Strategic Advisor Verax Group, Dallas/Fort Worth Area + Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan AreaVerax Group is a business consulting group created to assist organizations with strategy, growth, and improvement plans by helping leaders match their approach to the circumstances at hand and to execute them effectively to cope with ever-shifting environments. Serving both for-profit and nonprofit with experience in public and private companies. Using a priority framework to assist organizations in solving complicated business challenges, develop critical strategies, and improve the operational condition of our clients’ organizations.

Hanon McKendry is a national brand, marketing, and advertising firm that works to build brands that truly matter in the marketplace and in people’s lives. Brands that have a meaningful impact and lasting value.Hanon McKendry a full-service agency has the powerhouse brand-building capabilities and the award-winning creative vision to provide outstanding strategy, brand architecture, brand articulation, creative services, media, and digital integrated marketing services. Building and managing a high performing portfolio of profitable business units, making acquisitions, strengthen existing business positions, divesting businesses that no longer fit into companies’ strategy. Establishing priorities and steering corporate resources to support business strategy in order to achieve performance objectives. Full P&L responsibility, including all operations, business, and functional strategy development across all back-office operations, including finance and accounting, human resources, legal, procurement, and information technology.Hanon McKendry is a Gravity Six Alliance partner.

Co-founder of Gravity Alliance, a strategic co-opetition alliance of the top six West Michigan’s advertising/marketing agencies led by Hanon McKendry, Inc. The alliance provides branding, strategic, advertising, digital, and design solutions for regional, national, and international clients. A unique business model and a competitive system of value creation, where all six firms are simultaneously in competition and cooperation with one another in order to create a superior competitive advantage. Launched in 2007, Gravity Six Alliance began with six of West Michigan's top advertising firms working together to attract national business accounts, talent, and clients to the area. Partner agencies are Auxiliary Advertising & Design, Hanon McKendry, Extra Credit Projects, Grey Matter Group, and Palazzolo Design, with digital support provided by MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry. Full P&L responsibility, including all operations, business development, and functional strategy development across all back-office operations, including finance and accounting, human resources, legal, procurement, media, and information technology.

HANON MCKENDRY purchased an equity interest in Mindscape in 2008. The combination of Hanon McKendry's strategic branding services with Mindscape’s digital interactive and web marketing services to provide full-service capabilities and deliver seamless brand and digital experiences to the marketplace. Mindscape is a digital/interactive agency, established 2001 to provide integrated framework and solutions: specializing in complete website strategy, planning, design, and custom development services, including SEO/SEM/PPC management with social/digital planning and placement and providing a propriety web platform using a suite of applications that creates a fully customizable web marketing environment.

BestNet is a facilities-based, global communication solutions provider. The public company’s international patented, proprietary technology and network uses widely available Internet access to control, enable, and manage voice applications and business communications over the public switched telecommunication network. Businesses and consumers in over 120 countries use BestNet’s innovative solutions which could be launched via web site, desktop application, web banners, PDA or other Internet enabled devices.

Reliable Energy a management consulting firm that procures and manages the price for firm energy supply on behalf of more than 1,000 commercial and industrial clients located throughout the Midwest. Reliable Energy assumes responsibility for all aspects of energy procurement including development of client specific procurement strategies, daily cash market evaluations, energy market analysis and reporting, monthly/daily delivery scheduling, management of client storage, representation on utility issues, and full protection from utility penalties.

US Xchange a privately-held, multi-regional integrated telecommunications solutions provider serving 17,000 business and residential clients in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin with an installed base of nearly 60,000 access lines.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is a private foundation and defines its purpose as “…administering funds for the promotion of the welfare, comfort, health, education, feeding, clothing, sheltering and safeguarding of children and youth, directly or indirectly, without regard to sex, race, creed or nationality.…” The foundation is now the seventh largest philanthropic foundation in the U.S and is governed by an independent board of trustees.

Amway is one of the world’s largest direct selling businesses. Founded in 1959 and headquartered in Ada, Michigan, USA, Amway offers consumer products and business opportunities in more than 80 countries and territories worldwide. The company also provides product development, manufacturing and logistics services through its Access Business Group and Alticor Corporate Enterprises divisions. In its most recent fiscal year, the Amway family of companies reported annual sales of $8.4 billion.