Larry W Gies

Mr. Gies is the founder, President and CEO of Madison Industries, one of the largest and most successful privately held companies in the world (www.madison.net). Madison builds entrepreneurially driven, branded market leaders that are dedicated to making the world safer, healthier and more productive by creating innovative solutions that deliver outstanding customer value. Madison has built market leaders in the filtration, medical, safety, heat transfer, industrial equipment, process improvement, instruments & controls, advertising, service outsourcing, energy and plastic industries with combined revenues in excess of $5 billion. Under Mr. Gies’ leadership, Madison has acquired 70 branded, market-leading companies, most with significant international operations and twelve based in Europe. Madison has further expanded the geographic reach of these enterprises, including the opening of numerous facilities in China and Eastern Europe. Mr. Gies has built market leaders focusing on employee engagement, new product introduction, lean manufacturing initiatives, cash flow generation and customer centric solutions. Mr. Gies serves as the President of The Gies Foundation (which focuses on youth, education and health) and is a featured speaker at several universities. He was instrumental in establishing The Gies Campus of Chicago Jesuit Academy (a full scholarship school focused on 3rd – 8th grade education for boys on Chicago’s West Side). He has also coached numerous youth sports and serves on the boards of Amsted Industries (one of the largest ESOP’s in the United States) and the Accelerate Institute (which is solving for the ‘achievement gap’ in United States education). Prior to forming Madison, he assisted Investor, Michael Heisley of Heico Acquisitions in numerous investments including the assumption of a senior management role with a manufacturer of capital equipment. He serves as a Director of Filtration Group Corporation. He serves on the Board of the Accelerate Institute. He served as a Member of Supervisory Board at KraussMaffei Group GmbH since 2006. He served as a Director of WorldPort Communications, Inc. Mr. Gies earned his M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management with concentrations in Strategic Management and Marketing. He received a B.S. in Accounting, graduating with highest honors, from the University of Illinois.