What makes Chicago a special place

I love to be near water. To me, there is nothing better than stepping outside on a warm summer day and feeling the cool breeze off the lake as the sunshine glistens on the water. It’s a chance to tune out the rest of the world and whatever stress I might be feeling that day […]

Putting ice cream in a cone was a blend of necessity and a bit of innovation

If your company produced 1.5 billion units a year of a particular product, you’d be pleased, let alone happy that demand is probably going to stay that high, if not increase year to year. That’s the situation of the Joy Cone Co. of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, the world’s largest baker of ice cream cones. And while […]

Effective communication is the most important strategy to achieve your business goals

Of the multitude of advice available on goal setting, one point cannot be stressed enough: Regardless of how perfectly outlined and well thought-out your goals are, if they are not effectively communicated, they almost assuredly will fail. How can you move your organization forward if your team does not know in which direction you’re headed? […]

The four activities successful managers need to lead effectively

I like to keep things as simply as possible. It helps me to cope with the ever-increasing complexity of sales, marketing and management. Keeping things simple is also practical and effective. As managers, we really have only four activities. Every day we face an untold number of decisions we must make about an untold number […]

More signals M&A is on the upswing

The middle market is gaining momentum; indicators are pointing to increased M&A activity. A vital source of deal flow for private equity, the middle market (defined as deal values less than $500 million) accounted for nearly 85 percent of sponsor deal flow in 1Q14, reported market research firm PitchBook, and the lower middle market (defined […]

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2014 Florida Awards

Since 1986, EY has celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit of men and women who have followed and achieved their dreams. These leaders have changed the lives of countless others by building their businesses and giving back to their communities. Their passion, vision and persistence stand as a testament to their dedication. Twenty-eight years ago, EY founded […]

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2014 Midwest Awards

Since 1986, EY has celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit of men and women who have followed and achieved their dreams. These leaders have changed the lives of countless others by building their businesses and giving back to their communities. Their passion, vision and persistence stand as a testament to their dedication. Twenty-eight years ago, EY founded […]