Business & Industry Spring Conference Livestream

Jeffrey Allsop

Jeff joined Capital in 1990 after serving as Director of Research/Portfolio Management at another Midwestern investment advisor. At Capital, Jeff oversees the firm’s equity research process and leads the Investment Team. He brings an extensive background in fundamental company, economics, and portfolio analysis. One of Jeff’s primary roles at Capital is to ensure that the stocks in client portfolios meet the high standards consistent with our overall equity philosophy. He also serves as a Portfolio Manager and an Advisor to many Capital clients. Jeff is a graduate of University of Iowa with a B.B.A. in Finance. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder and a Registered Investment Advisor representative.

Erik Owen

Erik has over 30 years of broad business experience in manufacturing, distribution, services, and banking. He spent the first 20 years of his career in corporate America working for both Fortune 500 (Johnson Controls & Rockwell Automation) and closely held companies, in finance, operations, and executive management roles. He also has experience in IT, Strategic Sourcing, Logistics, Customer Service, and Lean/Six Sigma.

Erik has led teams in the USA and globally helping companies identify issues and then designing and executing solutions in areas as diverse as product costing, customer service, operational efficiencies and effectiveness, automation, team development, lead generation, and IT security.

In 2009, during the Great Recession, Erik started Oak Hill Business Partners, a boutique management consulting firm serving lower-middle market closely held companies. Based in Brookfield, Wis., Oak Hill is focused on growing the intrinsic value of companies by applying functional excellence in finance & administration, sales, marketing, and operations. Oak Hill partners focus on an organization’s people, processes, and systems to create scalable and profitable businesses.

Oak Hill also helps company owners plan and execute transition/exit planning holistically. Our partners work with a team of advisors including wealth and legal advisors to help owners understand their options for transition in the business and execute the plan that meets their specific needs. Oak Hill Business Partners has been named to the annual top management consulting firms list four times by the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Erik has holds both Certified Public Accountant and Certified Exit Planning Advisor professional designations. He is the President of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Exit Planning Institute, is Chair of the Board of Visitors for the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and a board member for a manufacturer owned by an ESOP.

Keith serves as Chief Financial Officer of QPS Employment Group, a leading staffing and workforce solutions provider, where he has spent the past eight years guiding the company through a period of significant transformation and growth. As a strategic and operationally focused finance leader, Keith played a central role in designing and executing the company’s succession strategy, culminating in its transition from privately held ownership to a 100% Employee-Owned Company through an ESOP. He led the financial, legal, and organizational workstreams of the transaction—building the valuation framework, facilitating due diligence, aligning the board and shareholders, and preparing employees and leadership for the cultural and technical impacts of employee ownership. His leadership ensured a smooth, transparent transition that preserved company legacy and positioned the organization for future growth and stability.

In his role, Keith oversees all aspects of finance, accounting, treasury, forecasting, shared services and risk management. He has modernized the company’s financial operations, strengthened internal controls, and implemented long-range financial planning that supports strategic expansion across markets and service lines. As a practical financial leader, Keith is passionate about thoroughly understanding the business and industry to help the company and its employee owners achieve both their professional and personal goals.

Prior to joining QPS, Keith held financial leadership roles at Encore, Jason Industries, GE Healthcare and Dynatect Manufacturing, consistently focusing on scalable growth, accounting and financial discipline, and people-centered leadership. Keith started his career with Ernst & Young in the audit and business advisory services practice.

Keith is a CPA, holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a member of both the WICPA and AICPA.

Jason Glisczynski

Jason Glisczynski, CPWA®, CFP®, is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Silvertree, a private wealth advisory firm focused on delivering clarity, confidence, and tax-efficient strategies to executives and business owners in manufacturing. With over two decades of experience across financial planning, tax mitigation, and strategic advisory, Jason specializes in helping senior financial leaders—particularly in manufacturing and professional services—solve complex challenges that go beyond the numbers. A Certified Private Wealth Advisor® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Jason brings a systems-oriented approach to scaling operations, managing team capacity, and improving profitability within finance departments and advisory teams. He is a recognized speaker for WICPA and a frequent contributor to thought leadership publications on leadership burnout, tax strategy, and organizational efficiency. Jason also serves on multiple nonprofit finance committees and draws from his own experience as a high-net-worth individual and business owner to offer actionable insight. His mission is simple: to help professionals move from overworked and reactive to empowered and strategic—without sacrificing wellbeing, growth, or integrity.

Kevin Kraft

Kevin Kraft is a co-founder and partner in Wisconsin River Partners (WRP). WRP (www.wisrp.com) is a private investment holding company focused on buying, holding and developing lower middle market manufacturing companies in Wisconsin. At WRP, he has led the acquisition of six privately held Wisconsin businesses and is active in their oversight today. He is a manufacturing and financial professional known for adding value to organizations through deep analytical and strategic thinking.

Born and raised in Wausau, WI Kevin began his career with Ernst & Young in Boston, MA and earned his Certified Public Accountant credentials in 2002. He later moved back to his home state taking a financial position with Bucyrus International (now part of Caterpilar) in Milwaukee. He joined JARP Industries, Inc., his family’s 50+ year old manufacturing company, in 2006 and held roles of CFO and COO on his way to the CEO position. His family sold the company in 2019.

Kevin is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Peoples State Bank, a $1.5 billion publicly traded community bank headquartered in Wausau, WI.

With over 10 years in his family’s business and over 7 years at Wisconsin River Partners, Kevin knows what it is like to own and operate a privately held business, including the unique challenges and rewards. His personal experience with family relationships, transferring management and ownership through generations and leading a business uniquely positions him to understand the needs and feelings of a business owner and potential seller.

Kevin received a BS in Accounting from Boston College and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin (Madison). He is married with 3 children and lives in Wausau, WI. He is on the Board of WMEP Manufacturing Solutions and is actively involved in the Boys & Girls Club of the Wausau Area and MC United Soccer Club.

Chris Harper

Chris is a CPA with the heart of a teacher. He is an associate professor of accounting at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business. He also serves as a senior manager and director of education for Hungerford CPAs + Advisors. Chris has been serving tax and accounting needs of closely held business and individuals since 1998. He has also owned and operated several of his own businesses throughout his career. Chris develops and presents a variety of continuing professional educational programs as the owner of Harp Doc, LLC, Grand Rapids, MI, with a focus on accounting/auditing and ethical guidelines for the everyday accountant. He is a frequent discussion leader for the MICPA and other state society organizations in live and webinar-based models.

Michael Gregory

Michael focuses on defending labor and employment matters, with an emphasis on discrimination and Title VII issues. He handles all phases of litigation and discovery—all the way through trial when necessary—representing clients in both federal and state courts as well as before administrative or governmental agencies. In addition to discrimination cases, Michael also handles matters involving harassment, retaliation, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and wage and hour violations. Alongside litigation, he devotes a significant portion of his practice to advising on compliance and preventative strategies, helping companies address workplace issues before they become disputes.

Michael particularly values the advisory side of his work. He enjoys working directly with clients, building relationships over time, and learning their businesses so well that he can readily anticipate and help prevent potential problems. Michael is committed to a team approach, working alongside clients to achieve practical solutions.

Prior to joining Husch Blackwell, Michael devoted the first decade of his career to government service, supporting the Offices of the General Counsel at the Social Security Administration and later the Environmental Protection Agency. His roles focused on labor and employment litigation for both agencies, as well as administrative hearings related to Social Security benefits—an experience that gave him insight into both sides of disputes, helping him approach cases with empathy and a focus on resolution. Michael has significant experience advocating for clients at trial, before administrative and governmental agencies, and on appeal, and he has first-chaired trials and arbitration hearings involving discipline, discrimination, retaliation, leave, wage, and other labor matters arising from disputes under collective bargaining agreements. His time with the government also gave him a firsthand perspective on the in-house work of advising organizational leaders and working closely with management at all levels.

Michael is known for his calm under pressure, his ability to adapt quickly when matters take an unexpected turn, and his extraordinary preparation: he knows that trials often turn on minor details. Most of all, clients appreciate that he makes the legal process approachable and straightforward. Michael understands that litigation is stressful and often unfamiliar, and he meets clients where they are, ensuring they feel at ease. By creating a comfortable environment, he helps clients and witnesses participate confidently and effectively, ensuring they are as helpful as possible to the case.

Mary Newby

With a Master’s degree in Data Analytics from the University of Notre Dame and extensive expertise in data analytics, visualization, governance, and migrations, she excels at transforming raw data into strategic assets.

As a seasoned consultant, she has cultivated substantial experience across diverse sectors, including manufacturing, technology, government, and renewable energy.

Mary currently specializes in data visualization, is Tableau certified and proficient in Power BI and Looker. She utilizessophisticated SQL queries to communicate pertinent and precise information to her clients.

Demonstrating proficiency in configuring key performance indicators and crafting insightful dashboards, Mary consistently delivers impactful visualizations, resulting in improved user comprehension and actionable insights.

Chris Harper

Chris is a CPA with the heart of a teacher. He is an associate professor of accounting at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business. He also serves as a senior manager and director of education for Hungerford CPAs + Advisors. Chris has been serving tax and accounting needs of closely held business and individuals since 1998. He has also owned and operated several of his own businesses throughout his career. Chris develops and presents a variety of continuing professional educational programs as the owner of Harp Doc, LLC, Grand Rapids, MI, with a focus on accounting/auditing and ethical guidelines for the everyday accountant. He is a frequent discussion leader for the MICPA and other state society organizations in live and webinar-based models.

Mitchell Suter

Mitchell Suter is the Chief Innovation Officer at Naviant, a workflow automation and AI consulting company serving over 500 customers coast to coast. In his role, Mitchell is responsible for shaping the corporate vision and strategy. A software engineer and machine learning practitioner by training, Mitchell actively engages with customers to evangelize the transformative power of AI, helping organizations—with a key focus in Manufacturing, Healthcare, Insurance, and Government—navigate their path to an intelligent, automated future.

John Daly

John L. Daly, MBA, CPA, CMA, CPIM spend fifteen years as a CFO and more than two decades teaching other CPAs how to do the job. He is the author of Pricing for Profitability published by John Wiley & Sons and a novel, Tool & Die. For fun, he often performs his one-man show, Mark Twain’s American West and lectures on history topics.

William Cronin

William Cronin began working in the Financial Services Industry in 1999. His working career has been focused on the qualified retirement and corporate retirement plan benefit industry. William has a passion for the plan design and consulting aspect of corporate retirement benefit design along with the education of plan participants.

Chris Harper

Chris is a CPA with the heart of a teacher. He is an associate professor of accounting at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business. He also serves as a senior manager and director of education for Hungerford CPAs + Advisors. Chris has been serving tax and accounting needs of closely held business and individuals since 1998. He has also owned and operated several of his own businesses throughout his career. Chris develops and presents a variety of continuing professional educational programs as the owner of Harp Doc, LLC, Grand Rapids, MI, with a focus on accounting/auditing and ethical guidelines for the everyday accountant. He is a frequent discussion leader for the MICPA and other state society organizations in live and webinar-based models.

Corie Hoffman

Corie Hoffman is dedicated to transforming workplace experiences & empowering teams to reach new heights. Corie equips individuals to confidently tackle challenges & elevate their impact both personally & professionally. Corie’s mission is to help leaders & organizations prioritize their most valuable asset—their people—& to drive success through a culture of continuous learning & growth. Join her to explore how you can move from ordinary to extraordinary, & make a positive difference on your team & in your organization.

John Daly

John L. Daly, MBA, CPA, CMA, CPIM spend fifteen years as a CFO and more than two decades teaching other CPAs how to do the job. He is the author of Pricing for Profitability published by John Wiley & Sons and a novel, Tool & Die. For fun, he often performs his one-man show, Mark Twain’s American West and lectures on history topics.