Lunch & Learn: Business Planning - You Really Need to do It

Mr. Brian Bach is a Director and Shareholder at Michigan CFO Associates. Brian brings a passion for working with small businesses helping them plan and achieve their financial goals. He brings over 30 years of finance and operational experience including positions as an , Operations Manager, Controller and Chief Financial Officer. Brian holds a MBA and a BBA in Finance.

Maria Duey is a seasoned financial executive with over 25 years of experience, including 20 years as an NYSE public company senior executive in mergers and acquisitions and investor relations. With experience spanning across several industries, including automotive and building products, she is a demonstrated strategic thinker with broad operational strategy experience, analytical problem-solving expertise and relationship building skills. She has a strong financial and operational skill set, executing M&A transactions in domestic and global markets and developing and implementing strategic plans for manufacturing/industrial companies and their divisions, ranging in size from $1 million to over $1 billion. In 2015, she was integral to the NYSE public offering of an $800 million company and was instrumental in developing a strategic plan for the newly formed company. She is known for her integrity and common sense and has significant corporate governance experience through her board interaction at the executive level, along with her work on non-profit boards.

Maria Duey is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Leonine Advisory + Support Services, a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions for small businesses, private equity firms and family offices. She works with companies to manage the strategic planning process, delivering a set of tools to provide the foundation for strategy, a framework for organization and alignment, and a system for execution, in addition to helping assess and grow the acquisition deal pipeline.

Joseph Presutti is a Founding Partner of K2 Growth Partners. K2 Growth Partners focuses on majority-control investments in family-owned businesses with less than $100MM in annual revenue. Prior to co-founding K2GP, Joseph spent his career investing in U.S. industrial businesses. Joseph has experience investing in and growing businesses in a wide range of industries including plastics and composites, hospitality, automotive, food and beverage, and building products, among others. Joseph most recently worked for nearly a decade at Blackford Capital, a lower-middle market private equity firm. During his time at Blackford Capital, Joseph led the firm’s Deal Execution Team where he was responsible for all business development, deal origination, and transaction execution. Joseph also was responsible for portfolio company governance and oversight of several companies within the firm’s portfolio which involved active management of the businesses at an executive and board level.

James A. TenBrink graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He is currently continuing his education by pursuing a Master of Jurisprudence in Business Law & Compliance at Loyola University Chicago.

Mr. TenBrink serves as the Director of Business Development for Waséyabek Development Company (WDC). Prior to his current position, Mr. TenBrink served as the Director of Operations for WDC and as a WDC Board Member. He also serves on the Whitehall School District Board of Education.

Mr. TenBrink opened his first business in 2005 as a chemical distributor, serving most of Michigan. As President of the company, he successfully grew the distribution business into four other ancillary businesses. After downsizing the operation in 2012, his focus became the manufacturing operation and mentoring young entrepreneurs in West Michigan. With first-hand expertise gained managing a multi-million dollar corporation, Mr. TenBrink has experience with mergers, acquisitions, and start-ups. He also brings a proven track record in business planning, cash flow management, product development, and resource allocation.

Mr. TenBrink is a Tribal Member of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) and father to three Tribal Members. He has been happily married since 2000 and enjoys coaching soccer, fishing, and spending time on the water with his family.

Clayton is Managing Director of DWH’s Detroit office and leader of DWH’s Tribal Economic Development practice. He has over 14 years of experience in financing, underwriting, loan syndications, mergers and acquisitions and Tribal economic development.  

Prior to joining DWH Clayton served as the Vice Chairman of the Board for a Tribal economic development company where he helped develop and implement the strategic plan which included investments in commercial operating companies, investment real estate and the development of a federal contracting arm under the Small Business Administration 8(a) program. Clayton has also gained extensive experience in the capitalization of commercial entities when he served as the Primary Loan Officer for clients with middle market and large corporate profiles. His industry experience as a loan officer ranges from manufacturing companies to Tribal-owned casinos where he provided capital for strategic acquisitions and other corporate growth needs.

Clayton earned his BBA in Accounting from Western Michigan University and MBA with a Finance Concentration from Wayne State University.