Technology industry leader with a career spanning nearly 30 years, Robert Blackwell Jr. has cultivated Electronic Knowledge Interchange (EKI) into a leading management and technology consulting firm well-known for its ability to respond to complex business challenges with efficient, intelligent and innovative solutions. Today he oversees the company, which currently employs more than 100 technology and business consulting experts. Starting at IBM in 1981, Blackwell began his long career in building innovative systems that improve business operations. With a keen passion for entrepreneurship, he then went on to found several Chicago-based companies, including Urban Fishing Development, Bytewise International and Blackwell Consulting Services. A former professional table tennis player. Blackwell also founded Killerspin, the leading table tennis equipment, apparel and promotion company. Blackwell is currently an active member of the Alliance of Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs (ABLE), Executive’s Club of Chicago and Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and in 2010 was selected as Chair of the Business Development Committee of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. He has also been a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Blackwell also services on the board of several civic organizations including After School Matters, The Belle Center in Chicago and Autism Speaks.