ACG October Breakfast: Young CEO Panel

Rich is a member of BDO’s Private Client Services Group and is the former leader of the firm’s PassThrough Specialist Group. He has more than 35 years of experience with BDO. Rich specializes in tax and business advisory services with an emphasis on partnerships, S corporations, closely held businesses, and high-net-worth families and family offices. He works with a wide spectrum of companies, consulting on tax and business-related issues and providing assistance with tax and business aspects of mergers and acquisitions for privately held companies and private equity firms. His industry experience includes manufacturing, distribution, government contracting and service organizations. Rich has significant experience in structuring joint ventures and other business combinations both domestically and internationally. This work covers U.S. and foreign income tax issues, as well as wealth transfer tax issues. PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants EDUCATION M.B.A., Grand Valley State University B.S., Ferris State University COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Association for Corporate Growth Western Michigan, Board Member Grand Rapids Public Museum Friends Foundation, Treasurer Public Museum of West Michigan, Treasurer

Mark Hoekstra is the owner and CEO of Hoekstra Truck Equipment and Hoekstra Transportation Companies. Prior to taking the reins of the Company in 2011 at the age of 34, Mark learned the business growing up by working in virtually every position in the Company from stock boy to service technician. As the CEO, Mark constantly challenges the status quo both within his Company and the industry. Under Mark’s leadership the Company has grown over 50% through both product line and geographic expansion. Since 2011, with a keen focus on customer needs and operational efficiency, the Company has been able to capitalize on industry consolidation to expand from a Michigan Company to a mid-west regional operator doing business in Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio. Mark was born and raised in Grand Rapids and attended the University of Illinois where he earned his BA in Business in 1998. Mark is a member of the YPO of West Michigan. In addition to being an avid cyclist and runner, Mark is involved in youth sports with his children and coaches teams in multiple sports.

Christy Malone is the founder and CEO of Smart Bottoms, an international manufacturer of cloth diapers and other parenting essentials. Christy sold her last company, West Michigan Moms Sale, five years ago to devote more time and energy to her rapidly expanding natural parenting company. She is a Grand Valley State University graduate with a dual degree in Political Science and Philosophy. She and her husband have two daughters and reside in Ada, Michigan.

James Meeks is the President and Chief Executive Officer of MOVE Systems International, a leading provider of mobile food services and green energy solutions with a smart city platform. Named as one of New York’s top energy entrepreneurs by Breaking Energy, James brings over a decade of international leadership experience within the military, nonprofit, and private sector to his work.

James is a combat veteran. Joining the service after 9/11, he served two tours in Iraq as an armor officer with the U.S. Army and received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Prior to leading MOVE Systems, James led multiple start-ups with 10,000-person divisions operating across the globe. James is committed to the environment, building in America and supporting veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. As a native of Michigan, James was determined to come back to the state to bring these ideas of building a quality product and creating partnerships with local high school STEM programs to plan for the future. James was recently certified through the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency as a Military-Friendly Employer as well. Committed to community service, he is also Co-Founder and Chairman of an international non-profit, the 2Seeds Network which deploys college graduates to lead business development projects with subsistence farmers in East Africa. James graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and received an MBA in global management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Recent Press

http://michiganradio.org/post/michigan-native-and-army-veteran-invest-13-million-grand-rapids-area-plant

http://www.grbj.com/articles/88695-food-cart-manufacturer-expands-west-michigan-plant

http://www.mlive.com/walker/index.ssf/2017/05/west_michigan_company_working.html

To see more press, click HERE