Michael Kent

START-UPS  •  TURNAROUNDS  •  RESTRUCTURING  •  GROWTH INITIATIVES

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PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

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•  Experienced senior executive with a talent for growing profitable customer-focused businesses through hands-on

    leadership of people, processes, and projects.

•  Career history of starting and building three separate companies into leaders in the marketing services, consumer/retail,     and healthcare

   staffing industries. 

•  A strong orientation in business development, marketing, finance, and operations combined with a passion for corporate     culture, client service, and the innovation of products and services.  

•  Skilled at leading rapid growth companies and improving the operational and financial performance of under

   performing organizations.

 

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AREAS OF EXPERTISE

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• ​Asset & Liability Management      •   Mergers & Acquisitions                  •   Information Technology Initiatives

• Bank & Board Relations                 •   Operations Management              •   Revenue Growth

• Branding & Marketing Strategy    •   Organizational Restructuring         •   Coaching & Mentoring

• Business Development                  •   Product & Service Innovation        •   Strategic Alliances

• Change Management                     •   Profit & Loss Improvement            •   Strategic Planning

• Culture Development                     •   Relationship Building                       •   Team Building

          

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NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 

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• Created PromoWorks, LLC, a marketing services company, and directed the growth of the organization from start-up to an industry leader generating $172M in revenues and $19M in EBIDTA within seven years.  Sold to private equity

 

 

• Created Sunflower Marketplace Solutions, LLC, a marketing services company, and directed the growth of the organization from start-up to $38M in revenues within four years.  Sold to strategic acquirer.

 

• Chairman and founding investor of Med Staff On-Call, LLC, a leading medical staffing company providing quality healthcare professionals that deliver exceptional service to 60+ hospitals in the Midwest.  Acquired Healthcare Personnel, Inc. in 2013, integrated the companies, and tripled revenues in 2014.

 

• Completed 21 separate acquisitions on the buy and sell side totaling over $150M.   Vertically integrated each acquisition into the company's operations, technology, finance, and revenue platforms.  

 

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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

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Skyline Global Partners, LLC

Chicago, IL

 

Advisor

2013 - Present

 

Working with Skyline Global Partners to identify growth platforms in the Marketing Services, Consumer Packaged Goods, and Healthcare verticals. We are backing strong executive teams with Management Buyouts, Recapitalizations, and Growth Equity. We target companies with revenues of $20-$100 million, EBITDA of $3-$15 million, and those with a large growing market that have a product/service differentiation and advantage.

 

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Med Staff On-Call, LLC

Chicago, IL

 

Executive Chairman

2010- Present

 

Executive Chairman and Principal Owner of a leading medical staffing company providing quality healthcare professionals that deliver exceptional service to 60+ hospitals and clinicks in the Midwest. 

 

• Restructured the company's financial and operating systems, reversing previous profit losses.

• Licensed proprietary staffing technology to a healthcare aggregator that was acquired by publicly traded company.

• Acquired Healthcare Personnel, Inc. in 2013, combining two premiere organizations with one of the largest talent pools of quality healthcare professionals, tripled revenues in 2014

 

Growth Performance Advisors , LLC

Chicago, IL 

 

President & Chief Growth Officer

2010 - Present

 

Growth Performance Advisors is a management consulting firm empowering founders, management teams, and investors of entrepreneurial enterprises in the areas of Corporate Strategy, Business Development, Process Engineering and Enterprise Value Creation. 

 

• Guided a leading marketing service company through a request for proposal with a Fortune 500 Consumer Packaged Goods manufacturer that resulted in a 5 year $75M contract.

• Repositioned an advertising agency to take advantage of their cross-cultural expertise and guided the owners to achieving their Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification.

• Developed an outbound sales strategy for a leading technology company that was solely reliant upon SEO for their revenues. Re-Branded their positioning resulting in the company doubling their revenues from the previous year.

• Generated over $150M in new revenues for clients since inception.

 

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PROMOWORKS, LLC 

Schaumburg, IL

 

Chief Executive Officer

2006 - 2010  

 

Created vision, strategy, and leadership for the largest product sampling and demonstration provider to Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods companies and leading grocery, mass merchant, home improvement and drug retailers in the U.S. and Canada. Key focus on driving revenue growth, increasing EBITDA, maximizing capital allocation, establishing a collaborative culture, and building a strong management team to execute the company’s strategy. Managed $35M operating budget and directed a 15 person executive management team. One of three founders and partners of the company.

 

• Took PromoWorks from concept to a successful business enterprise and industry leader generating $172M in revenues and $19M in EBIDTA within seven years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Saved $5M annually in operating costs that went directly to the bottom-line, by consolidating company’s 18 acquisitions and corporate operations to headquarters. Established a more streamlined operation, and delivered economies of scale and efficiencies in the organization. 

• Increased profitability 143% within 12 months of hiring seasoned CFO and upgrading an antiquated accounting system to a sophisticated financial reporting system that aligned with requirements of new private equity owners.

• Created HR department that matched needs of company with 500+ FTE and 35,000 PTE, and saved $1M+ annually by hiring seasoned HR executive that implemented HR structure/protocol and renegotiated corporate contracts and insurance policies.

• Conducted road show sale for private equity owners at end of 2007 that produced bids of $200M+, representing a 260% ROI for private-equity within 24 months of acquisition.

 

PROMOWORKS, LLC 

Schaumburg, IL

 

President (1999-2005)

 

Directed sales, marketing, retail operations, and M&A activities. Focused on quickly generating revenues to preserve company’s capital and long-term viability.  Created marketing programs to support internal sales efforts and communicate value proposition to clients, drove business/client diversification initiatives, and changed fragmented operating procedures for program execution process outsourced to local staffing agencies. Managed $28M operating budget.

 

• Led sales efforts that resulted in $127M in annual revenues by 2005, winning multi-year exclusive contracts with Kellogg, Kraft, MARS, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, SC Johnson & Sons, Hershey, and Unilever.

 

 

 

 

 

• Doubled company’s revenues (Additional $40M) in 2003 by creating and building a second division utilizing proprietary technology to capitalize on emerging trend in retail managed programs to win new clients (Walmart, Safeway, Albertsons/Supervalu, Kroger, Publix, Delhaize, The Home Depot, Target).

 

 

 

 

 

• ​Increased gross margins 50%, added $35M in revenues, and gave the company full quality control over program execution upon negotiating and completing the acquisition of 18 promotional staffing agencies to vertically integrate the company’s operations, revenues, and technology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Directed company’s sale to private equity owners in 2005 for a significant return on investment for the company's shareholders.

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INSIGNIA SYSTEMS, INC.

Minneapolis, MN

 

Consultant/Vice President, Sales & Marketing

1999 – 2000

 

Recruited to secure new clients and drive revenue growth for the company’s advertising and promotional products and services to retailers and consumer goods manufacturers. Focused on advancing the sale of POPS, the company’s product/account-specific in-store advertising program.

 

• Drove $2.3M in revenues in the 1st year by winning Procter & Gamble, ConAgra, and Perdue Farms as new clients. Secured test programs for these companies to participate in a pilot research program.

 

• Developed business development strategy of targeting clients that had been locked out of competitive in-store advertising programs through category exclusivity that produced $1M in revenues during the first year.

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COMPUCOOK, INC.

San Francisco, CA

 

Vice President, Sales & Marketing 

1997-1998 

 

• Grew revenues to $2M and expanded retail base from 700 to 3500 retail outlets in two years for an interactive meal solutions kiosk business located in grocery stores across the country.

• Won new clients with Pillsbury, Perdue Farms, ConAgra, and Procter & Gamble.

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SUNFLOWER MARKETPLACE SOLUTIONS, INC.

Overland Park, KS

 

​Founder/Vice President, Sales & Marketing

1992-1996

 

• ​Launced and built in-store sampling and demonstration company from startup to $38M in revenues in four years.

• Won business from Hillshire Farms, Frito-Lay, and Pillsbury. 

• Delivered first $10M annual contract from Pillsbury.  Acquired by the Sunflower Group in 2003. 

• Restructured business development strategy to gain synergies of combined services and expanded client base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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MEDIAONE, INC.

Chicago, IL

 

Region Manager

1991-1992

 

Responsible for developing the database of participating grocery retailers in the Midwest Region for the company's in-store advertising program.

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GLAXO SMITHKLINE, INC.

Pittsburgh, PA

 

Key Account Manager

1987-1991

 

Excelled in consumer packaged goods sales in the Chicago/Milwuakee market.  Held positions as territory manager and key account manager with Jewel and Dominicks.  Opened Wolworths as a direct customer.  Promoted after 18 months of hire to key account manager.

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EDUCATION

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• B.S., Finance - NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, DeKalb, IL (1987)

• Earned full scholarship as a walk-on and starter for the Northern Illinois University Football Team

 

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BOARD MEMBERSHIPS

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PromoWorks, LLC

Schaumburg, IL

 

Vice Chairman

1999-2013

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HONORS & REWARDS

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• Entrepreneur Magazine - D&B's Hot 100 Fastest Growing New Businesses in America (#3, June 2004)

• Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award - Marketing Services/Great Lakes Region (2005)

• Promo Magazine - Top 100 Promotion Agencies 2004-2007 (#2, 2007)

• Crain's Chicago - "Fast 50" Fastest Growing Companies (#9, 2007)

• Crain's Chicago - List of "Chicago's Largest Privately Held Companies" (2004 - 2010)

• Better Business Bureau "Golden Torch" Award for Marketplace Ethics (2008)

• CNN Headline News Feature - "Innovators" (2008)