Chuck is focused and results-oriented with a relaxed coaching style. He is known for his maturity, insight, and clarity in coaching relationships. Working across multiple industries, he has coached leaders navigating mergers, acquisitions, sales, exits and life transitions. Chuck helps executives leverage their personal assets and overcome restraints to achieve powerful outcomes. His extensive background in human behavior significantly enhances the executive coaching experience, particularly for larger organizations and family-owned businesses. His ability to focus and move quickly, along with his expertise in C-level and senior executive coaching, has proven invaluable for expanding executive performance.

Chuck is also a business owner, having led his own counseling and coaching companies with multiple locations and providers in the Chicago area. He served as a board member of the St. George Corporation and Palos Hospital. Chuck has over 25 years’ experience in executive coaching including continuing education in coaching and leadership through Harvard medical school. He is a member of the Family Firm Institute.

Ignacio Mendez is a Tax Principal and heads the Firm’s tax practice. His career of more than 20 years includes middle market-focused CPA firms and the “Big 4.” This unique blend has provided the technical skills and experience to serve many industries, including companies in the technology sector, plus service organizations, retail, manufacturing, real estate, distribution, publishing and financial services. Ignacio has developed a concentration in servicing venture capital and privately held businesses and has experience with the full business cycle from due diligence and start up to exit strategies and mergers. His experience includes mergers and acquisitions, state and local taxation, federal consulting and compliance, financial planning and tax provision reviews.

Jay Leonard is the Managing Director in Bernstein Private Wealth Management’s Chicago office where he oversees Bernstein’s strategy and growth in Chicago and the Midwest markets. As a Senior Principal of the firm & co-leader of the business owner and entrepreneur task force, he also advises clients and their professional advisors regarding asset allocation, investment strategy, tax & estate planning, cash management, business transactions and charitable giving plans. In advising the complex needs of business owners, entrepreneurs and corporate executives, Jay and his team are fully supported by the breadth and expertise of Bernstein’s wealth strategies group and family engagement team.

Prior to joining Bernstein in 2009, Jay was a private wealth advisor at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, advising the firm’s largest private clients. Earlier, he was a strategy consultant with Marsh & McLennan, and before that, a research & trading analyst with the global equity derivatives group at Credit Suisse. Jay earned an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA in finance and economics from Bucknell University, where he also competed as a Division I swimmer.

Jay serves on the board of directors for YPO Chicago-Windy City Chapter and on the membership engagement committee for the Economic Club of Chicago. Additionally, he serves on the board of Entrepreneurial Youth Experience (E.Y.E) at Chicago Hope Academy and is chairman emeritus for the Boy Scouts of America, National Eagle Scout Association (NESA)-Chicago.

He lives in Wilmette, IL, with his wife, Tyra, and their two children. Jay is an avid triathlete, cyclist and loves to surf the oceans whenever offered the opportunity outside of the Midwest. Despite his Chicago ties, Jay can often be found rooting for Philadelphia sprots teams, his hometown.

Kevin Slaughter is a Leader in the Corporate Practice Group, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the food and beverage industry. Kevin represents buyers, sellers, and investors in complex deals across the manufacturing and service sectors of the industry. Beyond M&A, he is a trusted advisor on commercial agreements, including supplier, co-packing, manufacturing, and distribution agreements.

Clients turn to Kevin not only for his deep legal and business acumen but also for his pragmatic and proactive approach. With years of experience navigating intricate transactions, he anticipates potential issues before they arise and delivers clear, strategic solutions. His ability to distill complex legal matters into straightforward, actionable advice makes him an invaluable asset to clients, whether they are negotiating a high-stakes acquisition or structuring a critical commercial contract.

Additionally, Kevin has developed a strong reputation in the cannabis industry, advising clients on regulatory compliance, corporate governance, license applications, and ESOP transactions.

What truly sets Kevin apart is his collaborative and personable style. In high-pressure deal environments, he remains composed, focused, and importantly someone you want in the trenches with you. He listens intently, prioritizes what matters most to his clients, and brings a sense of humor and perspective to even the most intense negotiations. His ability to build trust, foster connections, and get deals done efficiently makes him a go-to attorney for clients across industries.

Mark has more than 30 years experience starting, buying, building, operating and selling businesses in numerous sectors. His businesses have employed as few as 5 people and as many as 1500. To Pursant, he brings both experiential knowledge as well as an academic background that provides a foundation for the often business-critical strategic initiatives with which clients entrust the firm.

Mark is a Certified M&A Advisor through the AM&AA and a Harvard Business School alumni. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), serving in numerous governance roles including Central US Region Chairman, Chair of the YPO Deal Global Business network and Chapter Chair for the Chicago Windy City and Heartland Chapters.

Mark is an active public speaker, presenting on a variety of M&A and Strategic Transaction related topics. He serves on many private company and charitable boards. When not steering the direction of the firm, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and four children. He is a competitive CrossFit athlete and also enjoys auto racing, mountain climbing and high adrenaline adventures.

Richard Weaver is a Senior National Director of Executive Services at the Institute for Business Owners and Corporate Executives. Richard counsels private business owners, public corporate executives and holders of concentrated equity positions. He provides wealth planning solutions that address the complexities of business sales, stock and option compensation, and equity risk management. Previously, he was a senior portfolio manager, responsible for communicating the firm’s capital markets outlook, investment strategy and rationale for current positioning in global equity, fixed income and alternative asset portfolios.

Richard joined Bernstein in January 2004 from Prudential Securities, where he headed the Private Wealth Management effort and managed the firm’s Executive Services and Strategies Group. His extensive career in capital markets includes roles in investment banking, risk arbitrage, equity derivatives and structured products.

Richard earned a BS in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from New York University.

Rob leads Levenfeld Pearlstein’s Independent Sponsor team, co-leads its Private Equity team, and previously served as chair of the Corporate Practice Group.

His practice focuses on M&A, private equity, and corporate transactions in the middle market and lower middle market across multiple industries throughout the United States. He has extensive experience leading a wide spectrum of complex transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, minority investments, joint ventures, recapitalizations, restructurings, securities offerings, and other business transactions.

Rob takes a client-centric approach and combines his deep transaction experience, legal knowledge, and business acumen to focus on the issues that matter to help his clients achieve successful outcomes that align with their business, risk tolerance, and objectives.

Rob has been recognized in mergers and acquisitions and corporate law by the Legal 500, Super Lawyers and Leading Lawyers.

Scott is a Managing Director with Pursant, responsible for guiding business owners through strategic transaction events, including acquisitions and exits/divestitures.

He is a seasoned financial executive and M&A advisor, spending the first decade of his career at Ernst & Young, the second decade working within private equity organizations including American Capital (NASDAQ: ACAS), Sterling Partners and Access Holdings and the last decade with Pursant.

Both prior to and while with Pursant, Scott has built and led teams focusing on; executing strategic transactions, pre-acquisition diligence, performing enterprise/equity valuations, enhancing portfolio company governance, processes, human capital and financial reporting and preparing for financing, liquidity and exit events.

Scott also held Board of Director positions and operating positions as part of executive management teams. In these roles, Scott designed and executed strategic operating and value creation plans, managed all aspects of the financial, accounting, and treasury functions as well as drove all financing and M&A processes.

Steven Weiss is a partner in Levenfeld Pearlstein’s Corporate Group and has spent the duration of his legal career with the firm.

Steven’s practice focuses on representing a wide range of clients – including closely held businesses, sophisticated private investors, family offices, financial sponsors, real estate investors, entrepreneurs, start-ups and emerging companies – in complex business transactions. He also serves as “outside general counsel” for a number of his clients.

Steven has particular experience representing national and regional insurance brokers, including retail, wholesale, and specialty brokers, program administrators, and third-party administrators, in M&A and other strategic transactions.

Because he understands how a single transaction fits into the larger organization, Steven takes a big-picture approach when advising clients on business transactions and he approaches his work with pragmatism and diligence.

Steven has been with Miller Cooper for over 12 years and works directly with clients to facilitate consulting services and compliance. He serves a variety of clients in the technology, professional services, and manufacturing industries in the closely held business market. In servicing his clients, he provides tax structuring consulting as well as federal, state, and local tax compliance. In addition to serving the closely held business market, Steven specializes in mergers and acquisitions and equity-based compensation.

Tom is a senior member of the Executive Education team at the Kellogg School of Management where he designs, delivers, serves as academic director, and teaches in executive education programs for entrepreneurs and senior leaders of well-known, established companies. His areas of expertise include private equity, capital markets, finance, strategic planning, growth strategies, organizational structure, and entrepreneurship.

He is a seasoned business professional with over 30 years of experience providing various capital and advisory services to middle market, lower-middle market and high growth-potential companies, primarily in the manufacturing, distribution, physician practice, and business to business service sectors. Tom founded TMT Capital Partners, LLC, a private investment and advisory firm that works closely with companies and their management teams to achieve profitable business growth.

Prior to founding TMT Capital, he held the position of Principal at Golub Capital, providing senior debt, junior debt, and equity capital to middle market companies. He joined the firm in 2004 to establish and build the firm’s Chicago office, make new investments, and participate in portfolio management. Before Golub Capital, he was a Vice President with Pfingsten Partners, L.L.C., an operationally–oriented, middle market private equity firm focused on making control investments in middle market companies in the manufacturing, distribution, and publishing sectors. Before Pfingsten, he was a Vice President at LaSalle Bank, N.A., providing credit and non–credit financial solutions to middle market manufacturing, distribution and service businesses.

In addition to serving on multiple for-profit and not-for-profit Boards, he is actively engaged with organizations and activities that promote economic development and profitable business growth. He is a past-president and former Executive Committee Member of the Chicago Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (“ACG”), and remains involved various leadership roles within the Chapter.