Van Mell Associates Advisors
A Balanced Perspective
Advisor Biographies
The VMA team of executive advisors has expertise in overall planning as well as in specialized management disciplines. During strategic planning, they integrate their different perspectives and, when it's time to execute, they can work one-on-one to share their experience and technical knowledge. We're organized to help our clients see the big picture — and get the hard work done.
Derrick Van Mell, MBA - Assignment leader - Derrick is Principal of Van Mell Associates, overseeing their three complementary
services: 3C Leadership Development, Question-Based Business Planning, and the 1-Page PMO. He leads all VMA assignments by facilitating the initial discovery sessions, coordinating the work of the team and presenting and
following up on the plan. He strives to bring different experiences and perspectives to all his clients. Derrick is the author of the books Question-Based Planning and Buildings Matter and has published dozens of articles.
He is a Chicago native and has a B. A. in economics from Tufts University, an MBA from Loyola and an M. A. from Northwestern. He has written columns for the Capital Region Business Journal and the Healthcare Financial Managers
Association; he has served on his city's Community Development Authority, been Guest Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin School of Business, and has lectured in the US, Europe and Asia.
email: derrick@vanmell.com
web: www.vanmell.com
Bruce Harville - Operations and Systems - Bruce Harville is an independent consultant with over 30 years of business experience.
He has worked with companies of all sizes to streamline business processes, focusing on service environments. His clients have included family-owned businesses, SEC-registered enterprises, not-for-profits and units of government.
Besides process redesign, Bruce has expertise in long-range planning, cost studies, industry surveys and team facilitation. He is a CPA, an alumnus of the UW-Madison, and earned an MBA in Accounting and Finance from Northwestern
University.
email: bruce.harville@gmail.com
Steve Johannsen - Executive Agenda Chair - Steve was most recently President of RMT. He joined the firm in 1979 and was President
for 15 years, helping it grow to $430 million and 27 offices. Steve led the growth of its core Environmental Services business through strong client service, thoughtful planning and management, and effective acquisitions. He also
oversaw the merger of a start-up wind energy business and grew it into a leading provider of siting, engineering and construction services. Steve is an Executive Agenda chair and is on the board of Weston & Sampson Inc. and the
Board of Visitors for the Department of Geoscience UW-Madison. He is active in Rotary. Steve has Master's degrees in Water Resources Management and Soil Science from the UW-Madison and a BS in Biology from University of Minnesota.
Steve is married to Martha and lives in Maple Bluff, WI.
email: sjohannsen426@gmail.com
Ann Kinkade - Family Business - Ann is the founder of Lucid Legacy Consulting. Ann's values of growth, integrity and ambition are the
foundation of her firm's work with multi-generational family enterprises. "Lucid" helps its nationwide clients navigate, achieve and sustain individual and system-wide change. Ann specializes in mindful and conscious leadership
development, relationship management, governance, transition and business succession.
Ann coaches family enterprise CEOs, founders, successors, Directors and non-family executives, and facilitates intellectually and emotionally complex family business meetings. Ann continually invests in her own professional
development, and works with her own coach.
She is a Certified Professional Coach, a Certificate Holder in Family Business Advising and Fellow of the Family Firm Institute. Previously, Ann was founder, CEO and President of Family Enterprise USA, a national nonprofit
advocacy group. Ann also served as Director of the UW-Madison Family Business Center and worked in corporate retail. Ann is married, has two adult children, one son-in-law and a grandson. Education: UW-Madison: BA-Psychology; MBA.
email: ann@lucidlegacy.com
web: www.lucidlegacy.com
Richard C. Perrin, CPA, CCM, MBA - Finance - Rick is a Partner of B2B CFO®, the nation's largest CFO firm focusing on
small to mid-market companies. He has over 25 years of broad based experience in manufacturing, retail, construction and service firms. Rick serves as the CFO/business consultant for multiple businesses, helping them with
financial management, sales, operations, profitability improvement and growth strategies. Rick has been CFO of a multi-plant manufacturer where he managed Accounting, IT, Purchasing, Quoting and Logistics and helped lead
sales growth from $45 to $70 million and launched two new divisions including in China. Rick has a B.S. in Business-Accounting from University of Colorado-Boulder, graduating in the top 10%, and has an MBA in Finance
from UW-Madison.
email: rperrin@b2bcfo.com
web: www.b2bcfo.com/partners/rperrin/
Ed Purcell - Relationship Management - Ed has been providing professional client relationship management services for nearly three decades, doing
so through in own firm for the past six years. He helps his clients understand how to develop, maintain and expand upon the relationships with major accounts, suppliers and partners. He helps business leaders move from "vendors" to
trusted advisors with their own clientele. Ed has a BS in City and Regional Planning from The Illinois Institute of Technology with additional graduate level studies in research and design at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
He is long term member of The Milwaukee Yacht Club and served as Commodore of the club for two years as well as serving as a member of the board of directors for nine years. Ed and his sons participate in many sailboat races on
Lake Michigan every summer.
email: ed@fasiam.net
web: www.fasiam.net
Art Saffran - Information Systems - Art manages Saffran Technology and has 26 years of technology expertise. Prior to
starting his own firm, Art served as CIO for the State Medical Society and the State Bar of Wisconsin. Art's strong understanding of for-profit and non-profit businesses and organizations and their technology needs helps
him provide practical and affordable solutions. Art has authored many articles on technology and is an experienced presenter at technology and law practice seminars and conferences. He has a BA from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison in communications with additional graduate business education at Edgewood College and the UW-Madison. He is also a cycle and marathon coach for Team in Training for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and
was their 2010 Madison Man of the Year.
email: art@saffrantechnology.com
web: www.saffrantechnology.com
Matt Shefchik, PHR - Human Resources - Matt is a COO at The QTI Group. He works in on all aspects of human resource management,
including employee and executive compensation, human resource systems administration, performance systems and metrics, talent management, succession planning, and engagement assessments. His experience includes healthcare,
manufacturing, not-for-profit, biotechnology, insurance, and banking industries. Matt received a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, double majoring in Management & Human Resources and Marketing.
email: matts@qstaff.com
web: www.qtigroup.com
David Williams - Marketing & Sales - David is the owner of Broadbent & Williams, Inc., an advertising agency that he co-founded
in 1991 after merging David Williams Advertising with Broadbent & Associates. David has assisted numerous start-up businesses with strategic planning, marketing direction, advertising, Internet strategies, website development,
product positioning, logos and branding. Over the years, David has done work for a variety of clients including Capital Growth Properties, Stone House Development, Dimension Development LLC, The Great Lakes Companies, Inc.,
Teel Plastics, SupraNet Communications and Genetics Computer Group to name a few. David has a B.A. in Communications Arts from Michigan State University where he majored in advertising and took numerous marketing, research and
consumer behavior courses.
email: david@bwadv.com
web: www.bwadv.com
Balanced Advisory:
We work hard to see things from the CEO's point of view. We're passionate about what we do, but we know it's sight of the big picture. Our goal tree helps everyone work together.
- Business structure
- Marketing and sales
- Operations
- Human resources
- Information
- Finance