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Chris Brandt and John Woldenberg were co-founders of Chicago-based Hey Co., which was dedicated to creating a network of Web boutiques that focused on high-end thematic niches and offered visitors community, information and unique products from around the world. Hey Co. was picked as one of the 75 top new economy companies by I-Street, and rated as one of the best places in Chicago to work by Chicago Magazine. Before establishing Hey Co., Chris co-founded the integrated marketing firm PiperStudios Inc., and John was president of MCE Media and a vice president of acquisition and finance for Amli Realty Co. John has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago. |
 | Paul Lewakowski is chief operating officer at GMV Network, a Chicago-based developer of standards-based streaming media software. He is responsible for the company’s funding and investor relations and will assist with its day-to-day operations. Before joining GMV Network, Paul founded and worked for four years as chief operating officer of Veos, a health care company that is traded on the London Stock Exchange. |
 | Bill Abrams is co-founder and chief executive officer of Consultants-on-Demand.com, an online marketplace that pairs Internet technology consultants with companies needing their services. Before starting the company, Bill was president and CEO of Parkside Senior Services, a national owner and operator of senior living communities across the United States. During his tenure, Parkside grew from 15 employees to more than 100 and initiated more than $175 million in development of senior communities. Bill was also a founding principal of Walton Street Capital, a real estate investment company. He has served on the faculty of Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and as a board member of CineMex, a movie exhibitor based in Mexico City. |
 | Alan Warms founded Participate.com in November 1997, creating the Internet’s first outsourcing approach to online community management. As president and CEO of Participate, Warms leads the company’s strategic direction. Previously, Alan was vice president of strategic business development for eShare Technologies Inc., where he led the company’s Internet service provider (ISP) channel strategy. He also has worked as vice president of business development for FreeLoader Inc. and as a management consultant for The Boston Consulting Group. Alan has a master’s degree from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and recently was named one of the World Economic Forum’s 100 Technology Pioneers. |
 | Rob Reynolds is founder and chief executive of Chicago-based LifeServ. Before establishing the company in 1997, he was a strategy consultant with Deloitte & Touche and Andersen Consulting. Before graduate school, he spent three years in the merchant-banking field, where he gained experience in raising private and public capital for emerging technology companies. Rob holds a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Calgary and an MBA with honors from the University of Michigan. If Rob is not in the office he can be found going to or from the office. On occasion he has been known to partake in a good game of football, a little kickboxing and a jam session on the guitar.
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 | Jennifer Winick Karras is communications director for UNext.com, an online education company based in Deerfield, Ill. While at Burson-Marsteller, she counseled large corporations including Sprint, McDonalds, Xerox, Sears, and the Gatorade division of Quaker Oats on communications and media relations issues. Winick Karras also has worked as public relations director of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. and as deputy communications director for the Chicago Park District.
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 | Carlos Segura founded Segura Inc. in 1991. He started his career in design at the age of 19 when he got his first job as a production artist for an envelope company (he designed return-addresses for bank-deposit envelopes). He has worked for several advertising agencies, such as Marsteller; Foote Cone & Belding; Young & Rubicam; Ketchum; and DDB Needham. Carlos decided to launch his business with the goal of “trying to blend as much 3fine art2 into 3commercial art2 as I could.” In 1994, Carlos established “T-26,” a digital type foundry whose work is distributed globally. In 1996, he created the independent record label, “THICKFACE.” Carlos’s company split into separate companies earlier this year. Segura Inc. will continue to handle all print-related projects, and Segura Interactive will focus on the Internet, new media and broadcasting.
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 | Jay Prasad is founder and vice president of strategy at Chicago-based Vation Inc. He is responsible for developing and executing strategic initiatives for Vation, including those pertaining to business development, sales, corporate expansion and fundraising. Before launching the company with five colleagues in May 1999, Prasad was a senior consultant in the business consulting practice of Arthur Andersen. Jay also has worked for Ernst & Young, where he focused on business process transformation and new product development projects for the firm’s Fortune 500 clients. Jay has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin and has completed coursework in international business at the University of London.
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 | Donald S. Crossett uses his 38 years of experience in general management and financial positions to counsel small businesses. He is vice chairman of the Chicago chapter of SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), a national counseling organization and resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Crossett was president and chief executive officer of IDC Services, a professional services provider for the advertising and motion picture industries, when he decided to buy a division of IDC Services and run it himself. Crossett went on to become majority owner and chief executive of Powerforce Services International, which provided sales merchandising support and promotional services in retail outlets throughout the United States. |
