Team Biographies

Wayne C. Kocourek

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Kocourek has been involved in principal investing since 1986 and has over thirty years of operational and business experience.

In 1986, Mr. Kocourek completed the acquisition and formation of Applied Industrial Materials Corporation (AIMCOR). At the time AIMCOR was a $500 million international supplier of industrial carbon products and an operator of bulk shipping terminals, a producer and marketer of ferroalloys, metals, ladle metallurgy materials, and a producer of various mineral products. Mr. Kocourek was actively involved in the management of AIMCOR as its Vice-Chairman and President. This very successful leveraged buyout was sold in October of 1997.

Prior to forming Mid Oaks Investments in 1997, Mr. Kocourek served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Susquehanna Corporation, an AMEX Company, where he was instrumental in Susquehanna's successful turnaround. Previously he was an executive with Nekoosa Papers, Inc., a subsidiary of Great Northern Nekoosa Corporation, in a financial and operations role. Mr. Kocourek also spent eleven years with Arthur Andersen & Co.'s Milwaukee office in the audit practice.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Mid Oaks' portfolio companies.

Mr. Kocourek earned a B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and is a certified public accountant.

Michael A. Kocourek
President
Mr. Kocourek joined Mid Oaks Investments in 1997 and has responsibilities in all aspects of Mid Oaks' activities. He has primary responsibility for sourcing transactions in addition to evaluating, executing and monitoring portfolio investments.

Prior to joining Mid Oaks, Mr. Kocourek served in various financial functions at ACCO World Corporation, a subsidiary of Fortune Brands (NYSE) and at Applied Industrial Materials Corporation (AIMCOR). At AIMCOR he also served as Midwest Territory Sales Manager for cat litter products.

Mr. Kocourek is the owner and operator of several small businesses and commercial real estate investments.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of D&W Fine Pack and Plastic Packaging Technologies, both of which are Mid Oaks portfolio companies.

Mr. Kocourek earned a B.S. from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Additionally, Mr. Kocourek serves on the Board of the Illinois Venture Capital Association. He also participates on the Boards of the Lake Geneva Utility Commission; The Lake Geneva Business Improvement District (as President); The Lake Geneva YMCA (as Finance Chair); and the Lake Geneva Economic Development Corporation.

Donald F. Piazza
Senior Managing Director
Mr. Piazza joined Mid Oaks Investments in 1998 and brought some twenty years of business and investment experience to the firm.

He began his professional career at Arthur Andersen & Co.'s Chicago office in the audit practice becoming an audit manager. He subsequently served as Treasurer of the American Hospital Association before joining the Sun Times Company as initially Chief Financial Officer and then as Chief Operating Officer. After the Sun Times he acquired and operated a retail marine business.

Mr. Piazza has extensive operating and financial experience as well as experience in developing and executing strategy. At the Sun Times he was instrumental in leading a leveraged buyout of the business, team building and developing and executing a successful growth strategy that included both organic initiatives and the acquisition of several strategically located community newspapers and other businesses. Sales and earnings increased significantly during his tenure at both the newspaper group and the retail marine business.

Mr. Piazza has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations including The Sun Times Company and The Rehabilitation Institute Of Chicago. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of D&W Fine Pack and Plastic Packaging Technologies, both of which are Mid Oaks portfolio companies. He is also past Chairman of the Committee on Entrepreneurship at the University of Illinois.

Mr. Piazza earned a B.B.A. from Loyola University and is a certified public accountant.

David A. Boyle
Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Boyle joined Mid Oaks Investments in 2005 and brings to the firm extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, banking and investor relations, financial reporting, taxation and information technology.

Prior to joining Mid Oaks Mr. Boyle served as the Chief Financial Officer of Globe Union Group, Inc., a holding company with subsidiaries engaged in the manufacture and distribution of plumbing products. He was also the Chief Financial Officer of Gerber Plumbing Fixtures LLC the largest subsidiary.

Mr. Boyle began his professional career at Arthur Andersen & Co.'s Chicago office in the middle market audit practice and subsequently as a Senior Manager in the Transaction Advisory Services Group.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of D&W Fine Pack which is a Mid Oaks portfolio company.

Mr. Boyle earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, a B.S. in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University and is a certified public accountant.

David L. Crouch
Managing Director
Mr. Crouch joined Mid Oaks in 2007 with responsibility to conduct M & A transactions. Prior to joining Mid Oaks, he was with BMO Capital Markets for 10 years. At BMO, Mr. Crouch was a Director in the Financial Sponsor Group and was previously responsible for investment banking in the Transportation Group.

Prior to BMO, Mr. Crouch spent 3 years in Corporate Banking at Bank of America.

Mr. Crouch spent six years as Product Engineer at Chrysler Corporation in Auburn Hills, Michigan. His experiences at Chrysler included quality assurance/audits of suppliers, production launch at assembly plants, design & development of electrical components.

Mr. Crouch holds an MBA in Finance and Strategic Management from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and a B.S.E.E. from the University of Notre Dame.

Nicolas J. Gallo
Vice President
Mr. Gallo joined Mid Oaks Investments in 2010 and brings extensive merger and acquisition experience to the firm. Mr. Gallo is responsible for evaluating and executing investment opportunities, as well as monitoring the firm's existing portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Mid Oaks, Mr. Gallo worked in the Transaction Services Group (Mergers and acquisitions advisory) of KPMG LLP in Chicago; there he focused on strategic and private equity buyout transactions in a wide-array of sectors.

Mr. Gallo graduated with a B.S. in Finance & Accounting from Indiana University. He is a chartered financial analyst and a certified public accountant. Mr. Gallo is a member of Mensa.

Daniel A. Nadler
Senior Associate

Mr. Nadler joined Mid Oaks Investments in 2012 and brings extensive merger and acquisition experience to the firm. Mr. Nadler is responsible for evaluating and executing investment opportunities, as well as monitoring the firm’s existing portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Mid Oaks, Mr. Nadler worked in turnaround and management consulting at Silverman Consulting. Previously he was in public accounting with experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Crowe Horwath. His experience was focused on audit and due diligence assignments throughout various industries. He was also an Associate at AlixPartners in its Financial Advisory Services group.

Mr. Nadler graduated with a B.S. in Finance from University of Illinois, and is a CPA.