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Overview

Why do companies form a Board of Directors? Whether legally required or not, companies establish a Board of Directors to help steer the business, fill experience and knowledge gaps and strengthen shareholder confidence. Join our panel of experts as we delve into the benefits of forming a Board of Directors and the potential steps to undertake to ensure a strong and effective Board. Whether you are considering the move to an ESOP, are a family-held business or represent Private Equity this panel can help you gain an understanding of the potential benefits. 

As we will discuss Boards of Directors do not participate in day-to-day decision-making; instead, they set overall policy, based on the company's mission and vision, and exercise an oversight function, reviewing the actions of its officers and executives. We look forward to your participation.

Thank you to our National and Gold Chapter Sponsors!

Panelists

Tom Nelson Business Development Leader

Tom is a business development leader and change agent with over 20 years’ experience growing industrial manufacturing businesses through channel improvement, acquisitions and product development. His key strengths are vision, leadership and execution. He is the former Vice President of Business Development at Racine Federated a position he held until the family owned business was sold. At Racine Federated he partnered with the CEO and CFO and led their acquisition efforts which grew the company from $3 million to over $45 million in annual revenue and did so with continuous improvements in gross margin, cash flow and EBIDTA.

Throughout his career Tom has been active in professional and trade associations including instrumentation, automation, fluid power and M&A associations. His association activities included leadership positions as director, conference chair, advisory board president and committee chairs many of which afforded the relationships that lead to strategic acquisitions. Besides his director duties at Racine Federated Tom also holds board director positions with other privately-owned industrial manufactures, including ESOPs and has experience serving on executive, governance, finance and compensation committees.

Prior to Racine Federated Tom held senior sales and marketing positions with multi-national manufacturers in the instrumentation, automation, measuring, sensing and fluid power industry. Mr. Nelson joined Racine Federated as Sales Manager for the Hedland Division which he grew into a multi-division flow meter group including Dynasonics, Preso, Blancett, FloCat, Flo-tech, Vortex and Racine brands. He was an internal Director for the Company and was also was the General Manager of the FloCat Division. He ultimately was appointed the corporation’s Vice President of Business Development.

Since starting his consulting business Tom’s clients include North American and European small, private and family owned general industrial, instrumentation and automation manufacturers and industrial distribution companies. His consulting services include business development, special confidential projects, M&A related activities including buy side acquisition searches, coaching and consulting. He also chaired a “C” level global supply chain peer-professional advisory group.
Tom has a proven track record creating a vision and growing a business through infrastructure development, product development, acquisitions, sales and channel restructure/development, global marketing, divestures, organizational rationalization and restructuring.

An active supporter of the Southeast Wisconsin not-for-profit community Tom served on the board of directors of The Milwaukee Center for Independence for over a decade with stints as treasurer and chair of the executive committee. Today his community support activities include The University of Wisconsin Parkside where he currently serves on The Advisory Board for The College of Business, Economics and Computing and is a past chair. Tom is also a past director of Parkside’s Foundation Board and a member of its finance committee. Additionally, Tom is a judge in the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest.

Tom holds undergraduate degrees in Physics and Math from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, USA and a certificate in industrial marketing from Northwestern University. Tom and his wife Jackie reside in their family pioneer farm in northeastern Kenosha County Wisconsin just an hour north of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and forty-five minutes south of Milwaukee.

Timothy Reardon Shareholder

Timothy P. Reardon is a shareholder in the firm’s Corporate Law and Tax practices and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. Tim provides legal advice to companies ranging from regional to national and global corporations, routinely serving as local counsel for national and global businesses undertaking transactions in Wisconsin. He has extensive experience with a variety of industries such as manufacturing, construction, service, distribution, real estate and professional associations. He is a trusted adviser and legal strategist who draws on his vast knowledge and experience base to provide creative, cost-effective solutions for a range of complex business and legal matters.

For more than three decades, Tim has provided clients with unparalleled legal advice, and they appreciate his “can do” attitude and hands-on approach. The Marquette Lawyer Spring 2015 issue profiled Tim and captured the importance he places on “develop[ing] a deep relationship and understanding of [his] clients’ businesses, their strategies, and their approach to the marketplace.” Tim explains that “when it comes to building a relationship with a client, [he] like[s] to go out and kick the tires, to get [his] feet dirty.”

This hands-on approach enables Tim to proactively represent his clients’ businesses in all phases of their life cycles including startup, capitalization and growth financing, general contract matters, employment and executive compensation matters, acquisitions and divestitures, recapitalization, succession planning and exit strategies.

Tim is also responsible for overseeing Reinhart’s Mansfield Rule 5.0 relationship and certification. The Mansfield Rule was inspired by the NFL’s Rooney Rule, and is named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to the bar in the United States. Tim’s leadership of this important firm initiative will further the advancement and retention of women and minority lawyers by the firm.

Timothy Stewart President & Managing Partner DeWitt

Tim is the President & Managing Partner of DeWitt.  In addition to guiding DeWitt, he also has an active practice guiding clients through employee benefits (ERISA) and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).  Tim understands that employers need to continually work to ensure their employee benefit plans are accurate, up-to-date and being administered in a manner compliant with ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. Sometimes, that includes helping fix qualified retirement plan problems using the IRS’s Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS).  From his office in Milwaukee, Tim also helps businesses around the United States establish and maintain ESOPs. In addition, Tim is the co-author of the DeWitt ESOP News Feed.

Moderator

Marilyn Thiet President and CEO EDGE Performance Acceleration

Marilyn Thiet is the President and CEO of EDGE Performance Acceleration. Marilyn is a board experienced, strategic business leader with a track record of being able to bring people together, collaborate, and grow revenues. Marilyn has over 25 years of professional experience in leadership, sales, marketing, commercial operations, channel distribution, executive coaching, and leadership development. She spent much of her career working for GE Healthcare where she led Talent Development for the Commercial Organization for North America. Marilyn founded EDGE Performance Acceleration which specializes in strategic planning and executive coaching, leadership team optimization and development. With extensive experience in healthcare, Marilyn works with executive and physician leaders at some of the largest healthcare systems throughout the United States.

Marilyn currently serves on the Advisory Board of Nassco, Inc. She is also the past Chair of the Board for Kathy’s House, a non-profit Hospital Hospitality House located in Milwaukee. She is a faculty member for the Global Institute of Organizational Coaching and is a member of the Harvard Institute for Coaching. Marilyn is a member of Milwaukee Women, Inc. and Tempo Milwaukee, a select organization of Milwaukee area female business leaders. She serves on the Congressional Advocacy Team for the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Association.

Marilyn is married with two adult children and resides with her husband in Mequon, Wisconsin. In her free time, Marilyn enjoys pursuing outdoor activities including golf, cycling, and kayaking.

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