Ann Thoma - The 1st half of Ann's 30-year career was in operations, where she came to CEO attention – as an expert implementer – known for practical solutions. Prior to joining Joseph Associates, Ann was corporate spokesman for publicly traded companies, operating in the U.S. and abroad, including United Airlines, Illinois Central Railroad, and Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation defining and communicating the investment thesis, including the key operating drivers of cash flow. Ann also represents companies and individuals seeking to acquire businesses. She particularly enjoys helping first-time buyers navigate the intricacies to achieving successful business ownership. Ann consults on business planning, intellectual capital, and corporate communication. She was awarded an MBA, with honors, from the University of Chicago. Ann is a licensed business broker.
Joe McCaul is the president and founder of Joseph Associates International, Inc. He holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and engineering degrees from the Polytechnic Institute of NYU. Joe has also earned the M&A Sources’ advanced designation of Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary now held by fewer than 100 individuals worldwide and has been admitted to American Mensa. Joe previously had been a Group VP and board member of EVALCA, the US subsidiary of a publicly-traded Japanese chemical company. Before joining EVALCA, Joe spent 16 years with British Petroleum (formerly Standard Oil of Ohio). He led the international sales and licensing activities for one of their specialty chemical businesses. During his tenure in the corporate world, he was able to visit and do business in more than 40 countries. Joe has served on the board of directors for the World Trade Center of Illinois and DuPage Executive Network. He is a member of the M&A Source, International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) as well as Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries (MBBI).
Zane Cohn has provided a broad range of sophisticated legal & intermediary services primarily to owners of closely-held businesses for 40 years. His client firms have been in a broad range of industries and sizes. They have included domestic and foreign purchasers & sellers of businesses; enterprises engaged in recapitalizations, workouts and restructurings. He has helped arrange equity and debt financings and has been licensed as a business broker since the inception of the Illinois Business Broker Act of 1995. Mr. Cohn received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1967. He is a member of the American Bar Association's Federal Regulation of Securities Committee and past Chairman of the Illinois State Bar Association's Corporations, Securities and Business Law Section Council. He is also a member of the Association for Corporate Growth, Midwest Business Brokers & Intermediaries and the Turnaround Management Association.
Joe Farinella has been an entrepreneur his entire career, consistently producing outstanding financial results by successfully forecasting business and market trends. In 1982, Joe founded Zanzara International, Ltd. – a men’s accessory design and manufacturing company based in Chicago. In nearly two decades, Joe grew annual revenues to $10+ million using both the Zanzara brand as a private label vehicle as well as through various licensing agreements. Joe served as the lead negotiator in the sale of the company in November 1999. Since the sale of Zanzara, Joe has consulted a number of clients in the furniture, housewares and fashion industries in the areas of sales and distribution, operations, marketing, design, licensing and merchandising. He is a member of MBBI, IBBA and holds a B.S. in Marketing from Northern Illinois University. Joe is also a licensed Illinois Real Estate Agent.
John Lafferty has been a business advisor to corporate and privately held business enterprises for more than 40 years. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Bradley University in Peoria and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University in Boston. He is currently a member the International Business Brokers Association and several professional organizations including The Illinois CPA Society, Midwest Society of Professional Consultants, MBBI, Turnaround Management Association and The Midwest Entrepreneurs’ Forum.
Dr. Craig McCall advises senior managers, business owners and investors on the selection, placement and development of talent. He provides assessment solutions and coaches to improve leadership, and has worked with managers through C-suite executives at small to mid size to Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries. Craig earned his Doctorate in Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and a B.A. from Boston College. He is on the adjunct faculty at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and is co-chair of the consulting division of the Illinois Psychological Association.
Ken McCaul is a vice president and officer of Joseph Associates International, Inc. He has been a business broker since 2002 and is also licensed as an Illinois Real Estate Broker. Ken manages the firm’s sell-side business brokerage practice. In addition, he works as a broker on the firm’s buy-side practice helping to identify and pursue acquisition targets for clients.
Ken is a board member of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business' Entrepreneurial Roundtable. As a Roundtable presenter, his program on New Technologies in Marketing drew a record audience. He is a long standing advisory board member for the Naperville Heritage Society and is on the Board of Directors of his homeowner’s association. Ken is also past board member of the Naperville YMCA and the Young Professionals of the Naperville Chamber of Commerce. Ken holds a BS in marketing from the University of South Florida.
Bill Price is an attorney with extensive experience in international and national transactions, capital sourcing and corporate law. He currently serves as the Chairman for the Corporation, Securities, and Business Law Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association. He is an Adjunct Professor, High Technology Entrepreneurship and Business Law with the Illinois Institute of Technology. Bill chaired the subcommittees of the Secretary of State's Corporation Laws Advisory Committee which drafted the Illinois Limited Liability Companies Act. He is a 1978 graduate of Duke University School of Law, and holds a Masters in Public Policy Sciences from Duke issued that year, as well.
Judith Gabeau is both an Attorney and a Certified Public Accountant. She received her law degree from DePaul University and has a B.A in Psychology from Purdue University. Her main focus is solving the legal/accounting and tax issues associated with buying and selling businesses. She has been an Attorney for over 10 years and a Certified Public Accountant for over 8 years. She currently holds the series 6 and 63 financial planning licenses. Her clients include a variety of businesses, physicians and other medical professionals, as well as high net-worth individuals. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association as well as the Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries (MBBI).
Enrique Posse spent more than a decade working for big multinationals in the Consumer Finance field (HSBC, and Zurich Financial Services) in their IT side first and analytical operations later. Additionally, he has advised real estate and early stage startups in various product and business development capacities. He holds a MS in Management Information Systems from Northern Illinois University and a MBA in Entrepreneurship and Strategy from the University of Chicago. He is fluent in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
Jeff Powell is an attorney and member of the Chicago Bar Association. He holds a B.S. from Indiana University and a J.D. from Valparaiso University. During his academic career, Jeff had ongoing experience with our firm in the role of marketing coordinator. His primary current focus is Enterprise and Exit Planning process for business owners. In this role, he coordinates our efforts to identify and materialize the client’s goals relative to what is usually the most important economic event of their lives – the successful transition out of their business. Jeff’s tenure with our firm has allowed him to see the positive and negative ramifications of Enterprise and Exit Planning and the lack thereof.
Lisa Garling has over 20 years experience in leveraged lending at major international and domestic banks. She specializes in the development, structuring and execution of strategic financing alternatives for commercial clients. As a senior relationship manager she covered clients in a wide variety of industries including, consumer products, manufacturing, distribution, retail, transportation and financial services. Lisa has an MBA is in Finance from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University and a BA is in Economics from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the Turnaround Management Association and Chicago Financial Women.