See this panel of experts hosted by the Chicago University Booth School of Business Entrepreneurial Roundtable alumni group.
This panelist group consists of a CEO who has successfully made acquisitions, a business broker who has helped many companies obtain full value for their assets, an organization expert who can tell you what needs to be done to get your company ready for sale, and a community banker who knows what is needed to qualify for government-guaranteed loans to buy a business, and whose bank has funds available to lend.
Pat Grandle has significant experience in sales, marketing, and management. For over 24 years, Pat managed a family business in the manufacturing industry in which she developed an extensive network and experience directing all areas of a business. When her own company was adversely affected by the economic downturn in the automotive industry, she decided to use her experience and growing network to help others plan for their business future. An expert consultant and relationship builder, Pat’s passion is helping individuals and companies reach their goals.
Ellen Huxtable owns ABC Advantage Business Concepts which supports growing businesses through market positioning, process development and management mentoring. She is the author of “Turbocharge & Transform!”, a collection of twenty worksheets for management teams, focusing on mission, strategic positioning and tactical innovation. Ellen serves on the Advisory Board for the College of DuPage Small Business Development Center, the Fermilab Community Advisory Board and the Western Region Board for Junior Achievement.
M. Colleen Ryan has had more than 20 years of involvement with SBA lending at US Bank, Wintrust, and her current bank, Leaders Bank. She began her career as SBDC Director for Moraine Valley Community College. In 1990, she transitioned to banking and established the first SBA Certified Lender Program (CLP) in a DuPage County bank. She has been named the SBA’s Illinois Financial Services Advocate of the Year. She’s also a good contact, having nominated a bank customer who won the National SBA “Small Business of the Year” award in 1993 (Presented by then Vice President, Al Gore). She co-wrote the American Banker’s Association’s manual “SBA Lending Made Easy.” Her current affiliation dates to 2012. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Small Business Development Center, College of DuPage.
John Swanson is a Chicago Booth MBA graduate and has over 20 years of experience in management consulting with Deloitte and Accenture and in Corporate Development with Hollister. He has extensive experience managing and developing teams through large scale growth and change programs.
Mr. Swanson has completed 19 Merger, Acquisition and Divestiture transactions with valuations of up to $32 Billion in the Banking, Life Science, Health Plan, Consumer Goods and Medical Device markets. In 1998 he co-founded a medical device implant company, raised over $12M in investment funds and sold the company in 2003 for $39M. As the Vice President of Global Business Development for Hollister Incorporated, he led the divestiture of three business units and the acquisition of two target companies while spearheading the firm’s organic growth strategy as the executive in charge of the Global Marketing function that launched 30+ new products annually.
American Small Business Consultants NETWORK 