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FALL 2004
We are thrilled to have these distinguished NIU alumni serving as the CEOs for our Marketing Apprentice Class. Along with highly successful careers, these alums have shown a high degree of dedication and generosity to NIU for which we are very thankful. We truly appreciate their time, effort, and support for this unique educational endeavor.
 Myron Siegel - President, Myron E. Siegel & Associates, Ltd.
Myron Siegel developed a niche business using his NIU MBA, a law degree, a Real Estate Broker's license and a Business Broker's license to find and acquire non-core businesses from larger companies. Non-core business units might consist of collateral operations that are not central to the main business of a company. For instance, a company in the eyeglass business may expand and acquire a competitor that also owns a glass case manufacturer. The glass case manufacturing business would not be core to the eyeglass business and management may determine that it should sell this business unit to concentrate on its main business.
Focusing on acquiring businesses for others and also his own account Mr. Siegel has become well known among many of the largest multi-national companies. When representing others, Mr. Siegel provides a unique product that differs from venture capital companies that often allow management to acquire a maximum of 20% of the deal. It is common in Mr. Siegel's deals for management to own between 51-90% of the deal. This structure attracts many inside management groups to Mr. Siegel to assist them in the acquisition.
His work requires him to use a multi-discipline approach to each acquisition. Each deal has Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, IT. Production, Legal and GMP issues present in the deal structure. He has worked with entities such as RJR/NABISCO, Hershey Foods Company, Borden Foods, Harmony Foods Company, PepsiCo, Suiza Foods, Ford Gum, Ezaki-Glico and other well known companies.
He has done deals in such areas as: candy, confections, pasta, gum, aseptic packaging, flexible packaging, real estate, snack foods, plastic extrusion, plastic film, textiles, fire protection and technology businesses. His deals have been done in the US, Far East and Western Europe.
Mr. Siegel holds a BS in Finance/Accounting and MBA from Northern Illinois University, a JD from The John Marshall Law School, and is a licensed Real Estate Broker and a licensed Business Broker. He is a trustee on the Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees and currently the chairman of the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee. He serves on the board of many privately held company boards.
 Joe Cullinane - Chairman & CEO, Joe Cullinane, Inc.
(CEO NIU Apprentice Silicon Prairie Group)
Joe Cullinane is an executive advisor, consultant and author dedicated to helping executives and entrepreneurs achieve desired sales results. Joe was the Founder and CEO of the Telum Group, Inc., a Silicon Valley consulting firm focused on sales and marketing professional services for high tech start-ups. Mr. Cullinane has held various executive positions with Diversified Software Systems, Inc., a leading enterprise software company, including vice president of strategic business development, vice president of marketing, vice president of international sales and western region sales manager. Earlier, Mr. Cullinane held executive and sales positions with Xerox Corporation and NCR Corporation and SalesLink Systems. Mr. Cullinane holds a Master of Science in Communication degree from Northwestern University, a Master of Business Administration degree from Dominican University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Northern Illinois University. Joe is also the publisher of the book 21st Century Selling and is an adjunct professor of sales and marketing at Keller Graduate School of Management and Aurora University. He is Chairman of the MSC Steering Committee at Northwestern University and is on the Sales Advisory Board of Aurora University and a member of the NIU Executive Club.
 Dean DeBiase - Chairman & CEO, Start-Up-Partners
(CEO NIU Apprentice Silicon Valley Group)
Dean DeBiase has built leading business services and consumer products companies, and run global subsidiaries of Fortune 500 corporations in various media, communications, technology and entertainment sectors including: consumer electronics, Internet and interactive services, software and publishing, broadband and wireless, telecom and IT infrastructure, e-commerce and distribution-logistics. Focused on strategic and profitable growth, he has led private and public companies during various operating stages, including start-up, expansion, restructuring, turnaround, M&A and IPO.
DeBiase is Chairman & CEO of Start-Up-Partners, a growth strategy and interim leadership group, helping CEO's and boards tackle their most challenging issues. He currently guides them in orchestrating market-centric innovation, managing competitive positioning, expanding new technology offerings, designing market entry approaches, creating next-gen business models, optimizing IP partnerships and restructuring their industry dynamics. Through Opportunity-Crisis™, a proprietary platform to discover, prioritize, exploit and accelerate new growth options, his group is active in the development of new products, services, technologies, IP, brands, channels, business units, alliances and acquisition alternatives for private and Global 2000 corporations.
Most recently, he built Autoweb into one of the most popular Internet brands and the leading content and technology services provider. As President, CEO and Chairman, DeBiase led Autoweb's growth performance, successful IPO and eventual merger with Autobytel, creating the largest Internet automotive marketing services company, which generates over $1 billion in monthly partner sales.
Previously, as President and CEO of AT&T Imagination Network, the largest interactive games and entertainment company, he led a successful Internet expansion strategy, reinventing the company through revolutionary content, technology and distribution partnerships, and orchestrated the successful acquisition of the company by AOL Time Warner.
In a dual role, DeBiase was chief marketing officer for Zenith LG Electronics and GM of the Network Systems Division. Leveraging the convergence of the consumer and entertainment electronics, Cable TV, DBS and wireless businesses, he led the turnaround of the business unit, developing next generation technology and services, including the introduction and commercialization of cable modems.
DeBiase headed global business development and marketing at Antec, now Arris, creating, building and running new business units, including Laser Link, which pioneered the development of optical networks for the cable TV industry. As a managing director at FedEx, he helped build and launch the Electronic Products Division and also operated one of the largest sales and customer service groups.
A business innovator and industry pioneer, DeBiase is active in tech, media, education, civic and government organizations, is a frequent lecturer, media guest and industry spokesperson on business innovation, consumer and technology trends, and has created numerous award winning products, services, content, programming, brands, trademarks, patents, technologies and IP.
He is board member of Excelligence Learning Corporation, The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial Center and The NIU Foundation, an advisory board member at The Ticket Reserve and Centerpost, a member of The National Association of Corporate Directors, TechNet and the CEO Cyber Security Task Force, which advises the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board on the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.
DeBiase received a Masters in Business Administration from Keller Graduate School, a BS in Marketing from Northern Illinois University, attended the Directors' College at Stanford University Law School and the MBA Plus Program at the University of Chicago. He is a member of the board of advisors at Northern Illinois University College of Business and the Stuart Graduate School Entrepreneurial Studies Program at IIT.
 John Felinski - President and CEO, Filmquest Group
After receiving his degree in Marketing from Northern Illinois University, Mr. Felinski has dedicated his entire professional career to the plastic film industry. He worked for and later co-owned Pilcher Hamilton Corporation for 23 years and started Pilham International, a trading company based in Zurich, Switzerland to provide a more profitable global supply chain. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer for his last 6 years, until selling his interest in both companies in 1996. During his tenure as President and COO, he developed and executed a strategic initiative to restructure the company into the world's largest merchant converter of polyester film products. This included a three hundred percent increase in sales and a twelve hundred percent profit increase, improving inventory turns from three to ten, and the consolidation of three plants into one by the construction and staffing of a non-union “greenfield” state of the art production facility in South Carolina.
Since that time, Mr. Felinski has focused his energy on plastic companies that require new strategies and operational disciplines. He acquired Rez Tech West, a west coast extrusion blow molder and subsequently sold it to a major national competitor, Premier Plastics. He also acquired Keeler Plastics, a prepress graphic arts film distributor and sold of its non-strategic assets. He founded Medalyst, a national converter of laminating, and Filmquest Group, a global merchant converter of polyester film, where he is currently President and CEO. He was a shareholder and Director at Harmony Foods, which was acquired by Golden Stream Quality Foods as part of their strategic plan for a national manufacturing presence. He continues to hold an equity position in Golden Stream, as well as an equity position in privately held Ford Gum and Machine, a manufacturer of chewing gum products.
Mr. Felinski also owns a patent for a narrow web plastic film rewinder and owns both real estate and investment holding companies. He has been a speaker at film seminars, written and contributed to numerous articles for leading plastics magazines, and continues to be a consultant to the plastic film industry.
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