trade publications, business publications and technical journals. He is also very active in a variety of professional groups, most notably including The ESOP Association, where he is a current member and the past Chair of the Advisory Committee on Valuation and a past member of the Interdisciplinary Advisory Committee on Fiduciary Issues.

5 Brian D. Hector Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Brian D. Hector is a partner in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice. Mr. Hector focuses his practice on ERISA and employee benefits law including the areas of ESOPs, qualified plans, all types of executive compensation, fiduciary liability, and related securities law issues. Mr. Hector has served as counsel to companies and shareholders regarding the use of ESOPs in numerous transactions, including equity repurchases, ownership succession transactions, and corporate reorganizations. He has also represented lenders and trustees in ESOP transactions. Mr. Hector has an impressive history working with all types of benefit plans, executive compensation arrangements, IRS and Department of Labor self-correction programs, plan terminations, cafeteria plans, health and welfare plans, Keogh plans, VEBAs, multiple employer plans, prohibited transactions and prohibited transaction exemptions, Section 404(c) issues, partial terminations, benefit plans for tax-exempt organizations including Section 457 plans, church plans, and Section 403(b) plans, and split-dollar and corporate-owned life insurance arrangements. He has also represented several clients before the IRS and the Department of Labor in connection with employee benefits matters. Mr. Hector has lectured extensively regarding employee benefits and ESOPs. He speaks regularly at the annual national conferences of The ESOP Association, the National Center for Employee Ownership, at their local and regional conferences, and at numerous other seminars. He has also taught at John Marshall Law School in the area of Employee Benefits Law. Dick Hill Parksite Inc. dhill@parksite.com Dick Hill has over twenty five years experience in the areas of human resources, work team design, quality improvement, and training and development. Dick is currently the Director of Human Resources for Parksite, a major sales, marketing and distribution company in the construction industry in Batavia, Illinois. Parksite is a 100% employee owned S-Corp ESOP and winner of the overall AACE Award for its size in 2006 and the Illinois ESOP Company of the Year in Dick has served on the Illinois ESOP Board and has presented at State, Regional and National ESOP Association conventions as well as facilitating the HR Roundtable sessions for the Illinois ESOP Association. As a consultant, Dick worked for the Human Resources Consulting Firm of Zenger Miller-Achieve Global. He started his own business, HR Options, an HR consulting firm specializing in the start up of Human Resource functions in small to medium sized businesses before joining Parksite in Dick has held major positions with public, family owned, private and non-profit organizations. His background includes a Ph.D. in small group productivity an MBA in Marketing and a BBA in marketing and finance. Dick is a Viet Nam Era Veteran who served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Gordon Honegger Morton Community Bank Born December 13, raised on a poultry farm in Forrest, Illinois. Three Brothers Married: two children, four grandchildren Experience: Last forty years at Morton Community Bank: Emeritus Chairman/CEO, and currently is Co-Chairman of the Holding Company. (At age 65, to symbolically recuse, himself from certain bank duties, he quit wearing a suit and tie except for special occasions.) Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University 1973

6 Education: Forrest-Strawn-Wing High School 1958 University of Illinois 1962 Northwestern University MBA 1964 Purdue University PHD 1969 Purdue University Post Doctorate 1970 David S. Horvath, CPA Crowe Horwath LLP Dave leads Crowe s Benefit Plan Services group in Chicago and Oak Brook and is responsible for consulting, administrative and technical issues associated with the establishment and maintenance of retirement, compensation and welfare benefit programs. Experience Recent assignments include: Coordinating compensation and benefits study for an international hotel company involving implementation of wage and salary system redesign of pension plan and incentive compensation program. Redesigning employee benefit programs for financial institutions converting to stock ownership including implementation of Employee Stock Ownership Plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Designing, communicating and implementing a cross-tested 401(k) profit sharing plan. Coordinating Internal Revenue Service voluntary compliance filings to correct operational defects in a qualified retirement plan. Coordinating a due diligence review of a pension, profit sharing and medical benefits program to assist a private equity firm in the acquisition of a portfolio company. Licenses and Certifications Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Illinois Publications and Speaking Engagements Dave is a frequent speaker at employee benefit programs and has authored several articles on retirement programs for industry publications, including a chapter in Administrative Issues for ESOP Companies, published by the National Center for Employee Ownership. He is the author of 401(k) Plans: Managing Compliance Requirements, a text used for nationwide continuing education programs through Professional Development Institute a Division of the AICPA. Professional Affiliations The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Chairman of Member s Retirement Committee The Illinois CPA Society Member The National Center for Employee Ownership Member The ESOP Association Member Patrick Kane Verit Advisors LLC patrick@verit.com Patrick Kane joined Verit Advisors in June 2011 as an Associate and focuses his time on valuation, financial modeling, company and industry research, and various pitch materials for a wide range of clients. He works on the execution team helping advise middle market companies on various corporate finance solutions including mergers, acquisitions, recapitalization, and ESOPs. Mr. Kane has helped Verit execute multiple sell-side ESOP transactions for middle market companies in a variety of industries, including construction & engineering, plastics & packaging, and consumer retail. He has also helped structure and execute debt financings for complex ESOP transactions. Mr. Kane graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Chicago and has also completed the Financial Decision Making Certificate Program at the University of Chicago Graham

7 School. Mr. Kane is also very involved in community outreach as an ambassador on the Big Shoulders Fund Auxiliary Board and a volunteer through the organization s Stock Market Program and Mentoring Program. Kyle Seymour is President and a member of the board of directors of S&C Electric Company, a 100% ESOPowned S corporation, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Kyle was formerly President and CEO of Xtek, Inc. and a member of its board of directors. Kyle holds an MBA degree from Harvard and a BME degree from Georgia Institute of Technology. During his five years service in the U.S. Navy, he also earned a master s degree equivalent in nuclear engineering from the Bettis Reactor Engineering School. Before joining Xtek, Kyle was an executive in the machine tool industry, with service at UNOVA, Inc. as Senior Vice President, and Cincinnati Milacron as Group Vice President Machine Tools. Kyle also served on the board of directors of Hardinge, Inc., where he was chairman of the board. Kyle previously served on the board of directors of the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) and as chairman of the board of trustees of the AGMA Foundation. He is a past member of the board of directors of The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) where he was also a member of their government relations committee. He is a past board member of the Greenfield Coalition for Manufacturing Education (Focus: HOPE) in Detroit, Junior Achievement of Greater Cincinnati, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati. John E. Kluth II Executive Vice President / Chief Financial Officer CCMSI jkluth@ccmsi.com Professional Experience John Kluth joined CCMSI in 2000 and his responsibilities include corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions. John oversees CCMSI s internal corporate accounting unit, as well as the accounting unit responsible for selfinsured group clients of CCMSI. He also serves as a Senior Account Advisor to several self-insured groups. Prior to joining CCMSI, John co-founded and later served as President of Insurance Services Group, Inc., where he specialized in the information and financial management of specialty insurance companies, captives and alternative insurance arrangements. John previously spent four years with McGladrey & Pullen, LLP and four years in the Chicago office of Coopers & Lybrand. During his career in public accounting he specialized in providing accounting, tax and consulting services to financial institutions, including property/liability, title and life insurance companies, risk management associations, banking institutions, credit unions and leasing companies. John s insurance experience includes exposure to insurance entities ranging from small, captive medical malpractice companies to large, SEC-registered, multi-line companies. John is currently on the Board of Directors and serves as Treasurer for CCMSI. Professional Training John holds a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. He is a Certified Public Accountant. Anton S Lessmeister Manager, Warehouse Operations Forsythe Technology tlessmeister@forsythe.com Anton Lessmeister, known to all as Tony, serves as Manager, Warehouse Operations for Forsythe Technology, Inc., a national provider of technology infrastructure solutions to organizations across all industries. Previously, Lessmeister has served as a Sir Manager of Product Administration at Forsythe.

8 Forsythe Technology, Inc. became 15% employee owned in 1988, and has been 100% employee owned since March 31, Forsythe has over 900 employees. Tony has enthusiastically served as Employee Ownership Chair for the first 3 years of the team s existence and also served as President of the Illinois Chapter of the ESOP Association from Tony has over 20 years of combined management and customer service experience. Prior to joining Forsythe, Tony had been in various roles with several Fortune 500 Companies including AT&T, Moore Business Forms and Radio Shack. A devoted family man, his free time is consumed in the various activities of his two young boys. James D. Maher Archford Capital Strategies j.maher@archfordcapital.com In addition to focusing on wealth management and estate planning at Archford Capital Strategies, Jim focuses on the needs of closely-held business owners. He has worked to create a network of professionals to assist business owners with a wide range of solutions for business continuation or succession planning from ESOPs to management buyouts and third party sales. As a Certified Exit Plan Advisor (CEPA), he works with outsourced as well as the owners attorneys, CPA s, business valuation specialists and marketing/employee education companies establishing resources for business owners in transition. Jim s team has evolved to be industryleading Financial Consultants. Jim is an award-winning, nationally recognized authority in estate planning, business transition and philanthropy for closely held businesses, and a sought after trainer and presenter on a range of topics. Jim is an attorney and CPA by training. A life-long learner, Jim has completed certificate programs in leadership, finance, behavioral finance, psychology and Private Capital Markets and Professionalism at the following Universities: Wharton, University of California, Berkley, Arizona State University, Pepperdine University and through the National Association of Corporate Directors. He holds a BS and JD from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is a member of the Missouri Bar, The Exit Planning Institute, The National Center for Employee Ownership and the St. Louis Estate Planning Council. Jim additionally holds the designations of Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM (CRPC ), Certified Exit Plan Advisor (CEPA) and Chartered Retirement Planning Specialist (CRPS). Art Miller Executive Vice President and General Counsel Holden Industries, Inc. amiller@holdenindustriesinc.com Art Miller serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel and as a member of the Board of Directors of Holden Industries, Inc. Holden, which became a 100% S Corporation ESOP company in 2007, is engaged in diversified manufacturing operations through four separate operating units. Art has engaged in the practice of law, both in private practice and in general counsel positions, since His focus has been on general corporate matters with a significant concentration on M&A activity. He has also served on a variety of corporate Boards of Directors, including both public and privately held corporations. Art recently served as the President of the Illinois Chapter of the ESOP Association and as Chairman of the Leadership and Development Council of ESCA (Employee Owned S Corporations of America). Art currently serves on the Board of Directors of ESCA. Art holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan, and is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois Scott Miller ESI Enterprise Services, Inc. smiller@esi-enterpriese.com Scott D. Miller, CPA/ABV, CVA, is President and founder of Enterprise Services, Inc., a firm that provides financial consulting services to business, specializing in business valuations and ESOPs. Other valuation and professional

9 services provided to business owners include family succession planning, estate and gift tax planning, litigation support, shareholder disputes, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Miller is widely acknowledged as a leading authority on ESOP valuations for closely-held companies, having served hundreds of companies. He previously served as Vice President of Finance and plan fiduciary of a large ESOP company. Mr. Miller has published five books on various business transactions including: ESOPs Savvy Strategy for Tax Management, Succession and Continuity (AICPA, 2012), Buyouts (John Wiley and Sons, 2012); and the upcoming Navigating Mergers and Acquisitions: Guidance for Small and Middle Market Organizations (AICPA, 2013). He has published extensively in professional journals and speaks frequently for national organizations. He was recently appointed to the Forensics and Valuation Services Executive Committee of the AICPA and has volunteered for Board membership for such organizations as the Exit Planning Institute and Middle Market Investment Banking Association. He has provided expert testimony in both District and Federal Courts. His undergraduate degree is from Kenyon College and he holds an MBA from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management. Danielle Montesano Vice President First Bankers Trust Services danielle.montesano@fbtservices.com Danielle Montesano is Vice President of First Bankers Trust Services. She brings with her extensive experience and valuable knowledge gained from more than 15 years experience working with tax, ERISA, and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). She has concentrated expertise in fiduciary issues related to privately held stock valuations, DOL and IRS audit process and class action settlements involving plans holding employer securities. Ms. Montesano received her juris doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and began her career representing employee owned companies, lenders and trustees, with an emphasis on fiduciary law. Ms. Montesano is a frequent speaker and author on ESOP issues and is nationally recognized for her expertise. Ms. Montesano has been with First Bankers Trust Services since Jerry Peck Illinois Manfacturers Association Jerry Peck is the Associate Director of Government Affairs at the Illinois Manufacturers' Association. The IMA is the oldest and largest state manufacturing association in the United States. Founded in 1893 in Chicago, the IMA currently represents nearly 4,000 member companies and facilities that range from the Fortune 50 to small, family-owned shops. The IMA is one of the strongest and most effective advocates in Springfield for manufacturing and business-related issues. They work on a host of issues that include general business issues such as tax policy, environmental regulations, health care, workers' compensation, labor law and unemployment insurance in addition to working on smaller, industry specific legislation. Prior to joining the IMA, Mr. Peck worked as a contractual lobbyist in Springfield representing a myriad of companies including BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, ExxonMobil, Nucor Steel, Sanofi Aventis and the Illinois Insurance Association. Before coming to Springfield to work as a business advocate Mr. Peck spent more than a decade as an Emmy award winning television journalist including a stint as an embedded war correspondent in Afghanistan. Robert Reavis Butcher Joseph robert.reavis@butcherjoseph.com Located in the St. Louis area, Robert s primary responsibilities include financial analysis and transaction support 2 nd year analyst with extensive experience in the middle market investment banking space Successfully executed multiple ESOP transactions including leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and third party sale transactions Previously worked on a M&A team for Societe Generale at their headquarters in Paris Earned his BA with honors in Economics and International Studies from the University of Chicago.

10 Kenneth Serwinski Prairie Capital Advisors 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 Business Valuation Association (BVA) National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) The ESOP Association National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) The Entrepreneurship Institute (TEI)

11 Chris Slater-Vohs Hobbico, Inc. Chris Slater-Vohs has been with Hobbico since 1983 in a variety of Advertising, Marketing, Merchandising and Business Development positions. She is a graduate of Indiana University and attended graduate school at the University of Illinois. Chris has responsibility for the Advertising Department of 30 advertising professionals. This in-house ad agency provides a wide range of print, web and video in-house for the Retail Sales Division, Wholesale Sales Division, Mass Market Sales Division, and Hobbico Product Division. In addition to Advertising, Chris manages corporate development initiatives including facility expansion projects and acquisitions. David Solomon Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC dsolomon@lplegal.com David Solomon is a partner with Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC ( LP ) and also serves as the Executive Vice President of the Illinois Chapter of the ESOP Association. David, who is the chairman of LP s ESOP Services practice, has extensive experience in transactions involving the use of an Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) to facilitate the purchase of a business. David also advises clients in the areas of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, private equity and venture capital, financing, employee benefits and executive compensation and represents many companies in a "general counsel" capacity by handling various business law issues. David has lectured frequently on ESOPs and other employee benefit topics and participates in governmental lobbying efforts on behalf of ESOP companies. Matt Stankiewicz Forsythe Technology, Inc. mstankiewicz@forsythe.com Matt Stankiewicz has been an employee-owner of Forsythe Technology, Inc, an IT infrastructure integrator and technology consulting firm based in Skokie, IL, for 4 years. He is a graduate of Williams College, and has worked in the technology procurement and consulting industries for 10 years. Matt's current duties include program development, project management and employee enablement for Forsythe consultants and pre-sales resources, and he is currently leading the legislative, educational and communications efforts as acting chairperson of Forsythe s Employee Ownership Team. James Staruck GreatBanc Trust Company jstaruck@greatbanctrust.com James Staruck is the President and Chief Executive Officer of GreatBanc Trust Company, one of the premier independent ERISA fiduciaries in the United States. Mr. Staruck specializes in ESOP transactions and related fiduciary assignments. Mr. Staruck speaks frequently at NCEO and ESOP Association conferences on relevant ESOP topics. Scott Szafasz Bimba Manufacturing Company szafaszs@bimba.com PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Bimba Manufacturing Company Joined the Company in 2004 as the Corporate Controller and was promoted to Director of Finance in April The Company designs and manufactures pneumatic actuators and valves in the fluid power industry that are primarily sold thru independent distributors. Mr. Szafasz manages the accounting and finance department at Corporate, and oversees the accounting policies and procedures of the subsidiaries. Other key responsibilities include managing the year-end financial audit and ESOP audit, coordinating the annual profit plan, federal

12 income tax preparation, cash and debt management, year-end valuation, liaison for key financial institutions and professional service firms and other finance & ESOP related functions. Crowe Horwath Joined Crowe in December 1993 and left in Mr. Szafasz was a Senior Manager and worked in the Merrillville, IN office and the Oak Brook, IL office. He managed audit and review engagements for privately-held companies that generated revenue from $5 million to $100 million annually. Other responsibilities included internal control evaluation, consulting clients on various accounting and financial topics, corporate & individual federal and state tax returns and projections. Client exposure included manufacturing, distribution, transportation and a specialty in the construction industry. EDUCATION Purdue University Master of Accountancy Indiana University Bachelor of Science in Accounting PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS Illinois ESOP Association President Co-Chair, Board of Directors & Chair, Finance Committee of the Company s worker s compensation insurance carrier Indiana & Illinois CPA Society ESCA (Employee Owned S Corporations of America) Todd Young Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP tyoung@hindshawlaw.com Todd Young is a partner in the Chicago office of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. He focuses his practice in the areas of financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and contract negotiation. Mr. Young has represented lenders and borrowers in various types of finance and loan transactions, and he has assisted several overseas corporations in the purchase and sale of U.S. entities. His financing work includes a particular focus on representing lenders in ESOP loan transactions. In those transactions he has represented lenders in both stand-alone and syndicated loan transactions with aggregate loan amounts ranging from $20 million to $150 million. He received his A.B. degree from Dartmouth College and his J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Review.