| Concentric Equity Partners backs entrepreneurs and helps them achieve their goals. We are proud of the relationships we have built with our partners and are very focused on providing support to execute their visions. A representative list of our entrepreneur partners include:
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George D. Pickhardt, Chief Executive Officer, Arrow Environmental Services
Mr. Pickhardt serves as Chief Executive Officer of Arrow, where he has been responsible for the day-to-day operations since 1988. Mr. Pickhardt is a life-long pest control operator and the third generation of his family to take a leadership role in the industry, following his father and grandfather, who founded one of the nation's first pest control companies in 1886. In addition to his duties at Arrow, he is a member and former regional director of the legislative committee for the Florida Pest Management Association, director and past president of the University of Florida Ag Alumni Association, and is a member of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Marketing and Public Relations Committee. Mr. Pickhardt is the Chairman of the Board of Florida Shores Bank - Southwest, and Chairman of the Board of Venice Regional Medical Center, an HMA hospital. He is also extensively involved in numerous civic and charitable organizations, including the YMCA, United Cerebral Palsy, and the Girl Scouts. Mr. Pickhardt received a B.S. in Entomology, an M.S. in Ornamental Horticulture, and an M.B.A. from the University of Florida, and did Ph.D. studies and research work on Ornamental Horticulture at Cornell University.
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Jeffrey S. Prough, President and CEO, Critical Signal Technologies
Mr. Prough is responsible for all strategic and operational activities at Critical Signal Technologies ("CST"). Prior to joining the Company, he was the President of Guardian Alarm & Medical Monitoring, the 15th largest alarm monitoring company and the fifth largest Personal Emergency Response System ("PERS") provider. He was with Guardian for over eleven years and his role included managing the organization, identifying growth opportunities, managing national sales accounts, and serving as the organization's visionary. While at Guardian, he executed and integrated eighteen acquisitions, identified PERS as an opportunity for explosive growth and initiated, developed and managed the launch of the division which grew to over 18,000 subscribers, and tripled the company's total recurring monthly revenue. He is a co-author of PERS-related, patented technology and a nationally recognized speaker on the use of technology to allow people to age in an independent living environment. Before joining Guardian, he was the President of RAM Broadcasting Corporation, which he sold to a major telecommunications company.
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Mark A. Hoppe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cole Taylor
Mr. Hoppe is responsible for executing Cole Taylor's commercial banking strategy and for ensuring the profitability of the bank. In partnership with Chairman Bruce W. Taylor, Mark is also responsible for directing the growth of the bank. Mark joined the bank, succeeding Bruce as president and CEO, in 2008. His extensive track record in commercial banking includes more than 27 years with LaSalle Bank, N.A., where he was most recently CEO of LaSalle Bank Midwest in Michigan. He also spearheaded the launch and served as vice chairman of LaSalle National Leasing Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of LaSalle Bank. Notably, Mark's experience in middle market commercial banking is particularly strong. During his tenure at LaSalle, Mark headed up financial institutions, small business lending, private banking and public funds divisions, and managed business and association banking units, which included not-for-profits, unions and municipalities. Mark holds an MBA and a BBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin. He resides in Northbrook with his family.
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Chris Sullens, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marathon Data Systems
Mr. Sullens is responsible for all aspects of the business including; sales, marketing, customer support and administration. Chris joined Marathon Data Systems as chief financial officer in January of 2008; he was formerly with ServiceMaster, where he held a variety of marketing and sales roles within the company and its home service brands. Most recently, he led the online marketing efforts for all of ServiceMaster's brands as well as its retail partnerships as Corporate Vice President of Internet Marketing and Retail Initiatives. Prior to ServiceMaster, Chris held senior executive roles with OurHouse.com, a leading Internet e-commerce company; Applied Value, a consulting firm; and Alcatel, a leader in the telecommunications equipment industry. Chris has a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech and an M.B.A. with honors in finance, strategy and entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
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Caroline Reaves, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mortgage Contracting Services
Ms Reaves serves as CEO of MCS and is responsible for all aspects of the company's growth and operations. Prior to joining MCS, she served as Senior Vice President of First American Default Information Services and formerly held the position of President of the National Default Outsourcing Division of First American. Ms. Reaves has over 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry, including originations, acquisitions, contract management, customer service, investor reporting, and default. She is currently Chairperson of the MBA P&P Work Group and participates in multiple national committees and moderates and speaks at various industry conferences. Prior to joining First American in 2004, she was Vice President of Default for Midland Mortgage Co. in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ms. Reaves received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, and currently serves on the Louisiana Tech Alumni Board.
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Scott Strady, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ProVest
Mr. Strady founded ProVest in 1991 serves as its Chief Executive Officer. He is responsible for all aspects of the business. Mr. Strady has led the company since its founding and has successfully grown the operation from start up into a national service provider to legal and insurance customers with over 1,000 employees. Prior to forming ProVest, he worked as a Sales Manager for Gillette. He graduated with honors from Ohio Wesleyan University.
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Brian G. Weed, Chief Executive Officer, Tricoci University of Beauty Culture
Mr. Weed serves as CEO of Tricoci University and is responsible for all aspects of the company's growth and operations. Prior to joining Tricoci University, Mr. Weed was the COO of Avendra LLC, a procurement outsourcing and supply chain services company serving the hospitality industry. He has also held the position of Vice President of Strategic Planning for Hyatt Hotels Corporation and was a Partner with The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Kendall College School of Business and is on the Board of Directors of the North Lawndale College Prep High School in Chicago. Mr. Weed earned a Masters of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University.
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Joseph V. Chillura, Chief Executive Officer, USAmeriBank
Mr. Chillura began his professional banking career in 1988 at First Union National Bank in the Corporate Training Program. Mr. Chillura was a successful corporate banker in Tampa, Florida through 1997 when he joined Manufacturers Bank of Florida in Tampa, Florida. He served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Lender as well as a member of the Board of Directors for Manufacturers Bank at the time Colonial BancGroup, Inc. acquired Manufacturers in 2001. Until July 2007, Mr. Chillura served as Chief Executive Officer and President as well as a member of the Board of Directors for Colonial Bank's Florida West Coast Region where he managed over $3 billion in assets and over 400 employees. Community affiliations include: the Board of Trustees of St. Johns, the Episcopal Day School, the Jesuit Alumni Association, the Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the Tampa Yacht and Country Club, the Longboat Key Club and the University Club.
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Thomas B. (Brad) McMurtrey III, President, USAmeriBank.
Mr. McMurtrey was an original organizer of the Bank and has served as a director since the Bank was approved. He has been a resident of Clearwater, Florida, his entire life and has been in the business of banking in Pinellas County for the past 26 years. He began his career with Barnett Bank in 1981 completing both management and credit training programs. In 1986 he joined First National Bank of Clearwater as a commercial loan officer and was subsequently promoted to Vice President, managing residential and commercial real estate divisions for the bank until its sale to AmSouth in 1992. In 1995 he joined Premier Community Bank of Florida as a Senior Loan Officer. He was promoted to President in 2003 and was actively involved in ALCO and other risk management and financial functions, until the bank was sold to Colonial BancGroup Inc. in 2004. As an Executive Vice President and a senior lender with Colonial Bank, Mr. McMurtrey managed the commercial lending function for the Pinellas County market. He has served Pinellas County in various positions with the local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, as a mentor and a tutor for children in the local public school system, and serves on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters for Pinellas, Hernando, and Citrus Counties.
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