Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Breakfast and an Executives Luncheon to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.

During the Executives Breakfast, attendees were prompted with the question, “What are your best practices for business development?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:

Bill Himmelstein – The best practice for business development for me has been doing business development for others.

Gary Breden – Relationships are the best means for developing businesses. Setting up channel partnerships.

Keith Glantz – Over-deliver with quality and then clients become the salespeople. Looking into the EOS model.

Jay Sharman – Best sales have been one degree of separation. I get most new clients organically by asking clients. I failed miserably when spending money on marketing.

Paola Meinzer – Focus on relationships. Be a part of different groups and be engaged in those groups.

Bill Gimbel – It’s not about selling. It’s about servicing and providing value. The ultimate compliment from a client is a referral. You should ask for the referral.

Ken Daemicke – Networking. Chambers, Rotary, NFP boards. Get involved. Ask: “How can I help you?”

Dominic Rinaldi – Using your phone works! Calling an owner of a business has been the most effective practice for business development. I use a CRM system and mine the data. If under $10m, around 2x-5x of adjusted EBITDA. The owner needs to stick around to transition relationships.

Zori Haouchine – Personal connections have been the most important. I want to focus on doing the things I want to do.

Paul Pagel – Growth through software wave. Started based on relationships. You can’t scale care. I did it through employee ownership. I want to transition to a team running the company.

Ben Olson – Channel partnerships like PE firms, they’re great people to work with. I want to get people together more.

Michael LaVista – Our marketing is excellent deliverables. 70% of our business is from other software companies. I’m going to write a book this year.

Charlie Franklin – I join and participate in organizations.

Thank you to all who attended!

If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who are interested in attending future TAG events, please

email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.

TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List

Keith Glantz, President & Chief Creative Officer, Glantz Design

Jay Sharman, CEO/Founder, TeamWorks Media

Paul Pagel, CEO, 8th Light

Bill Gimbel, President, LaSalle Benefits

Michael LaVista, Founder & CEO, Caxy Interactive

Steve Brown, President Stratego, Partners

Zori Haouchine, Founder & Creative Director, ZOHA Architecture & Design

Jay Sharman, Founder & CEO, Team Works Media

Dan Dooley, CEO, Morris Anderson

Mike Olson, Director of Acquisitions, DecisionOne Dental

Domenic Rinaldi, Managing Partner, Sun Acquisitions

Ken Daemicke, Partner, Mueller

Paola Meinzer, Partner, Manning Silverman

Ben Olson, Founding Partner, Faircourt Partners

Charles Franklin, Managing Partner, Franklin Law Group

Jay Page, Co-Founder, CEO, Grey Street Capital

Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Breakfast and an Executives Luncheon to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.

During the Executives Luncheon, attendees were prompted with the question, “What are some of your best practices for finding new clients?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:

Pete Horvath – Word of mouth is the biggest growth. Meeting with property managers, realtors, and real estate owners.

Dan Porcaro  – Build a culture of selling. Encourage all team members to network, sell and get in front of others. Everyone does it.

Jonathan Rothstein – When you serve as a trusted advisor, you can help your clients with great service providers. Always do good work and keep clients’ best interests at heart.

Ruth Minnick – Networking is extremely important. It’s a lifestyle. Connect on a personal level. Follow the money. Follows hiring patterns. M&A. Funding.

Jennifer Nemec – How to be of service. All work comes from referrals and website lead gen. Doesn’t do any marketing.

Marie Hale – Teach sales as a culture. Sales is simply being the best service to the person sitting across from you.

Jeff Asperger – Following up and following through.

Luca Lanzetta – It’s about the service you provide. Become a client of who you want to do business with.

Tim Schumm – Follow up is so important. Have systems and processes in place to make sure you stay on top of the follow-up. Much business comes on 5th or 7th touch.

Anne Gehring – Using Hubspot which is free as a CRM. Helps with follow up.

Barbara Best – Develop strong personal relationships with clients and understand how to help them be successful in their careers. Focus on paying it forward. Publishing.

Dan Golden – Was all referrals for the first 6 years. Would get work from large agencies who couldn’t do what they did. Use Hubspot as it supports keeping in touch with people. Leverage tools to stay top of mind. Referrals still drive a majority of their deals. Started a referral program. Not being afraid for asking for the referral. I also us a platform called Gaggle.

Eric Wasson- Sales is the most important thing. As far as channel partners it’s the best way to sell. Biggest mistake was saying no to Salesforce partnership in 2004. A Salesperson is hardest to hire and hardest to fire.

Thank you to all who attended!

If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who is interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.

TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List

Dan Porcaro, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Porcaro Stolarek Mete Partner, LLC

Jonathan Rothstein, Senior Vice President, MB Financial Bank

Ruth Minnick, Global Business Development Manager, Client Executive, Unispace

Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC

Tim Schumm, Founder & President, Lucas James Talent Partners

Pete Horvath, Leprechaun, Move-tastic

Mason Awtry, CEO, Rightsize Facility

Marie Hale, Co-Founder & CEO, Revenue

Jim Lencioni, President, ARIA Group Architects

Rasheed Hammouda, Co-Founder, Bridge Financial Technology

Anne Gehring, Founding Partner, Stanton Blackwell

Luca Lanzetta, Founder & CEO, Luca Lanzetta LLC

Pete Horvath, President, Move-Tastic

Dan Golden, Co-Founder, BeFoundOnline

Eric Wasowicz, Investor/Advisor, Greenbrier Group

Jennifer Nemec, Founder & Chief Creative Office, Ideation Studios

Barbara Best, Founding Partner & Principal, Capital Strategies Investment Group

Eric Wasson, Director, Customer Logistics, Ryder Supply Chain Solutions

Local business leaders gathered at the Executives Breakfast and Luncheon to network with other entrepreneurs and examine a number of topics that are currently affecting their businesses.

During the Executives Breakfast, guests discussed what they were doing to get in front of potential new clients. Here are some of the many responses:

Michael Grace, CEO, Vetted Placements: Networking is key. Go to the nice bars and nice restaurants and meet people. Think outside the box. Don’t hesitate to do cold emails and cold calling. When that doesn’t work, send the overnight FedEx, because people think it’s important.

Gary Breden, Business Performance Advisor, Insperity: Identify who the ideal client is, and then identify who can put you in front of those people. Going to events, developing affiliate programs and channel partners are all important. Build partnerships.

At the Executives Luncheon, participants were posed the question, “What employee-management issues have you struggled with in the past year, and how did you overcome it?” Here are a few of the responses:

Michael Nowak, CFO, ABN Amro: It’s a challenge to inherit a team that was not previously managed. Try to give them opportunities without taking a step backward.

Joseph Antunovich, FAIA, Founder & President, Antunovich Associates : We have a hard time with the lack of loyalty. My advice is to be loyal, be nice and be hardworking. People are our most valuable asset.

Thank you to all who attended!

If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who is interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.

TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List:

Sponsored by Gary Breden, Business Performance Advisor, Insperity

Mason Awtry, President, Rightsize Facility

Kyle Deming, Founder, Wojo Design

Bob Domenz, CEO, Avenue Marketing Strategy & Activation

Atish Doshi, President & Founder, Black Sheep

Charles Falls, President, Demi & Cooper Advertising

Matt Gibbs, Co-Founder, UPshow

Michael Grace, CEO, Vetted Placements

Andy Hulett, Partner, EmPower HR

Jim Kales, CEO, Aspire

Larry Kaul, CEO, Kaul Sales Partners

Richard Kincaid, Founder & Managing Principal, Sage Greenlife

Julie Kolodziej, Managing Partner, Matlin Law Group

Kevin Krumm, CEO, Objective Paradigm

Rich Lenkov, Managing Partner, Bryce Downey & Lenkov

Stan Logan, Chairman, Quality Back Office

Neal McNamara, Co-Founder, Virtas Partners

Chris Miller, Managing Partner, Kelley Kronenberg

Dave Norris, COO, RedRidge Finance Group

Domenic Rinaldi, Managing Partner, Sun Acquisitions

Josh Strauss, CEO, Pekin Singer Strauss

TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List:

Joseph M. Antunovich, FAIA, Founder & President, Antunovich Associates  

Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC

Barbara Best, Founding Partner, Capital Strategies Investment Group

Adam DeGroot, President, DeGroot Logistics

Laura Dribin, CEO & Founder, Peritius Consulting

Morrie Elstein, VP, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors

Christopher Gandy, Founder & President, Midwest Legacy Group

Larry Marin, VP, Near North National Title  

Ruth Minnick, Global Business Development Director, Unispace

Michael Nowak, CFO, ABN Amro

Mike Perich, Sewing Supplies Division CEO, Bernina International

Jonathan Rothstein, Senior VP, MB Financial Bank

Tim Schumm, President & Founder, Lucas James Talent Partner

Steve Whittington, Founder & CEO, LifeWorking Enterprises  

Kate Winston, Agency Lead – Strategy & Growth, EnvisionIt  

The September Executives Breakfast and Luncheon inspired a number of great discussions and offered Chicago business leaders the opportunity to broaden their networks.  

At the Executives Breakfast, attendees discussed “creating work-life balance and how to manage work-from-home employees.” Here are some of the many responses:

Mike Maddock, Founder & CEO, Maddock Douglas: You don’t live to work; you work to live. The example the founders set is what the employees will follow. Don’t let people down.

Grant Gochnauer, Co-Founder & CTO, Vodori: Culture is a big component, and founders set the tone of the culture. It depends on where you are in the life of the business. There’s a sense of community, team dynamics and trust that is hard to facilitate when working remotely. Likewise, it’s hard to optimize remote work.

During the Executives Luncheon, guests were asked, “What have you done to create strong cultures in your organization?” Here are a few of the responses:

Michael Reddy, President, Digital Authority Partners: 1. Create shared goals and objectives, as we are trying to avoid silos. We have a few goals set that reach across the entire company. 2. Be good to people and offer full healthcare, strong 401ks and an open vacation policy. Don’t set hours of working. Work hard, remain available, communicate and be transparent to help the team understand priorities and what is on the horizon.

Jeremy Bird, CEO, 270 Strategies: We take space very seriously and have no doors. We are promoting a culture of transparency. We bring everyone together twice a year for company-wide retreats. We have a call every Tuesday for “triple bottom line.” Impact, innovation, and profit.

Thank you to all who attended!

If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who is interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.

TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List:

Chris Beaulieu, Owner, Christopher Beaulieu & Associates

Mike Berntsen, CEO, Penthouse111 & Gentlemen’s Cooperative

Robin Berthier, CEO & CO-Founder, Network Perception

Brian Black, Managing Director, Tenant Advisory Group

Gary Breden, Business Performance Advisor, Insperity

Mason Cole, Managing Partner, Cole Sadkin

Stephen Daday, Managing Partner, Klein, Daday, Aretos & Donoghue

Grant Gochnauer, Co-Founder & CTO, Vodori

Robert Jacobi, President, Arc Technology Group

Jeff Jozwiak, Principal & Co-Founder, Norcon

Greg Kris, Managing Partner, Kris Ampersand

Kevin Krumm, CEO, Objective Paradigm

Andy Mack, CEO, SnapMobile

Mike Maddock, Founder & CEO, Maddock Douglas

Craig Manske, Managing Principal, Development Solutions Inc

Mark Meyer, Founder, E&M Strategic Development

Domenic Rinaldi, Managing Director, Sun Acquisitions

Mitchell Roth, Managing Partner, Much Shelist

Jon Talty, Chairman & CEO, OKW Architects

Tim Van Mieghem, Partner, The ProAction Group

Jim Vaselopulos, Founder, CEO, Rafti Advisors

Jeremy Waitzman, Partner, SFGH

Jessica Wu, COO, Vetted Placements

Igor Zhizhin, President, American Street Capital

TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List:

Jim Anfield, Principal, Aptitive

Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC

Jeremy Bird, CEO, 270 Strategies

Fred Bliss, CTO, Aptitive

Timothy Czmiel, Managing Partner, Virtas Partners

Jeff Durocher, CMO, Advance Search International

Daniel Ebert, COO, Greenheart

Morrie Elstien, VP, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors

Jessica Freiburg, Partner, Sassetti LLC

James Gustin, Partner, Fig Media

Rhonda Jensen, President, Jensen Litigation Services

Pat Monahan, CEO, Riverside Graphics

Dan Porcaro, CEO, PSM Partners

Michael Reddy, President, Digital Authority Partners

Mark Rickmeier, CEO, Table XI

Jonathan Rothstein, Senior VP, MB Financial Bank

David Sanchez, Founder & Director, 10 MGMT Agency

Mitch Weinstein,  Managing Partner, Chuhak & Tecson

Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Breakfast and an Executives Luncheon to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.

During the Executives Breakfast, attendees were prompted with the question, “what is the best way to handle growth, and what do you wish you would have done differently?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:

Matt Green, Cofounder, VentureScale: Stay in your lane and focus on your role. Make sure you have goals set, and strive to achieve them.

Paul Detlefs, President, The Prestwick Group: Do not underestimate the power of delegation. Hire others to take stuff off your plate to focus your efforts. Consistently make an effort to simplify your business as you grow. Also, constantly look at the right structure for your business – is it the right time to take it to the next level? Should we spin off and outsource departments? Systematize your business and create process sooner.

Scott Nicholson, CEO, KO Business Solutions: I wanted to control everything and didn’t have systems and processes in place fast enough. Develop internal talent that grows with the company by creating a curriculum of classes that internal teams can take to develop.

At the Executives Luncheon, guests were asked, “what are some key lessons learned in growing a customer or client base?”

Zak Dabbas, CEO & Founder, Marco & Associates: Always look ahead to see what’s next. Never rest on your laurels. Maintain a clear and shared mission and vision, and breed a culture where everyone is an ambassador of the company. You’re only as good as the worst person on your team, so build a strong culture to elevate the level of energy and excitement at the office.

Ruth Minnick, Global Business Development Director, Unispace: Offer to provide value beyond services/products. Take care of each relationship, as you never know where it’s going to lead.

Thank you to all who attended!

If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who is interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.

TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List

Mason Awtry, CEO, Rightsize Facility

Craig Castelli, Founder & CEO, Caber Hill Advisors

Paul Detlefs, President, The Prestwick Group

Kenny Estes, Cofounder, West Loop Ventures

Matt Green, Cofounder, VentureScale

Tom Gregg, President, Vehicle Acquisition Network

Josh Haid, Managing Partner, Women’s Divorce & Family Law Group

Rhonda Jensen, President, Jensen Court Reporting

Mike Kupfer, President & CEO, Black Diamond Solutions

Stan Logan, Chairman, Quality Back Office

Jim Macdonald, Managing Director, First Analysis

Andy Mack, CEO, SnapMobile

Joseph McCoy, Partner, Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila

Scott Nicholson, CEO, KO Business Solutions

Ben Renda, CEO, Global Capital

Ron Repking, Founding Partner, Sriracha Partners

Mitchell Roth, Managing Partner, Much Shelist, P.C

Karen Sanders, President, Sanders IT Consulting

Allan C Sutherland, Founder, President and CEO, In-telligent LLC

Rosemary Swierk, President, Direct Steel & Construction

TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List

Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC

Lou Costabile, CFO, MasterMind Group

Zak Dabbas, CEO & Founder, Marco & Associates

David Diamond, Managing Partner, Kutchins, Robins & Diamond

Morrie Elstien, VP, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors

Charlie Franklin, Managing Partner, Franklin Law Group

Rick Gray, CEO, TalentRISE

James Gustin, Partner, fig Media

Michele Gustin, CEO and President, Fig Media

Celia Jones, CEO, The Escape Pod

Dan Kardatzke, President & CFO, Solstice

Bruce Menkes, Managing Partner, Mandell Menkes

Ruth Minnick, Global Business Development Director, Unispace

Dan Porcaro, CEO, PSM Partners

Mark Rickmeier, CEO, Table XI

Jonathan Rothstein, Senior VP, MB Financial Bank

Joanna Sobran, CEO, MXOtech

Rick Stearns, CFO, Origami Risk

The May Executives Breakfast and Luncheons offered a place for insightful conversation and networking between local, Chicago entrepreneurs. Attendees were given opportunities to provide business advice and share valuable experiences with one another.

Guests at the Executive Breakfast were given the discussion topic of best practices pertaining to attracting top talent. Here are a few of the many responses:

Craig Stout, CEO, Stout, Risius, Ross: It is all about the core values of the firm and who they are. Retain the best things from large firms and leave the worst things. Be super transparent, follow open book management and create a team environment. I have the most luck when someone in the firm knows a potential new hire. If it doesn’t feel right don’t do it.

Tomer Yogev, CEO, TandemSpring: Strength-based leadership development is key. Most people are aware of what they are not good at. It’s about getting in touch with individual strengths and understanding the things that people are strong at and bring that to the forefront.

Entrepreneurs at the Executive Luncheon were asked how to best navigate growth and what they wish they had done differently. Here are some of their responses:

James Scherzinger, Managing Partner, Cray, Kaiser, Ltd: I would have spent more money and time on staffing needs. Also, trying to leverage our staff to a greater degree, get them acquainted with softer skills and groom everyone for leadership roles.

Ryan Mannion, EVP & Brand Strategy, Symmetri Marketing Group: There is no need to grow so quickly. I suggest building capabilities one at a time and get focused around specific verticals. Scaling knowledge and expertise is important. Focus on the right clients.

Thank you to all who attended!

If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees and are interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.

TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List

Bob Berland, President, Berland Communications

Barbara Best, President, Capital Strategies Investment Group LLC

Bruce Billmeyer, Partner, BCU Risk Advisors

Jake Dayan, CEO, Community Tax

Brian Deutsch, Founder, XV Venture Capital

Andrew Maloney, Owner, CNS+T

Mike LaVista, Founder, Caxy

Amy Leafe McCormack, CEO, McCormack Schreiber Legal Search

Mohammed Saleem, President, AES Services

Ann Simms, COO, American Planning Association

Kathy Steele, Founder & CEO, Red Caffeine

Craig Stout, CEO, Stout Risius Ross

Rosemary Swierk, CEO, Direct Steel & Construction

Tomer Yogev, CEO, TandemSpring

TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List

Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle

Mark Bromberg, Director of Operations, GKIC

David Diamond, Managing Partner, Kutchins, Robins & Diamond

Morrie Elstein, Vice President, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors

James & Michele Gustin, CEO and President, Fig Media

Ryan Mannion, EVP & Brand Strategy, Symmetri Marketing Group

Dan Porcaro, CEO, PSM Partners

Mark Rickmeier, CEO, Table XI

Arabel Alva Rosales, President and CEO of AAR & Assocs. Ltd, Co-founder, Principal and Producer of Latino Fashion Week

Jonathan Rothstein, Senior Vice President, MB Financial Bank

Michael Rothstein, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Tabet DiVito & Rothstein

James Scherzinger, Managing Partner, Cray, Kaiser, Ltd

Joanna Sobran, CEO, MXOtech

The April executives networking events brought together many new entrepreneurs to grow their networks and walk away with tangible knowledge. The Executives Breakfast and Luncheon created a convenient environment for entrepreneurs to offer valuable advice and build strategic connections.

At the Executives Breakfast, guests were prompted with the question: What are your best practices surrounding networking? Here are a few of the many responses:

Morrie Elstein, Vice President, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors: Take the high road and become a trusted partner. Everyone is always thinking about how to grow their business, and who their next client will be. Separate yourself by offering to help them grow their company. “How can I help you grow your business?”

Mark Meyer, President, ICI Staffing/E&M Development: Follow through on what you say you’re going to do, as it helps build your reputation and credibility. Also, reconnect with those who have supported you in the past. He jokingly added, “Attach yourself to Bill Himmelstein’s hip!”

Bill Himmelstein offered another discussion question at the Executives Luncheon: Most pivotal experience that has changed you and shaped the way you do business? Here are a few of their responses:

Dan Porcaro, CEO, PSM Partners: Listened to the CEO of the company who had a formula for integrating companies with an 80/20 rule. Fire 75% of clients and then over serve your current clients. About 90% of revenue comes from the top 25% of clients. Focus assets on the most essential revenue streams.

Joanna Sobran, CEO, MXOtech: Read the Pumpkin Plan. If you fill your land with lots of little pumpkins, then the big ones will have no room to grow.

Thank you to all who attended!

If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees and are interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.

TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List

Bruce Billmeyer, Partner, BCU Risk Advisors

Andrew Boron, President, Clear Spring

Steve Brown, CEO, Stratego Partners

Harry Cendrowski, CEO, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors

Jake Dayan, CEO, Community Tax

Morrie Elstein, Vice President, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors

Dave Feder, Principal, Office Revolution

Jon Fieldman, Managing Partner, Fieldman Law Group

Ben Fornell & Mike Dawson, Co Founder & CEO, Shurpa, Inc.

Keith Glantz, President, Glantz Design

Kevin Krumm, CEO, Objective Paradigm

Josh Lucas-Falk, Managing Director, Moment

Ben Olson, Managing Director, Forrest Capital Management

Mike O’Meara, CEO, O’Meara Capital Group

Paul Pagel, CEO, 8th Light

John Posner, CEO, Harrison & Held

Victoria Rock, CEO, Victoria Legal & Corporate Services

Joanna Sobran, CEO, MXO Tech

Craig Stout, CEO, Stout Risius Ross

Jon Talty, Chairman & CEO, OKW Architects

Robert R. Topping, CFA, CEO, Topping Capital

Ivan Vislavskiy, CEO, Comrade Web Agency

Rob Wilson, President, The Wilson Companies

Nick Zagotta, Managing Partner, Roberts McGivney Zagotta

TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List

Jeff Asperger- Meltzer, Purtille and Stelle, LLC

Daniel R. Bryant- Chief Executive Officer Sheridan Road Financial, LLC

Elizabeth Colón – President and CEO of Metaphrasis Language & Cultural Solutions

Zak Dabbas- Co Founder & CEO of Punchkick Interactive

Morrie Elstein

Slava Ruderman- President of Onward Technologies

Donna Salvatore- CEO Magalytics

Marne Smiley- CEO Bumper Lanes

Karen Todd- Principal Aurore Financial Group

Ryan Ventura- CEO of VEO Solutions

Insightful discussions bloomed at the Tenant Advisory Group Executives Breakfast and Luncheon in March. At each of these events, entrepreneurs offered valuable advice prompted by a discussion question led by Bill Himmelstein.

At the Executives Breakfast, guests were asked: How do you help your employees be more successful? Here are a few of the many responses.

Jeff Bartelt, CEO, MidwestHR: You should communicate your vision for your company. Employees have a personal vision of where they want to be, so it’s important to align your visions and make sure to share goals and values at the beginning.

Steve Krull, CEO & Co-Founder, BeFoundOnline: A company’s culture can’t be contrived. You must put your values on the wall and wear them on your sleeve, as well as follow through on your promises. Being successful means believing in yourself and the people around you.

Entrepreneurs in attendance at the Executives Luncheon shared their advice based on the discussion question: What does success look like to you? Here are a few of their responses.

Steve Gustafson, Managing Partner, Gould & Ratner: It’s about creating ongoing relationships. The key to success is to be a long-term team member for their clients.

Rob Sprague, COO, Smart Lift: For a company to be profitable, build a healthy culture that develops people to be successful in business and life. Lead from your strengths and outsource your weaknesses.

Thank you to all who attended!

If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees and are interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.

TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List
Jeff Bartelt, CEO, MidwestHR
Martha Bell, Principal, Tilton, Kelly & Bell

Bruce Billmeyer, Partner, BCU Risk Advisors

Richard Carden, Managing Partner, MBHB
Bob Domenz, CEO, Avenue

Brad Farris, CEO, Anchor Advisors

Steve Gustafson, Managing Partner, Gould & Ratner

William D. Himmelstein, CCIM, CNE, Founder & CEO, Tenant Advisory Group, LLC
Rhonda Jensen, President, Jensen Litigation Services

Steve Krull, CEO & Co-Founder, BeFoundOnline

Joe Liberty, COO, Better Business Planning

Larry Marin, Vice President, Near North National Title

Chris Miller, Managing Partner, Kelley Kronenberg
John Naughton, Vice President, Juneau Associates

Adriano Pedrelli, Impact Polymer LLC

Mark Rickmeier, CEO, Table XI

Ken Thompson, Managing Director, Level X Consulting

Keith Verisario, President, Wine Sergi Insurance

Haskel Weiss, President, TWG Benefits
Jonathan Weiss, Managing Partner, Levin Ginsburg

TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List

Joe Alioto, Managing Director, Madison Street Capital

Stuart Baum, President, Large Pond

Laurel Bellows, Managing Partner, Bellows Law Group

David Diamond, Managing Partner, Kutchins, Robins & Diamond

Morrie Elstein, Vice President, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors

Steve Gustafson, Managing Partner, Gould & Ratner

William D. Himmelstein, CCIM, CNE, Founder & CEO, Tenant Advisory Group, LLC
Tom Madura, Controller, Carroll Seating Company

Jordan Matyas, CEO, 1818 Advocacy Group

Dan Porcaro, CEO, PSM Partners

Jonathan Rothstein, SVP, MB Financial Bank

Mohammed Saleem, President, AES Services

Joanna Sobran, CEO, MXOtech

Rob Sprague, COO, Smart Lift

Jordan Weiner, President, Internet Consulting Inc