I am passionate about middle-market businesses and consider employee- and family-owned businesses the fabric of our economy. I apply innovative approaches to designing and executing transactions that enable our clients to realize their goals that include legacy, purpose, liquidity, governance, diversification and family objectives. This is why I founded Verit Advisors in 2009.With over 30 years of financial experience in designing and providing objective and unbiased solutions for business owners, I have advised, structured and closed more than 500 transactions. I am a specialist in ESOPs, working with owners seeking to share their company with employees and to secure a strong future for their company. I have experience in M&A, transaction opinions and valuation services, board advisory services, and corporate finance. I am a committed advocate for good governance in private and family-owned companies, believing that strong governance is the secret to managing risk and that good risk controls, in turn, produce operational and competitive benefits.I am a board member of:• Hisco Inc. • Manson Construction • Performance Contracting Inc.• Rutgers University NJ/NY Center for Employee Ownership • Proponent AviationI was named a Director to Watch by Private Company Board Director magazine in 2019. I also was named among Chicago’s Notable Entrepreneurs by Crain’s Chicago in 2019 and, for the fifth year in a row, was named one of the Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A by Mergers & Acquisition magazine. I am a member of the Advisory Board of ESCA (Employee-Owned S Corporations of America) and a lifetime member of the ESOP Association’s Board of Governors. I am a past two-term board member of the National Center for Employee Ownership. I am a frequent speaker at conferences and have written articles on issues related to succession and liquidity alternatives for closely held businesses as well as about M&A with existing ESOPs, among other topics. Contact me when you are ready to discuss succession options 312-572-6211 or Mary@verit.com