Mark Friedman

Hoover's, Inc. provides on-line business information on corporate finance, news and careers. It provides business information through the Internet, data feeds, wireless devices and co-branding agreements with other online services. The firm provides information for sales, marketing, business development. The company was founded by Patrick J. Spain on February 8, 1990 and is headquartered in Austin, TX.

SMARTANALYST, Inc. provides outsourced research, analytics, and decision support services. It specializes in gene therapy, biomarkers, vaccines and biosimilars. The firm caters advertising agencies, banking institutions and investment firms, hedge funds and marketing consultancies. The company was founded by Ranjit Shastri, James Goldberg and Manu Bammi in 2000 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Opportunity International, Inc. operates as a non profit organization that provides small business loans, savings, insurance and training. It offers micro banking, agriculture finance, and education finance. The company was founded by Al Whittaker and David Bussau in 1971 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Vanco Payment Solutions, Inc. provides payment transaction processing services. It accepts electronic payment including: credit and debit card, electronic check, mobile access webpay, messaging, and through kiosk. The firm also provides service through MyVanco access, an online resource that allows managing electronic payment where payments are entered, reports are generated, and downloaded. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

Owler, Inc. develops crowdsourced competitive intelligence for businesses. It is a free online and mobile source of business information that provides noise-free news alerts, company profiles, and community polls to help busy professionals keep up with the fast pace of business. The company was founded in 2011 by James F. Fowler, Saaed Fattahi, Timothy James Harsch and Rajan Madhavan and is headquartered in San Mateo, CA.

McKinsey & Co., Inc. provides management consulting services. It specializes in design, marketing and sales, analytics, operations, transformation and restructuring, risk, strategy and corporate finance, and sustainability and resource productivity. The company was founded by James O. McKinsey in 1926 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

A.T. Kearney, Inc. engages in the provision of management consulting services. Its services include strategic, operational and technology consulting executive search services. The company was founded by Andrew Thomas Kearney in 1926 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Part of Elliott International Advisors GP LLC, Sachs Group, Inc. is a company that provides marketing services to the healthcare industry. The company is based in Evanston, IL.

Northwestern University is a private institution founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, an area that now includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. Northwestern has three campuses

American Payroll Institute, Inc. Provides accounting services. Its services also include payroll education, membership, professional certification and training. The firm publishes an updated library of publications supporting payroll compliance, research and education. The company was founded by Donald W. Sharper in 1982 and is headquartered in San Antonio, TX.

HighBeam Research LLC operates as an online library and research tool for individuals, students and small businesses. The firm helps customers in writing articles and term papers, support presentations and fact check. The company was founded by Patrick J. Spain in August 2002 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Prism Capital Corp (Prism Capital) is a private equity firm founded in 1993 by Robert Finkel and Blaine Crissman. The firm is headquartered in Glenview, Illinois.

Pegasus Research Group LLC provides end-to-end marketing and sales solutions. The firm offers demand generation, sales pipeline solutions, data quality technology, marketing automation and teleservices. The company was founded by James H. Hooker in 1995 and is headquartered in Phoenix, AZ.

SurePayroll, Inc. provides payroll and accounting services. It offers web-based payroll calculations, tax filing, direct deposit processing, email reminders, and internet reports to small businesses. The firm also offers co-branded and private-label payroll services that allow its partners to offer payroll processing. The company was founded by Scott Wald, Troy Henikoff, and Michael Alter in 2000 and is headquartered in Glenview, IL.

The Executives Club of Chicago operates as a premier membership organization and business forum. The non-profit company is based in Chicago, IL.

Young Presidents' Organization, Inc. is a global leadership community of over 30,000 chief executives from 142 countries. The non-profit company is based in Irving, TX and has a global presence of subsidiaries in several regions. The company's mission is to help its members become better leaders and better people. The company was founded in 1950 by Ray Hickok, Khalid Mohamed Jassem Kanoo. Thayer Smith has been the CEO of the company since 2007.

Nambé Mills, Inc. offers serveware, dining, glassware, kitchen, decor, and jewelry. Its products include bowls, trays & platters, pitchers, serving sets, ice buckets, plates, flutes, vases, ring holders, and cook's tools. The company was founded by Pauline Platt Cable and Paul Cable in 1951 and is headquartered in Santa Fe, NM.

Illinois Venture Capital Association engages in providing services such as education, networking, industry events, roundtable discussions and government lobbying. The company is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Independent Payroll Providers Association provides payroll and HR solutions for all companies. It offers tax, benefits, HR and human capital management services. The company is headquartered in Mission, KS.

The Small Business Investor Alliance is an association of senior investment professionals focused on the lower middle market. The non-profit company is based in Washington and was founded by Jonathan F. Wilson. The American company's public policy goals are focused on maintaining access to growth capital for small businesses to support economic growth and job creation. The company recommends policies to unleash more capital for job creation and economic growth, including encouraging investment in rural business investment companies and venture and growth capital.

bswift LLC provides software and services that streamline benefits, human resources and payroll administration services. It offers critical tasks, including the compilation of your benefit program details and rules, system configuration, data conversion, quality assurance and testing, data exchange and service integrations such as call center. The firm’s solutions cover audits, benchmarking, benefit portal, benefits administration, benefits information system, plan advisor, billing and business process outsourcing. The company was founded by Michael A. Sachs in 1996 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Part of Peer Review Mediation & Arbitration, Inc., Max Systems, Inc. develops medical billing solutions. Max Systems was acquired by Peer Review Mediation & Arbitration, Inc. on April 24, 2008 for $2.25 million.

Part of Exelon Corp., ExTel Corp. LLC is an American company that wholesales groceries.

Newser LLC provides online news services. The firm selects the news stories from hundreds of sources all over the web, reads them for clients, and summarizes them in two succinct, sharply written paragraphs or less. Its signature news grid offers a vivid snapshot of the news of the day in photos, headlines, and pop-up summaries. Newser combines the wisdom of editors and the power of technology, offering a richer, smarter, and more entertaining news experience. The company was founded by Michael Wolff and Patrick J. Spain in 2007 and is headquartered in Miami, FL.

GuideStar USA, Inc. operates as a not for profit organization that gathers, organizes, and distributes information about United States nonprofits. The company was founded by Buzz Schmidt on September 06, 1994 and is headquartered in Williamsburg, VA.

Health Partners, Inc. provides health care services. It offers catastrophic injuries, private home care, lifestyle services and rehabilitation. The company was founded by Mike Gillet in 1990 and is headquartered in Bingham Farms, MI.

AFN LLC provides logistics and transportation services. It offers transportation, cargo, trucking, quote, carrier, and broker services, as well as truckload, partial truckload, LTL, intermodal, and expedited services in North America. The firm also provides managed transportation services, including on-demand TMS, mode optimization and consolidation, shipment planning and execution, carrier procurement and contract management, freight bill audit and payment, network rationalization and modeling, holistic logistics reporting suite, order level financial accrual allocations, and OS&D and claims management. The company was founded by Ryan Daube and Michael Nervick in 2003 and is headquartered in Niles, IL.

Illinois Technology Association engages in the provision of programs and services focused on development, visibility and talent attraction. It focuses on the growth acceleration of technology companies where members benefit from access to programs in three key areas: development, talent, and visibility. The company was founded by Terry Howerton and Fred Hoch in 2005 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

The Tie Bar Operating Co. LLC designs and sells ties, socks, and men’s fashion accessories. Its products include neckties, skinny ties, bow ties, pocket squares, tie bars, socks, accessories, and gifts. The firm offers its products through online. The company was founded by Greg Shugar and Gina Shugar in 2004 and is headquartered in Chicago IL.

Kestrel Capital Group LLC (Kestrel Capital) is a private equity firm founded in 2011 by Bill Harlan and Steve Vivian. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

MAX Digital LLC develops cloud-based digital marketing and retailing software. Its products include MAX Digital and Mobile Showroom, MAX Consumer Tool, MAX for Website 2.0, MAX Ad and MAX Digital Optimization Engine. The firm offers next-generation digital marketing and retail platform to power a consumer-friendly future for automotive retailers. It operates through its offices located in Austin and Chicago. The company was founded in October 2010 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Wavecrest Management Co LLC (Wavecrest Growth Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2016 by Deepak Sindwani and Valibhav Nalwaya. The firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Escalon Services, Inc. handles finance and accounting, human resources, payroll, and benefits for entrepreneurs. The company was founded by Anurag Pal, Avinash Sahai, and Sarah Lerche in 2006 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA.