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2018 C-Suite Awards

By Richard R. Klickirklicki@dailyherald.com

Fifteen Chicago and suburbanexecutives were recognized for theirexcellence in leadership and serviceat the annual C-Suite Awards hostedby the Daily Herald Business Ledgerand its sponsoring partners.More than 120 people heard their

honorees’ stories and celebrated theirsuccess at the NIU Naperville campuson July 26.Themission of the C-Suite Awards is

to honor top executives who contrib-ute to the success of our region’s eco-nomic growth and stability. The hon-orees are executives responsible forthe top management in their com-pany or organization, which must belocated or have a presence in subur-banChicago.Executives were nominated by

their peers and chosen by a panelof Daily Herald Business Ledgerrepresentatives.Keynote speaker Brian Blaha, chief

growth partner of Wipfli CPAs andConsultants, spoke about the increas-ing disruption of technologies in busi-ness, noting that, as leaders, they muststay aware of the changes and usethat as opportunities to make their

business and employees stronger.“If we don’t stay aware of new tech-

nologies, then they will be able tosneak up on us and disrupt our busi-nesses,” Blaha said.He added change provides the

opportunity to “self disrupt” your busi-ness, finding ways to improve yourbusiness, as well as your employeesand future leaders.Many of the honorees echoed the

importance of embracing and dealingwith change.“The strength of America is in this

room,” said John Quigley, presidentand CEO of the Elmhurst Chamberof Commerce. “It’s in the people whostart out small and grow their busi-ness for the next 20 to 30 years.”All the honorees stressed the award

reflects more on the great work doneby their staff than on individualmerits.“This honor isn’t really about me,”

said Terence Felton, CIO of Wau-bonsee Community College in SugarGrove. ”At the end of the day, it’s reallyabout the staff.They do what it takes ...staying late at night, coming in week-ends and holidays ... to make sure thesystem is operating for our faculty andstaff.”Steve Bernas, CEO of the Better

Business Bureau in Chicago, addedthat great business leaders also pos-sess strong ethics.“As leaders in the world today and

as business people in the world today,I ask you to please remember one

thing; Please always be concernedabout your moral compass,” Bernassaid. “Being ethical is one of the mostimportant virtues of every leader, notonly here but across the world.”Jim Muckerheide, CFO of Rose Pav-

ing inBridgeview, suggested the leadersbementors aswell.“Take the time to mentor someone.

It’s one of the greatest experiences youcan do,” he said.

Presenting sponsors for this year’sawards are Wipfli CPAs and Consul-tants, NIU MBA Program, AM560 TheAnswer, andB.Gunther&Company.

Business Ledger honors 15 executivesfor success at work, in the community

At the top of their field

• Stephen Ball, senior vice presi-dent, business banking manager,MB Financial Bank N.A., Chicago• Steve Banke, CEO, 3-Points LLC,Lombard• Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO,Better Business Bureau, Chicago• Terence Felton, CIO, WaubonseeCommunity College, Sugar Grove• Tom Gimbel, founder & owner,LaSalle Network, Chicago• Andrew Hochberg, managingprincipal, managing broker & CEO,Next Realty, Wilmette• Philip Hollyer, CEO, HS2 SolutionsInc., Wheaton• Steve Johnson, president & CEO,Copresco, Carol Stream• Bruce Leon, CEO, TandemHR,

Chicago• Victor Miceli, co-owner, DesPlaines Office Equipment, Elk GroveVillage• Jim Muckerheide, CFO, RosePaving, Bridgeview• John R. Quigley, president & CEO,Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce &Industry• Luis Toledo, CEO & president,Mid-West Moving & Storage andChicago Office Movers, Elk GroveVillage• Gretchen Van Vlymen, vicepresident of human resources,StratEx, Chicago• Lucas VanDeWoestyne, partner,Apex CPAs & Consultants, St.Charles

2018 C-Suite Award honorees

D A N I E L W H I T E / dwhite@dailyherald.com

Brian Blaha, chief growth partner at Wipfli, gives the keynote speech at theDaily Herald Business Ledger C-Suite Awards ceremony at the NIU campusNaperville.

D A N I E L W H I T E / dwhite@dailyherald.com

John R. Quigley, president and CEO ofthe Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce& Industry, is a 2018 honoree at theDaily Herald Business Ledger C-SuiteAwards ceremony at the NIU campusNaperville.

“Being ethical is one of themost important virtues of

every leader, not only here butacross the world.”

- Honoree Steve J. Bernas, president &CEO, Better Business Bureau, Chicago

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Twenty years ago, after serving as CEO ofSportmart and expanding its presence acrossthe country, Andrew Hochberg was searchingfor the answer to the career-altering question:“What’s next?”With a strong financial acumen and great

experience in the selection of prime retail sitesfor Sportmart’s expansions, Hochberg formedNext Realty, a real estate investment and man-agement firm which focused primarily on retailand parking properties across the country.Over the last several years, as the retail indus-

try has experienced significant challenges withthe growth and acceptance of e-commerce andthe need to look outside of traditional solu-tions for retail investment properties, Hoch-berg and Next Realty have embarked on a stra-tegic course tominimize the adverse effect to itsproperties.

2018 C-Suite Awards

Lucas VanDeWoestyne has been a practicingCPA for 17 years, but in 2008 he left the publicsector and pursued private accounting as a con-troller for an engineering and constructionman-agementfirm in the city ofChicago.After two years in Chicago, VanDeWoestyne

started to pursue a position closer to home sohe could spendmore time with his wife and twoyoung children.While interviewing for a control-ler position that was being coordinated by themanaging partner this CPA firm.Though he hadnot planned on re-entering public accounting,Apex presented a unique approach to client ser-vice as compared tootherCPAfirms.Named partner this year, VanDeWoestyne

also serves on the board of directors for the ElginYouth Symphony Orchestra as Treasurer. Heand Apex’s staff volunteer once a year to do fooddistribution for theNorthern Illinois FoodBank.

Lucas VanDeWoestyneAndrew Hochberg

Andrew HochbergCEO at Next Realty, WilmetteNominated by Michael Millar, Open Slate Communications

Lucas VanDeWoestynePartner, Apex CPA’s & Consultants, St. CharlesNominated by Marie Lazzara, JJR Marketing

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2018 C-Suite Awards

Jim Muckerheide is a licensed Certified Public Accoun-tant in the state of Illinois and has over 20 years of experi-ence in the finance industry. Prior to joining Rose Paving,he served as the CFO for Focus Logistics Inc., a transpor-tation and supply chain solution’s company and DePauloInc., a civil construction firm.At Rose Paving, Muckerheide is responsible for man-

aging business development, expansion, mergers andacquisitions, and the IT department. His ability to ana-lyze company finances and propose clever, forward-think-ing strategies has been crucial to Rose Paving’s successful

expansion acrossthe United States,and recently,Canada.Muckerheide has been an essential part of the Rose Pav-

ing family for over 9 years. His executive leadership experi-ence constantly brings new insights and a fresh perspectiveto the senior management team.Additionally, he makes a consistent effort to mentor

younger employees and share lessons and best practiceshe’s learned through the course of his career.Jim Muckerheide

Jim MuckerheideCFO, Rose Paving, BridgeviewNominated by Erin Weber, Yakkity Yak Marketing

Scenes from the C-Suite Awards ceremony

Lyn Niemann is an AM 560 sponsor at the Daily Herald Busi-ness Ledger C-Suite Awards ceremony.

Andrew Hochberg, manag-ing broker & CEO at NextRealty, is a 2018 honoree atthe Daily Herald BusinessLedger C-Suite Awards cer-emony at the NIU campusNaperville.

John R. Quigley, president and CEO of theElmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry, isa 2018 honoree at the Daily Herald BusinessLedger C-Suite awards ceremony at the NIUcampus Naperville.

Bruce Leon, CEO TandemHR, is a 2018honoree at the Ledger’s recent C-SuiteAwards ceremony at the NIU campusNaperville.

Gretchen Van Vlymen, VP of human resources for StratEx, is a2018 honoree at the Daily Herald Business Ledger C-Suite Awardsceremony in Naperville.

Photos by Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com