Meet the Midwest judges

Ryan Brady
Co-Founder
Alliance RV
2022 Regional and National award winner

Ryan Brady cofounded Alliance RV in 2019. He is responsible for day-to-day management of the company. Alliance RV has grown to become a leading manufacturer of towable RVs. Prior to Alliance, Ryan served as a general manager at Heartland RV overseeing conventional travel trailers. Before entering the recreational vehicle industry, Ryan worked as an investment associate for Prairie Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm. Ryan began his career in investment banking at CIBC World Markets. He holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Back to top

Chris Hart
Managing Director — Capital Markets
Nasdaq

Chris Hart is the Managing Director of New Listings at Nasdaq and oversees Nasdaq’s relationship with private companies in the Midwest. Chris has extensive capital market experience.  Prior to Nasdaq, Chris had investment roles at Citigroup and Institutional Capital LLC in Chicago. Chris also worked in the institutional equity divisions of UBS and Morgan Stanley in Boston, New York and San Francisco, where he advised the firms’ largest institutional clients. Chris is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Back to top

Dick Leinenkugel
Chairman of the Board
Marshfield Clinic Health System
2022 Regional Lifetime Achievement honoree

Dick Leinenkugel currently serves as Chairman of the Marshfield Clinic Health System, a nonprofit, integrated health care system based in Marshfield, Wisconsin. It provides a comprehensive range of medical services and is one of the largest health care systems in the Midwest. It is part of Sanford Health.

Dick is the former President and Chief Beer Merchant for the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company. He retired at the end of 2022 after eight years in the role, having been appointed October 1, 2014. Dick joined the Tenth and Blake Beer and Cider Company in 2010 as Manager of Business Development after serving as Wisconsin’s Commerce Secretary from 2008 to 2010. Dick spent 21 years with the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company based in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, as the District Sales Manager, Chain Account Manager and VP of Sales and Marketing. Before joining his family’s business in 1987, Dick was the Tournament Director for the LPGA Women’s Kemper Open golf tournament based in Hawaii. Upon graduating from Marquette University in 1980 with a BS in Business Administration, Dick served four years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Dick and his wife, Jean, of 40 years, have three grown children, Jeffrey, Katie and Lindsay. Back to top

Austin Rabine
Co-Founder and CEO
SITE Technologies
2023 Regional Award winner

As Co-founder and CEO at SITE Technologies, Austin Rabine drives innovation in property assessment technology and national facility maintenance. A lifelong entrepreneur, he launched his first business in grade school and went on to start ventures in trucking technology, snow removal and paving before focusing on artificial intelligence (AI)–driven solutions for property owners.

Before cofounding SITE Technologies, Austin held leadership roles, including CEO, in his family’s business, Rabine, within project management, operations, sales and strategy, gaining a deep understanding of the facilities and construction industry. As President of Rabine Paving America, he spearheaded an initiative that led to the creation of SITE Technologies — now one of the fastest-growing AI-driven property assessment platforms in the world. Under his leadership, SITE Technologies was recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest-Growing Companies in 2022 (No. 642). During his time as CEO of Rabine, Austin was recognized as an Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 Midwest Award winner.  

Austin is passionate about leveraging technology to help property owners assess, prioritize and budget for their portfolios with greater efficiency. He also serves on the board of the Cheryl Rabine Foundation, Judson Universities World Leaders Forum and is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, Jeanette, and their daughter, Sutton, as well as snowboarding, surfing, golfing and traveling. Back to top

Jennifer Sherman
President and CEO
Federal Signal Corporation
2024 Regional Award winner

Jennifer Sherman is President and CEO of Federal Signal Corporation. She was appointed to the position on December 2, 2015, and assumed leadership of the company on January 1, 2016. Prior to her promotion to CEO, she served as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.

Jennifer has worked with the board and executive leadership team to strengthen the company's strategic focus and growth, promote margin improvements and achieve record financial results. Jennifer’s continuing focus on new product development has earned the company a 2016 Chicago Innovation Award and a 2017 nomination for CEO Innovator of the Year from the Executives’ Club of Chicago.

Jennifer serves as the Lead Independent Director of the Board of Franklin Electric Company, Inc. and is the Chair of its Management Organization and Compensation Committee and was the previous Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee. 

Jennifer is involved in charities in the Chicago area and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Field Museum of Chicago and serves on the Board of Trustees for WTTW/WFMT. Previously, Jennifer served on the boards of The Community House, a nonprofit social services organization that provides for the Greater Chicago area (where she previously served as Chair of the Board), and the Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL), a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to helping disadvantaged citizens obtain legal assistance. 

Jennifer earned both her business degree in Finance and a law degree from the University of Michigan. She is also a fellow of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University’s CEO Perspectives. Back to top

Piyush Shukla
Partner
Linden Capital Partners

Piyush Shukla is a partner with Linden Capital Partners and joined the firm in 2017. Piyush focuses his time in the pharma supply chain, life science tools, pharmacy and medical devices subsectors, and is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to Linden, Piyush worked at Warburg Pincus in London from 2008, where he evaluated and executed investment opportunities across the health care and consumer sectors. Before that, he worked in investment banking at Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs. Piyush began his career at Arthur Andersen, where he qualified as a chartered accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Piyush holds a Master of Arts with honors in Natural Sciences (Astrophysics) from Cambridge University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Back to top

Michael Stomberg
CEO & Co-founder
The Paradise Group
2023 Regional Award winner

Michael Stomberg was the founder and CEO of The Planet Group, which includes several renowned staffing companies and global consulting organizations. After founding his first company at age 26, an IT consulting company focused on technology solutions for the life sciences industry, he quickly expanded the company into the go-to consulting and human capital solutions provider to emerging life science companies. Following a successful exit, Michael launched The Planet Group in 2009. Since then, Michael has led the organization to record organic growth while also leading the company through the launch of four new business lines and the acquisition of multiple firms. He also led the M&A activities when, in May 2021, The Planet Group merged with ProPharma Group, the leading global provider of outsourced regulatory, clinical research, compliance, pharmacovigilance and medical information services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies. Michael assumed the role of ProPharma Group's CEO in September 2021. Michael has over 20 years of experience developing and leading global organizations focused on the life sciences, technology and energy industries. His expertise includes organizational development, leadership development, streamlining operations, technology integration, team development and global business strategy. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University and an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management. Back to top

Andrea Zopp
Managing Partner
Cleveland Avenue

In her current role at Cleveland Avenue Andrea leads the organization’s work investing in and supporting minority and women entrepreneurs and their companies. Additionally, Andrea currently serves in a part-time capacity as Senior Advisor Legal and Business Affairs with the Chicago Bears Football Club. Previously, she served as President and CEO of World Business Chicago, the city of Chicago’s economic development organization. Prior to joining WBC, she served as Deputy Mayor, Chief Neighborhood Development Officer for the city of Chicago. 

Andrea has held executive leadership positions at several Fortune 500 companies. She was the General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer at Exelon Corporation and served as the Senior Vice President General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Sears Holdings Corporation. Andrea also served as the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Sara Lee Corporation. As the former President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, she led the nationally recognized organization's focus on expanding economic opportunities in underserved communities. Andrea also served as a federal and state prosecutor.

Andrea currently serves on the boards of Relativity, a global e-discovery and document management software company; the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, a federally chartered wholesale bank with $90 billion in assets; and Intelligent Growth Solutions, a Scotland-based vertical farm manufacturer. She previously served on the boards of Empowerment and Inclusion Capital I Corp., Andrew Corporation and Urban Partnership Bank. She is the Chair of the Board of Trustees at Chicago State University, and also serves on the boards of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Black Ensemble Theater. She received her BA in History and Science from Harvard University and her JD from Harvard Law School. Back to top