Chicago, IL and Washington, DC (March 27, 2008) – FOCUS LLC, a national middle market investment banking firm providing merger, acquisition, divestiture and corporate finance services, announces the addition of seven new senior advisors to its growing Chicago office. 

With decades of diverse business experience, Jack Wing has served as a trustee of Columbia Acorn Funds; director of First Chicago Bank and Trust, Rush University Medical Center and Ravinia Festival; and former chairman of the Illinois Humanities Council. Additionally, Wing spent 17 years as chairman of the board and chief executive officer (CEO) of ABN-AMRO Inc., formerly The Chicago Corporation. Wing began his career working for the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Jack Kraft has more than 35 years of management experience. He currently serves on the boards of APAC Customer Services Inc., ConsumerBase, READOZ.COM and Angiogen, LLC.  Originally, Kraft was in the advertising and marketing industry in leadership roles for international advertising agencies, which included vice chairman and chief operating officer (COO) of Leo Burnett Company and executive vice president (EVP), chief administrative officer (CAO) and board member of Young & Rubicam.

With more than 15 years in the consumer goods industry, Pamela Shields has driven sales and launched new products as a leading marketing executive in the Chicago area. Currently, she serves as general manager of EZ FOIL, a Pactiv company. Prior to EZ FOIL, Shields has been the vice president of marketing at Custom Foods, vice president of new business ventures at World’s Finest Chocolate and director of marketing at Allsteel.

Don Hollis is president of DRH Strategic Consulting, Inc., which assists clients in developing strategies for leveraging technology and quality practices to improve payments-related transaction processing products. Before DRH Strategic Consulting, he was the EVP of First Chicago Corporation and vice president and group executive of Chase Manhattan Bank.

Currently, James Grabek is the president of Agriculture Solutions, Inc. (ASI) and chairman of Comedicus Inc. Grabek has more than 35 years of executive management experience in the global business community working in various executive capacities with G.V. Medical, St. Jude Medical, United States Surgical Corporation and New Dimensions in Medicine.

Dr. Dennis Murphy is a founding medical advisor, board member and past board president of the Hospice and Palliative CareCenter of the Midwest. He practiced medicine and endocrinology in association with Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Evanston, Ill. for 34 years and currently serves as a medical consultant.

The last senior advisor joining the FOCUS Chicago office is Elizabeth Richter. She is the vice president of marketing and communications at Chicago Community Trust and principal of The Richter Group, an integrated communications strategy consulting practice focused on the creation, promotion and delivery of educational content to the public. The recipient of nine personal Emmy nominations, she won the Chicago Emmy for “Best News Magazine” as producer of Eyewitness Chicago. 

The addition of seven new senior advisors will expand the FOCUS sector expertise to middle market companies, particularly in the business services, food and beverage, healthcare and media industries.

About FOCUS LLC

FOCUS LLC provides a range of middle market investment banking services with an emphasis on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and corporate finance. FOCUS is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.  FOCUS specializes in business units with transactions or revenues in the $5-300 million range, serving entrepreneurs, corporate owners and various types of investors across a broad range of industries, throughout the U.S. and worldwide. FOCUS bankers are seasoned operating and financial executives with extensive transaction experience. Securities transactions conducted by Wm. H. Murphy & Co., Inc. registered Broker Dealer member FINRA/SIPC. For more information on FOCUS, visit www.focusbankers.com .