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Optimal Level founder, Linda McCabe, has set and reached many goals in her life. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Linda began her career in publishing, but eventually turned to teaching in Chicago public schools. After 15 years of teaching, she made a bold move to join her father's business, H. Diamond Iron & Metal Company. Linda worked her way up, became president and grew the business to six million dollars in sales. Following a dream, she successfully sold her company and now dedicates herself to helping women discover their real life values through Optimal Level. |
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Kathleen McEntee is president of Kathleen McEntee and Associates, Ltd., a smart and effective solutions center for successful businesses. Ms. McEntee has 30-plus years of measurable achievement and leadership in marketing, international business, sales and business development, product development, client relationship management and operations. She has successfully worked in a variety of environments, from Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurial situations and start-up companies. Her business strengths and skills are wide-ranging, from client relationship management, strategic planning and boardroom presentations, to international business development, market definition, analysis and positioning, as well as new ventures and channels of distribution. She has developed strategic partnerships with senior level management at mega-corporations and successful strategies, marketing and operations plans for small to mid-size companies and operations. Ms. McEntee created KMA as a practical answer to the needs of business owners and entrepreneurs. Combining her extensive management background in building and growing companies in the corporate world, with her own passion for entrepreneurial pursuits, she offers her clients a hands-on approach to identifying their needs, with efficient implementation, follow-through and successful results. Ms. McEntee has created a complement of associates with a variety of skill sets to create a complete and innovative resource for businesses who are looking for practical, smart, and effective solutions to their needs and challenges. An alumna of Western Illinois University, Ms. McEntee has also been accredited by The Institute for Independent Business, a global research and accreditation organization established to give independent business direct access to upper-level management business people. Ms.McEntee is involved in a number of professional organizations, including The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Athena International, The Mid America Club, Empowering Women Network, and the LaQuinta California Chamber of Commerce. She is also on the Advisory Council for the College of Business of Western Illinois University. Ms. McEntee has offices in both vibrant downtown Chicago, Illinois and the gem of the Southern California desert, La Quinta, California. |
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Ara Surenian is the founder and President of Cadent Resources, Inc. a consulting firm dedicated to helping service, distribution, and manufacturing companies from the very small to $100 million in revenue to improve their operational performance. He has worked in operations for over 20 years and has a track record of quickly improving customer service and financial performance. Ara’s specialty is dissecting P&L and operating practices to understand how a company translates orders into profit, and then changes processes to improve performance. His core belief is that achieving speed in business is a necessary component of customer satisfaction and improved profitability. He employs a proprietary project management approach and a toolbox that includes finance, operations management, lean, facility layout design, and database software design. With these tools he is able to simplify the manner in which people physically interact with information, material, equipment, and with each other to quickly generate sustainable results. Ara started Cadent Resources, Inc. in January 2004 with a commitment to collaborative project based working relationships that are built on accountability, results, and continued support. He is an advisor to business owners and is a presenter at professional associations, executive roundtables, and seminars. He is a member of APICS The Association for Operations Management, Vistage (TEC), and is formally trained in change management. He has an MBA with a specialization in Strategic and Entrepreneurial Management from the University of Illinois, and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston. |
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Richard Burghgraef is the founder and President of Randolph Sterling, Inc. a sales outsourcing and consulting firm which provides sales management and outsourced sales support to service, distribution, and manufacturing companies ranging from $5 to $100 million in sales. He employs a customized approach tailored to each client’s needs to generate sustainable long term results. Rich has over 15 years experience as a sales account executive, sales manager, sales consultant, operations director and employment services professional, working with individuals as well as small, mid-sized and large businesses including Pfizer, Schering Plough, Seton Hall University, Hospital News Newspapers, Marketing Projects, Inc. and Howard Johnson Hotels. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Marketing from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business. Rich is also an avid fan of baseball, which he says helped him in sales because, “In baseball, you fail 7 out of 10 times and you go to the Hall of Fame. In sales, you work with a lot of rejection as well, especially if your sale involves a lot of cold calling, as mine have in the past. Much like the ballplayer who goes up to bat every time understanding that the odds are not in his favor but still knowing he is going to get a hit, the sales professional goes into every call understanding that there are a million reasons not to buy, but knowing that he is going to make the sale.” Rich is an advisor to business owners, a member of the Deerfield Bannockburn Riverwoods Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Chairman of the DBR Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors Committee, a member of the Niles Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee, President of the North Shore Small Business Forum, past President of MultVantage business development group, a speaker for the Career Resource Center, and a trusted advisor in the Vistage (TEC) network. |
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Richard Ackerman is the Recruitment Practice Manager for Business Intelligence and IT Service and Support for Vision Enterprises, Inc. in Naperville, Il. He utilizes his client and candidate management expertise in the areas of Business Process consulting, internal and external customer service management, ITIL Service and Support delivery, and CRM. Richard has leveraged the network of great people I have worked with over the years to build my practice. Having over 20 years experience in helping businesses improve their effectiveness in customer management and service and support delivery. He is Certified ITIL Foundation Instructor, as well as being certified in Advanced, Administrative and Business Process Automation for several leading CRM platforms. Richard is a member of the Naperville and Chicago COC and a founding member and V.P. of Programs for the Central Illini HDI Chapter. He was recently appointed an Advisory Board Member for Optimal Level – a Network Center for Professional Women. Richard's goal is to treat my clients and candidates with respect and the highest level of ethics possible and match only the top candidate skills and experience to the desired client career opportunity He has four wonderful children and three grandchildren. His greatest personal challenge has been beating colon cancer when the chips were really down. Richard's dream is to have cancer subside in my lifetime. He strives to help others going through cancer treatment by letting them know there is a huge survivor network pulling and available to them – even if it’s just to chat. Specialties Education |
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Jared Silver, At-a-Glance Marketing Says Silver, "I work only with folks who already have (or are willing to
create) a comprehensive Jared and his wife Faith of 33 years live in Barrington Illinois. Their
son Jamie, now 30, Self employed his entire adult life, Jared began evolving his twenty-two
plus year Commercial |