Growth + Exit

Susan Kearney is the Managing Director, Board Member, and Partner at Newport LLC, a business advisory firm helping middle-market companies grow and exit. Before Newport, she was the COO of Network for Good, where she achieved 40% annual recurring revenue growth, and the Co-founder of Voxant, a digital media company acquired by Blinkx. Susan also held executive positions at Paragren Technologies an...

Mark Bealin is the Founder and CEO of SearchLab, a digital marketing agency specializing in local SEO and paid search. Under his leadership, the company was awarded Microsoft Advertising's 2022 Global Emerging Partner of the Year Award and appeared on the Inc. 5000 list. With over a decade of experience as a search marketer, Mark specializes in SEO, paid search, analytics, and entrepreneurship. In...

John Fairclough is the Founder of Resicom Group, a facility maintenance, construction, and brand-protection company that helps retailers optimize and maintain their store environments. Under his leadership, the company evolved from a local construction company into an international provider of facility maintenance and construction services. John has also been inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepr...

Joe Flanagan is a Growth Partner at Distributed Ventures, an early‑stage venture capital firm. He is also the former Chairman of Acquirent, which he sold in November 2025, a leading provider of outsourced sales and marketing services. With over 25 years of experience founding and scaling sales‑driven businesses, Joe also built and led JP Flanagan Corporation into one of Chicago's largest insurance...

Tom Parker is the Co-founder and CEO of Alined Consulting Group, LLC, an IT consulting and staffing firm that helps organizations align talent, technology, and strategic execution. Before co-founding Alined, he held leadership roles at companies such as Hirewell and York Solutions, LLC. Tom is also a board member for ELEVATE, Alined Consulting Group's networking organization for IT leaders and exe...

Craig Snyder is the Chairman and Founder of VIKOR, a full-service wireless infrastructure construction company that builds and services telecommunications, renewables, and utility infrastructure across the United States. Under his leadership, VIKOR has been named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies list for four consecutive years. Over his more than 30-year career, Craig has emphasized a pe...

Jeff Janicik is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Innoflight, a leading space Non-traditional Defense Contractor (NDC). Under his leadership, Innoflight has partnered with national security programs and commercial space missions. Jeff served in the United States Air Force for 33 years, where he helped pioneer unmanned X-vehicle and advanced satellite communications programs. In this episode… The s...

Stephen Goldberg, CVA, is the Managing Partner of Sun Business Valuations, a boutique firm specializing in valuations and exit-strategy advisory for privately held, middle-market companies. With over 30 years of M&A and business valuation experience, he has overseen more than 250 company sales and provided valuation consulting to over 1,000 clients nationwide. Stephen is a frequent lecturer and wr...

Kevin Fleming is a Partner at Newport LLC, a business advisory firm helping middle-market companies grow and exit. He is also a Chief Financial Officer and board member at ThinkBio. AI, an AI technology enablement firm. Previously, Kevin was the President and Turnaround Executive Leader at Paradigm, a full risk-bearing accountable care organization specializing in catastrophic injury and chronic p...

Kyle Marinkovich is the Founder and CEO of Northern Diversified Solutions, which specializes in hemp-derived functional specialty ingredients and emulsions. Before founding Northern Diversified Solutions, he held leadership roles at Cargill, Inc., where he focused on commercial development of food-ingredient solutions. With over two decades of experience in ingredient science, Kyle serves on Minne...

Whitney Opperman is the General Manager of Opperman & Son, Inc., a fourth-generation family-owned dealership that provides new and used heavy trucks, trailers, parts, and repair services. She joined the business in 2013 as an inside sales rep focused on new equipment before leading daily operations. Whitney's leadership emphasizes the company's core values of quality, service, and integrity. In th...

Kelly Schrad is the Founder and Chairman of DataVizion, a managed IT solutions and cybersecurity firm. He is also the CEO of CapStone Technologies, LLC, and has spent more than 25 years building technology-driven businesses. As the Owner and Senior Advisor of The Owner's Advisory, Kelly also supports business owners in value-building and exit planning. In this episode… Founders often struggle to g...

Anand Basu is the Managing Partner of QRKY, an advanced multimedia QR creation software. Previously, he was the Senior Vice President of ICF, a leading global solutions and technology provider that acquired  ESAC, where he served as President. Anand has experience in technology, informatics, and public health. In this episode… Many entrepreneurs excel in the technical aspects of their business, ye...

Tom Carney is the CEO of Royal Basket Trucks, a leading producer of carts, trucks, and containers. Under his leadership, the company has grown into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Before Royal Basket Trucks, Tom worked at Deloitte & Touche in tax management and served as the Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer at Fluid Management. In this episode… Lasting business growth and impact don't co...

Matt Vuckov is the Co-founder and CEO of TalentCraft, a recruiting firm focused on placing technical, engineering, and life sciences talent. With over 14 years of expertise in talent acquisition and workforce solutions, he's built TalentCraft's reputation for delivering high-quality candidates to organizations undergoing digital transformation. He is also the US Staffing Leaders Founding Member at...

Stephen Brent May is the Co-founder and Chief Strategist at One Foot Over, a digital agency that delivers strategy-led marketing for B2B tech companies. He is also the President-Elect of the Professional Chapters Council at the American Marketing Association. With over 17 years of experience in marketing and communications, Stephen held leadership roles in hospitality marketing and served as the M...

RJ Blake, CPA, is the President and CEO of Blake Willson Group (BWG), a veteran-owned CPA firm providing professional and technology solutions to federal defense, intelligence, and civilian agencies. As a combat veteran, he has experience with Big Four audits and advisory practices. Before Blake Willson Group, RJ served as a team leader in the US Army's 10th Mountain Division, where he led counter...

Tim Hohman is the Co-founder and CEO of CodeCargo, an AI-powered workflow automation tool for GitHub. He is also the Co-founder and former CEO of BoxBoat Technologies, a DevOps and container services firm that was acquired by IBM in 2021. Before BoxBoat, Tim founded Triad Technology Partners and held leadership roles at IBM, BMC, Oracle, and Ariba. In this episode… Scaling a business often comes w...

Mohammad Elias is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of RELI Group, a government contracting firm. With over two decades of experience in federal IT and strategic program delivery, he held senior roles at CMS, where he led efforts to implement mission-critical programs and modernize health IT systems. Mohammad also co-founded the Elias & Sultana Foundation, which supports underserved communities throu...

Jody Jankovsky is the Founder and CEO of Blackline, a strategic technology partner for small- and medium-sized businesses. Under his leadership, Blackline was recognized twice on the Inc. fastest-growing companies list. With over 45 years of experience in business and technology, Jody created the Technology Intelligence (TQ) framework to help organizations regain control over their technology. He...

Kevin Fleming is a Partner at Newport LLC, a business advisory firm helping middle-market companies grow and exit. He is also a Chief Financial Officer and board member at ThinkBio. AI, an AI technology enablement firm. With experience as a CEO and President of middle-market companies, Kevin has held leadership roles at Ernst and Young, Paradigm Management Services, and Loyale Healthcare, working...

Lisa Mascolo is the CEO of Voyatek, a public sector technology firm. With over 30 years of experience in IT leadership, she has held senior roles at IBM, where she led the U.S. Public Service business unit and was a Founding Partner at Accenture, where she managed major federal government accounts. Lisa is also a board member for educational nonprofits and organizations supporting the advancement...

Kevin Poole is the CEO of Newport LLC, a business advisory firm helping middle-market companies grow and exit. He specializes in selling and delivering consulting services and technology-based solutions to Fortune 500 and middle-market companies. With over 30 years of experience, Kevin has held senior leadership roles at General Electric and served as a senior partner at Ernst & Young and Capgemin...

Eric Brown is the Founder and CEO of GO2 Delivery, a courier company specializing in same-day, carbon-neutral logistics for healthcare, B2B, and B2C companies. With over 27 years of experience in the fulfillment and delivery industry, he founded Fulfilltopia, an e-commerce pick and pack fulfillment center, where he managed operations for 12 years. Eric is also the Founder and CEO of Deliver Local,...

Danguole Altman is the President and CEO of Cx Precision Medicine, which develops AI-driven tests to improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. She is also a Partner at Newport LLC. With experience founding, leading, and growing innovative life science and healthcare services companies, Danguole founded Vapogenix, a non-opioid pain therapeutics firm, and co-founded FemPartn...