De-Risk, Fund, and Flourish: Preparing your company for a clean M&A deal. Uncover the art of de-risking M&A deals and priming your company for successful market entry

Michael is Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer of Smart Business Network, a national media and conference business serving CEOs and owners of middle market companies. Michael applies more than 25 years of media and marketing experience to guide the company’s content and user experience efforts for Smart Business magazine, custom publishing clients and Smart Business Dealmakers, a leading M&A education and networking organization. He holds an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. from Columbia College of Columbia University.

Mr. Bremmer is a Managing Director with CIBC. He joined Cleary Gull in 2007 and has 16 years of transaction experience. He is responsible for executing transactions, business development and private equity coverage. Mr. Bremmer has advised numerous clients in a variety of industries and has significant experience with Industrial and Professional Services Companies and Industrial Manufacturing companies serving a variety of industries.

Mr. Bremmer previously worked at ExxonMobil in capital investments and project management.

Mr. Bremmer is a member of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and a volunteer at Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. Mr. Bremmer earned an MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with concentrations in Finance and Strategy and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin

Jake is a Partner and Senior Vice President at USI Insurance Services, a leading insurance and risk management firm. Jake joined USI in 2020 and his primary responsibilities include leading the Mountain Central and Midwest regions within the Management Liability Practice. Jake has been in the insurance industry since 2004, and prior to USI he worked at global insurance brokerages where he managed management liability programs for organizations ranging from start-ups to the Fortune 500. Jake has served on several non-profit boards throughout his career and is a frequent speaker on D&O and cyber liability risks.

Jake holds a B.A. in Economics from St. John's University, a MBA from St. Cloud State University and a Cyber COPE Insurance Certification from Carnegie Mellon University.

Chris is the President and CEO for Circuit Check, and is responsible for the strategic leadership for the company. He brings more than 25 years of professional experience including sales process development, channel management strategies, various methodologies for large account and key opportunity management, and data driven marketing.

Prior to joining Circuit Check in 2017, Chris held various sales leadership roles in the Test and Measurement industry and also served on active duty in the United States Naval Submarine Force before transferring to the Naval Reserves.

Chris has his Electrical Engineering degree from Auburn University and MBA from the University of Phoenix. Chris stays busy outside of the office by training for triathlons and is a 4 time Ironman finisher. He claims all of this training is necessary to keep up with his 14 grandchildren.

Jayme is an experienced financial executive with a demonstrated history of quality, strong ethical values, excellent written and verbal communication skills and leadership. He has over 17 years of progressive business experience in diverse industries including healthcare, non-profit, accounts receivables management, and manufacturing and distribution.

Jayme is a dynamic leader with exposure to various business equity structures with a background providing leadership to both finance and other functional business areas including human resources, information technology, compliance and operations.

Jayme earned his Bachelor of Science focused in Accounting from University of Northwestern in St. Paul, MN.