Month: December 2016

The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Eric Lefkofsky

Eric Lefkofsky is a successful American entrepreneur who has co-founded multiple billion-dollar companies, including Groupon, Uptake Technologies, InnerWorkings, Echo Global Logistics and Mediaocean.

Technology is an important ingredient that can positively transform and impact the world around us. Lefkofsky connects with others in their field of expertise to help grow the technological community, especially within healthcare. He recognizes the benefits of great minds working together and learning from one another as they move towards a common goal. By integrating technology with the knowledge of individuals in the science and medical community, great strides can be made within the healthcare industry.

Lefkofsky is the co-founder and CEO of Tempus, a technology company that engineered an operating system to help battle cancer. The analytical capability of Tempus allows doctors to personalize patient cancer care by making data-driven decisions based on the information gathered over time. Statistics analyzed can range from genomic sequencing services to therapeutic data, which is used as a tool to decide the best possible individualized treatment plan for cancer patients.

Eric Lefkofsky also participates in multiple philanthropic endeavors. He co-chairs the Lefkofsky Family Foundation, serves as a Trustee of Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Science and Industry and World Business Chicago. Furthermore, he is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Originally from Southfield, Michigan, Lefkofsky attended the University of Michigan and graduated with honors in 1991. He earned his Juris Doctor at University of Michigan Law School in 1993.

Through his failures and achievements, Lefkofsky has the know-how to teach others about entrepreneurship and how to build a technology-based business. He has taught at business schools within the Chicago area including DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Lefkofsky wrote Accelerated Disruption to share his understandings about the speed of innovation and his entrepreneurial business endeavors. He shares wisdom from his personal experiences and covers critical business startup concepts to help others make their ideas a reality.

It is clear that Lefkofsky values education and opportunities to learn when he states that his secret weapon is to “talk to anyone and everyone that can teach you something new.” Lefkofsky’s social media presence is just another indicator that he values the ability to network through technological avenues. He maintains a blog at www.lefkofsky.com.

Eric Lefkofsky embodies an entrepreneurial spirit that continues to learn and thrive.

Tony Petrello: CEO and Philanthropist

Anthony Petrello became CEO of Nabors Industries after Eugene Isenberg stepped down after nearly 20 years at the helm. Petrello is admired and recognized as a powerful figure in the oil and gas industry as well as a respected philanthropist in the Houston community. Nabors Industries specializes in providing a broad range of services in innovative technologies, offshore drilling rigs, directional drilling services, and performance tools both in the United States and globally. Listed as NBR in the New York Stock Exchange, Nabors employs highly skilled workers on Bloomberg who successfully collaborate with the industry’s technologically advanced drilling machinery.

Before working his way up to managing partner of the prestigious Baker & BcKenzie from 1979-1991, Anthony Petrello went to Yale University to earn his B.S. and M.S. in mathematics followed by Harvard Law School to receive his J.D. degree. Specializing in international arbitration, taxation, and general corporate law, Petrello did extremely well and brought in a lot of knowledge and experience into Nabors Industries in 1991. Joining the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, he took on many roles with the company: President and Chief Operating Officer (1991-2011), Deputy Chairman (2003-Present), President and Chief Executive Officer (2011-Present), and Chairman of the Executive Committee Board as well as Chairman of the Board (2012-Present). Additionally, Petrello made time to assist and mentor with initiatives involving strategic planning and direction. Source: http://www1.salary.com/Anthony-G-Petrello-Salary-Bonus-Stock-Options-for-NABORS-INDUSTRIES-LTD.html

Outside Nabors Industries, Petrello is equally admired and lauded for his commitment to philanthropy and charitable causes. Greatly invested in funding medical issues and providing copious financial support to the medical community, Petrello is specifically an advocate for children’s health On Wikipedia.org. Petrello and his wife, Cindy, who are college sweethearts, were unfortunately given sad news about their daughter’s health at birth. Born early, at just 24 weeks and weighing a little over a pound, doctors broke the news that Carena was diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia or PVL. Common among premature babies, this is a problematic disease that does not allow blood and oxygen to flow properly to the brain, causing significant neurological issues; in this case, Carena developed cerebral palsy, giving rise to problems such as chronic motor skill impairment, developmental delays, and dependency on someone for life.

Despite being given the tough news, Anthony and Cindy Petrello were resilient and sought to help other families that also faced similar tragedies. Committed to learning about the neurological disease and offering help, they gave nearly $7 million to the Texas Children’s Hospital’s Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute. Not only is Tony Petrello involved in the financial support and advocacy for children with severe impairments and needs, but he is also a member of the Board of Trustees at the hospital.

Former freshman roommate, Lloyd Grove, had nothing but great things to say about Petrello, referring to him as a bright and hardworking student in college and one who has remained humble despite his skyrocketing success. Anthony Petrello, despite having accomplished so much in life professionally and personally, attributes luck over being smart for his endeavors and successes.

Recent Awards and Acquisitions by OSI Group

OSI Food Solutions in the UK got the Globe of Honor Award of the Year. The British Safety Council offers this award. OSI Food Solutions got the award because of its continued involvement in environmental risk management. This was announced during the awards luncheon that was held on 25th November, 2016 in London at Draper’s Hall. OSI was one of the 18 firms awarded for their involvement in environmental management.

What this Means

For any firm to be considered for the award of Globe of Honor, it must meet the maximum star level of 5 when audited. The British Safety Council conducted this audit scheme for environmental management from August 2015-July 2016. The organizations are supposed to show their success in managing environmental risks by demonstrating in front of experts in this sector.

Reactions

The chair of British Safety Council, Lynda Armstrong OBE, gave praise to OSI Food Solutions for winning the award. She went on to say that the award is prestigious as it shows how well the organization managed the prevailing risks to the environment. She said that she was joyfully surprised by the number of firms that won this award. This, she says, is due to the increase in number of firms whose aim is to protect the environment. Safeguarding the environment is an issue that many firms are handling with care just as they do with safety and health. Mike Robinson, the British Safety Council’s chief executive presented the award to Kelly Grimwood, Osi’s environmental manager in Europe. This is not the first time that OSI won the award. It did so in 2013 and 2015.

How OSI Food Acquired Baho Food

The most recent announcement from OSI Group is that it has acquired Baho Food, a deli meats manufacturer based in Dutch. Baho Foods supplies its products to many food services dealers and retailers. There was no official amount in figures that OSI gave as to how much the acquisition was worth. OSI’s president, David G. McDonald, says that the acquisition of Baho will help his firm get more clients in Europe.

Keep Reading: OSI Buys Former Tyson Foods Plant on South Side for $7.4M

How Auto Refinancing Can Slash Down Your Payments

Refinancing has been common with home loans, but did you know that you can actually refinance the loan on your car? It’s surprisingly easier than refinancing mortgages and other asset financing provisions you can think of. Refinancing automobile loans has a lot of benefits when executed by reputable refinancing firms like Ignition Financing solutions.

 

 

Can Auto Refinancing Slash My Payments?

 

 

Several reasons make refinancing a car loan beneficial to the owner. One main benefit is to take advantage of reduced interest rates. It is possible you could have acquired the loan when interest rates were skyrocketing. When the interest rates fall, it may be necessary to seek to refinance and enjoy the reduced rates. That way you will reduce your monthly payment amounts in addition to reducing the overall interest on the loan.

 

 

In some occasions, your credit situation may have improved over time compared to the time you acquired the automobile loan. With improved credit, you can qualify for better interest rates hence reducing your monthly payments.

 

 

Car loans can stretch over a long duration of time and affect your long-term financial plans. It may be necessary to refinance your loan and seek a shorter loan term. This is common for people who have significantly improved their financial situation and can afford higher monthly payments and reduce the duration the loan will last as well as minimizing the interest accrued.

 

 

Ignition Financial

 

 

Ignition Financial services provide loan advisory services that match clients with the best auto financing options available in the market. They offer a wide variety of services including refinancing existing auto loans, purchasing company vehicles and buying leased cars.

 

 

For customers facing tight financial times, refinancing a car loan may be a better option of cutting down monthly bills and lowering monthly loan repayments. Financial experts at Ignition Financial can access key lenders with flexible repayments terms and competitive interest rates. The Ignition Refinance Car Loan Calculator is a great platform where car owners can key in their terms of payment and adjust accordingly to determine the payment plans that best fits their budget.

 

 

Final Verdict

 

 

If you choose to refinance your automobile loan, consider alerting your lender. Some banks or financial institutions may decide to drop your interest loans, and you may not have to shop around. However, Ignition Financial has a wide breadth of experience in auto financing and will shop around on your behalf to find the most competitive rates you can ever find in the market.