John Winzeler is president of Winzeler Gear, a 69 year old, third generation, family business. Winzeler Gear designs and manufactures precision-molded gears for automotive, appliance, and office automation markets.

George M. Thomas is president of Contemporary Controls, a company that designs and manufactures industrial networking products. The company has operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and China. Mr. Thomas received his BSEE and MSEE degrees from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Michael Chansler is the Director of Business Development for the IIT Research Institute (IITRI). IITRI offers a highly experienced, well-integrated team of toxicologists, chemists, clinical scientists, veterinary pathologists, molecular biologists, microbiologists, Quality Assurance auditors, and administrators to support programs in drug discovery and non-clinical development.

Joseph Arvin is the president of Arrow Gear, a manufacturer of high precision gears for commercial and aerospace applications. Arvin has played a key leadership role in guiding the organization through its most significant period of growth in terms of technology, company size, product mix, manufacturing capabilities, international contracts, and financial performance.

Lisa Argiris Canning has used her self-developed entrepreneurial skills and her creative passion as a professional clarinetist to build four multi-million dollar ventures. She was recognized as a Top 200 Retailer in the music industry and has received numerous awards, including the Business Ledger’s Award for Excellence in Business.

Joel Goldberg and Alan Drizd work as Chief Operating Officer and Human Resources Director for Atlas Material Testing Solutions. For more than 90 years, Atlas has pioneered innovations in the way companies test the durability of their products and provided expert assistance in all areas related to natural and laboratory weathering and material testing solutions.

Elliot Goldman is the president of Communication Coil, a company that produces highly sophisticated electronics for the aerospace and medical industries. He has more than 30 years of science and business related work experience. He has worked in electronics engineering, market development, and product management for several large companies, including Motorola, Baxter Laboratories and Illinois Capacitor.

Albert Miller has been the president of Phoenix Closures, a family- owned manufacturing firm specializing in injection-molded closures, since 1981. Phoenix Closures is a member of the multi-billion dollar packaging industry; their comprehensive design approach has led to the issuance of over fifteen patents in the last three years.