Harrison I. Steans
Harrison Steans is the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Financial Investments Corporation ("FIC") and Chairman of the Steans Family Foundation. FIC was formed in 1994 to make private equity investments and to serve as the Steans family office.
From 1967 through 1988, Mr. Steans was Chairman of USAmeribancs, Inc. (including Citizens Financial Bank, Elk Grove Bank, First National Bank of Highland Park, First National Bank of Skokie, Marina City Bank, and Woodfield Bank) and its predecessor institutions. During his tenure, the organization grew from a single $40 million bank to a six-bank holding company with assets exceeding $1.8 billion. In 1987, the bank holding company was sold to NBD Corporation, which is now part of the J.P. Morgan Chase organization.
From 1973 through 1978, he was Chairman of LaSalle National Bank in Chicago, Illinois. This bank was sold to the Dutch organization in 1978 which is now ABN-AMRO. LaSalle was subsequentially sold to Bank of America in 2007.
In December of 1994, a group led by Mr. Steans acquired a controlling interest in PCB Bancorp Inc., the parent of Premier Community Bank of Florida (f/k/a Pinellas Community Bank). Mr. Steans served as Chairman of the Board of PCB Bancorp, Inc., which grew from a single-bank holding company with $64 million in assets to a four-bank holding company with approximately $675 million in assets. In May of 2004, PCB Bancorp Inc. and its subsidiary banks were sold to Colonial BancGroup.
Throughout his career, Mr. Steans has taken a leadership role in a variety of nonprofit organizations, with a particular focus on helping under-privileged communities. Some of Mr. Steans' current and past nonprofit affiliations include serving as Chairman of the Education Committee of the Civic Committee, Chairman of the I Have a Dream Foundation/Chicago, Chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee for the Board of Trustees at DePaul University, past President and Life Trustee of Ravinia Festival, Life Trustee of Highland Park Hospital, Trustee of the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, Trustee of the Chicago Humanities Festival, Trustee of Leadership for Quality Education, and Trustee for The Ounce of Prevention Fund.
Mr. Steans graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a B.A. degree in economics. He currently resides in Bannockburn, Illinois, and Englewood, Florida. He married Lois Morrison in 1957; and they have three daughters - Jennifer, Heather, and Robin - as well as seven grandchildren, all of whom live in the Chicago area.
Neele E. Stearns, Jr.
Chairman of Financial Investments Corporation
Neele E. Stearns, Jr. is Chairman of Financial Investments Corporation, a private equity investment firm, and has held this position since February 2001. He has served as a director of Maytag Corporation, Wallace Computer Services, Inc., Click Commerce, Inc., and Footstar, Inc.
At Maytag, Mr. Stearns was a member of the Executive Committee and Chairman of the Audit Committee; at Footstar, he was Chairman of the Audit Committee until he became Interim Chairman & CEO on September 15, 2003, a position which he held until January 15, 2004; at Click Commerce he was Chairman of the Audit Committee.
Previously, Mr. Stearns was Chairman of the Board of Wallace Computer Services, Inc. from January 2000 through November 2000. Prior to 1995, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of CC Industries, Inc., a diversified holding company in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Stearns is a Life Director of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, a not-for-profit healthcare organization, and was Chairman of Highland Park Hospital prior to its merger with ENH. He is also a Director of Presbyterian Homes, a not-for-profit group of continuing care retirement communities serving the Chicago Metropolitan area.
Mr. Stearns holds a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts where he graduated "With Distinction". He also holds a B.A. in Economics from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota where he was a Phi Beta Kappa.
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