Brass Ring is fortunate to have a distinguished advisory board of business people on which to rely. The board is made up of individuals with experience in investments, finance, management and operations.

Bob is a founder and general partner of Cedar Creek Partners, a $100 million Milwaukee based private equity firm. His private equity career began in 1987 with Bank One Venture Corporation, prior to the 1997 formation of Cedar Creek by the Bank One team. Bob has spearheaded over 20 private equity transactions in diverse industries.

Bob began his career as a workout specialist with First RepublicBank in Dallas. He holds business degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Bob has served as a director of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth as well as several Cedar Creek portfolio companies.

Jim is an Executive Vice President of Fiserv, Inc. (Nasdaq: FISV), a Fortune 500 company that provides information management systems and services to the financial and health benefits industries. At Fiserv Jim is responsible for Corporate Development and is a member of the company’s Management Committee. Prior to joining Fiserv in 2001, Jim was the Managing Partner at Lund, Koehler, Cox & Arkema, a Minneapolis accounting firm he co-founded, and subsequently sold to Virchow Krause in 2000. Following this sale, Jim joined healthcare administration firm Trewit (acquired by Fiserv in 2001) as its President and CFO.

Jim is a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School, and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). He has served as an advisor to several boards of both public and private companies.

Robin is Managing Partner of Sapphire Financial Group, a capital raising advisory firm specializing in debt and equity placements for companies with $10 to $40 million in EBITDA. Previously, she led the U.S. middle market private placement advisory services practice for Lazard Middle Market, raising debt and non-control equity for privately held companies and arranging acquisition financing for sell-side M&A transactions. She has more than 25 years of middle market financing experience, including 10 years at GE Capital, and has financed or advised on more than $8 billion in transactions across various industries.

Robin serves on the board of Ameriprise Bank and previously served on the board of Medica. She is active in numerous other business, community and civic organizations. Previously, she served on The Minnesota State Board of Accountancy and was a past President and a long time Director of the Minnesota Chapter of The Association for Corporate Growth. Robin holds degrees from The Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA and the Honors College at the University of Michigan.

Brooks is the founder and president of Orsus Advisory Services, LLC. He has more than 20 years of investment banking and valuation experience executing mergers-and-acquisitions and going-private transactions for both distressed and healthy clients and providing sophisticated advisory services, including all manner of valuations, fairness and solvency opinions, and litigation support. Brooks has broad industry experience with particular expertise in the consumer products, education, financial services, household products, plastics, specialty retail, transportation, and travel-services industries. He has published several articles on mergers and acquisitions and valuation-related topics in national and regional financial and trade journals, and has spoken frequently on these topics.

Prior to forming Orsus Advisory Services, Brooks was a managing director of Lazard Middle Market (formerly Goldsmith Agio Helms), where he led the firm’s financial advisory and opinion services practice. Prior to joining Goldsmith Agio Helms in 1990, he was an officer and shareholder of Duff & Phelps, Inc.

Brooks has a master of business administration degree in finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Stanford University. Brooks is also a chartered financial analyst (CFA).

Scott is a consultant to small businesses in the Upper Midwest. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Ultra Mart, a chain of supermarkets in Southeastern Wisconsin, prior to the company’s 2000 sale to Roundy’s. During Scott’s role as one of two principal owners and managers, Ultra Mart grew from a startup to $165 million in sales and 1,100 employees over an 11 year period.

Scott spent the first 10 years of his career as an auditor with Deloitte & Touche in Milwaukee. He graduated with from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Scott has served as an advisory board member for several privately held companies.