Hilary has used her expertise in entrepreneurial and small business financing, growth and strategic development to guide companies toward success for 25 years. She has worked with thousands of business owners at all stages of growth–from solopreneurs to companies with hundreds of employees. During the course of her career, Hilary has facilitated the development of business, strategic and marketing plans that helped clients acquire over $250 million in financing.
Matt Doucet
Matt is the Executive Vice President of Wintrust’s Construction, Engineering & Architecture (CE&A) Group. Mr. Doucet leads the Bank’s national CE&A lending practice, providing competitive financing solutions to the firms who support the Construction Industry. He has spent the last 30 years working with CE&A firms in the Surety and Banking Industry. Matt is an active member of the Construction Financial Management Association (“CFMA”), Illinois Road Transportation & Business Association (“IRTBA”), Surety Association and has been the Treasurer of the Chicago Building Congress for the past 6 years.
Michael Hesek
Mike Hesek is a Senior Software Engineer at ePreop. Michael has been developing custom software solutions for nearly 20 years. Working in over 12 different programming languages, he has assisted companies to develop desktop, web and mobile solutions that are tailored to their unique requirements. Along with developing business solutions he has also consulted and provided training services for businesses looking to improve workflows and identify process gaps in daily operations.
Rita Haake
Rita has been the Executive Director of the Business Development Center (BDC) at College of DuPage since July 2011. The BDC houses programs through the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Illinois International Trade Center (ITC) and the Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). These programs are grant funded through federal and state dollars; the BDC has been hosted by College of DuPage since 1985. Her career at the college has spanned twenty-eight (28) years with twenty-one (21) of those years focused on the development and growth of small business in government contracting.
Eric Singer
Eric L. Singer is a construction lawyer, litigator and Partner with Ice Miller, LLP in Chicago and Lisle, Illinois. Eric concentrates his practice in contracts, insurance and counseling for construction and design projects, as well as disputes related to real estate, construction, mechanics liens, mortgages, title insurance, easements and injunctions. He represents architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, owners, lenders, title insurance underwriters and others involved in development, improvement and use of real estate. Mr. Singer received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
Brien Spoden
Brien Spoden is a Surety & Risk Management Advisor at DSP Insurance Services, specializing in establishing and managing contract and commercial surety bond programs. Prior to joining DSP, Brien gained insurance industry experience as a Contract Surety Underwriter with Merchants Bonding Company and as a Workers’ Compensation Claims Adjuster with EMC Insurance Companies. Brien attained his Associate in Fidelity & Surety Bonding (AFSB) designation and is actively pursuing his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. He is a member of the 2019-20 Underground Contractors Association of Illinois Emerging Leaders Program.
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams is a Risk Management Specialist with DSP Insurance Services in Schaumburg, Illinois. The early part of his career was spent as a Project Manager for a large Healthcare IT company in Madison, Wisconsin. He then spent multiple years as an IT consultant, traveling throughout the country implementing electronic medical records in some of the nation’s top hospitals. Bryan, now in his fifth year at DSP, works with middle market businesses and healthcare facilities to provide Insurance, Surety and Employee Benefit solutions.
Barry Saltzman
Barry Saltzman has enjoyed a successful career as a proven executive who is strategic, results- oriented and adept at anticipating future business trends. He has been responsible for global sales, P&L, business development and leading and managing complex project teams. During Barry’s career, he succeeded in a major financial turnaround of a $60 million dollar privately held business; he grew revenue from $35 million to over $200 million for a large IT services business; and he managed a $535 million dollar P&L with over 1500 technical and sales employees for a large services division of a public company.
Sheryl Van Anne
With more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry, Sheryl Van Anne serves as a project executive in Mortenson’s Chicago office with a primary focus on the higher education market. Sheryl has managed numerous large-scale projects throughout the Chicagoland area, including the College of DuPage Berg Instructional Center & Student Resource Center, the Harper College Wellness and Sports Center, and the North Airfield Project for United Airlines. In 2016, Sheryl was selected as one of Building Design + Construction’s 40 Under 40 and was recently named to Constructech’s 2018 Women in Construction.
Tim Giegerich
Tim Giegerich is a Project Executive with Power Construction. Power Construction’s unique business model and values-based approach means that its leaders are actively engaged, our employees build long-term careers and we foster trade partner relationships that drive customer value. Tim has directly overseen commercial projects across Chicago. He has first-hand experience and knowledge of a large project's preconstruction, construction and close-out phases. Tim is passionate about applying his industry experience towards mentoring young professionals and small business owners on best practices for bidding and managing private sector projects.
Douglas Voegtle
Doug has served as the “Idea Stalker” and strategic marketing lead for international, national, regional and local brands in virtually every industry. His portfolio of marketing experience ranges from writing TV commercials for Pepsi and the Principal Financial Group, to facilitating name development for biotech companies and microbrew products, to designing qualitative online research for marketing to millennials. Doug is also a guest teacher and speaker on marketing, creativity and communication at UW-Madison School of Journalism, Loyola University Chicago, Old Town School of Folk Music, and CADCA’s national conference on drug abuse prevention.
Sue Winkler
Sue Winkler brings over 30 years of experience in Human Resources and Safety to HR Source. Sue is the Director of EngageHR and leads the team of HR professionals providing on-site HR support, partnering on special projects and providing recruiting assistance. As a previous business owner and executive of a manufacturing company, Sue brings a unique perspective to human resources. Sue directly supports members through working on EngageHR and consulting projects, organizing safety initiatives, supporting membership development, investigating strategic partnerships, and coordinating briefing meetings.
Angela Adams
Angela Adams has over 20 years of experience in the human resources (HR) industry. She consults with clients on affirmative action issues and a variety of HR topics. Additionally, Angela provides training services in human resources and management for member organizations via the HR Hotline.
Construction Owner-2-CEO Program
Strengthen your access to industry expertise and give your business a competitive advantage. Sales, Project Management, the Contract Bid Process and more!
Participate fully—leave your cell phone at the door
Create an Accelerator Strategic Action Plan
Complete an initial assessment and follow-up assessments
Recommended Eligibility
You must be a small construction business owner or manager
Business Criteria 2+2+2: 2+ years in operation $200,000 revenues in the most recent fiscal year 2+ employees (owners may be included in this count)
12 Weeks
Schedule
Sales
Developing sales pipelines
Effectively creating, tracking and acting on leads
Opening sales dialogues and closing sales
Delivering exemplary client care to generate repeat sales
Project Management
Planning a project
Initiating a project
Critical path
Contract Bid Process
Request for Proposals (RFP’s)
Getting bid opportunities
Types of bidding
Winning more bids while maintaining margins
Insurance & Bonding
Bid and performance bonds
Builders risk insurance
Hold harmless agreements
Marketing Strategy
Promoting your product through the right channels
Determining your customers’ compelling needs
Projecting future trends, needs and motivators
Determining the ideal positioning of your product or service
Legal
Deferring business risks in the industry
Regulatory compliance
Litigation avoidance
Mechanics lines
Information Technology
Supporting daily operations and accelerating efficiencies
Current platform assessment in four areas
Streamline processes & advance the IT innovations that are right for your business
Finance
Understanding financial reports and how they relate to scalability
The relationship between your balance sheet, profit and loss statement and cash flow
Spot signs of financial improvement opportunities
Using case studies to practice positive impact on the bottom line
Specialized section for construction companies on issues distinct to the industry such as percentage of completion accounting, payment cycles and cash flow management
Human Resources
Understand your company’s current culture and team
Learn to slot the right people for the right job
Identify critical issues related to the HR function as they relate to growing business
Leadership & Strategic Planning
Improve personal leadership performance
Assess the entrepreneurial mindset and the mindset of your team – are they intrapreneurial?
Competitive advantage considerations; examining current business plans and optimizing your organizational structure to support your business model
Meet the Instructors
The HACIA Accelerator program is instructed by highly qualified business professionals who have built successful companies & assisted startups to scale.