Board of Directors
Philip M. Firrek, Chairman of the Audit Committee
Mr. Firrek, started his career as a Banker with American National Bank & Trust Co., Chicago, IL, is presently the managing director of Cogent Equities, LLC, a private equity firm based in Lake Forest, Illinois specializing in the purchase of underperforming loans from banks, a position he has held since January 2003. Mr. Firrek was a director of Central State Bank, State Center, Iowa, for a six year term from 2003 to 2009. Mr. Firrek also presently serves as a trustee of the Braeburn Trust, a family trust located in Delray Beach, Florida, whose major holding is IPI Medical Products, Delray Beach, Florida, a position he has held since June 2010. Prior to starting Cogent Equities, LLC, Mr. Firrek, owned two businesses, the most recent of which was American Decal & Manufacturing Co (from 1998 to 2002), a printer of license plate stickers and similar products. Mr. Firrek is a graduate of Indiana University with a BS in Business.
Thomas E. Sawyer, Director
Dr. Sawyer is presently the Chairman/CEO of Brazil Gold Corp. a position he has held since 2009 where he is responsible for the strategic planning and organization of this small publicly-traded independent gold exploration company working in Brazil’s Western Amazon basin. Prior to that, he was the Chairman/CEO of Innova Enterprises, Inc. from 2007 to 2009 where he led the development of patented oil purification technology to reduce waste oil and extend useful life of diesel engines and engine components. Dr. Sawyer presently serves as a director of Digifonica International Inc., a publicly-traded company exploiting telecommunications patents related to VoIP services. a position he has held since 2007. He is presently chair of the compensation and audit committees of Digifonica International Inc. Dr. Sawyer also presently serves as a director of Chief Consolidated Mining, Inc., a position he has held since 2007. In addition, Dr. Sawyer owns his own consulting business of which he is President and Chief Executive Officer, under the name Sawyer Technologies, LLC, a business he has owned and operated since 2002. Dr. Sawyer has also served as a trustee of the First European Investment Foundation since 2004 and a senior director of AIM Holdings LTD, Economic Research Institute since 2002. His prior engagements were as the Chief Technology Officer of Global Light Telecommunications, Inc. from 1998 to 2002, a public company; and as the Chief Executive Officer of NACT Telecommunications, Inc. from 1988 to 1998, a public company. Dr. Sawyer served in the executive office of three presidential administrations, including serving as a director in the Office of Economic Opportunity, Executive Offices of the President in Washington, D.C. from 1973 to 1974. Dr. Sawyer has previously served on a number of boards of civic and charitable organizations and as a professor of Brigham Young University from 1974 t0 1978. Dr. Sawyer received his Ph.D. in Management from Walden University and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Florida State University. He also received an M.A. in Business/Urban Affairs from Occidental College and his B.S. in Engineering from U.C.L.A.
Michael A. Silverman, Director
Since founding Silverman Consulting in 1978, Michael Silverman has earned wide recognition as an expert financial analyst, business strategist, management consultant, creditor relations counselor, corporate administrator and negotiator. Mike’s unique financial consulting practice has contributed to the emergence of the “turnaround consultant” as an important resource for the business and financial community. Mike is the Principal at Silverman Consulting and is an active participant in many of the firm’s turnaround consulting assignments, especially when special strategic planning and financial negotiations are involved. Mike’s turnaround experience covers virtually every major manufacturing and service sector. Mike currently serves on several corporate boards and executive committees. He has appeared on CLTV’s “Your Money” program to discuss how small business is coping with the current economic climate, was a guest speaker at Michael Best & Friedrich’s seminar, “Bargain Hunting: Opportunities in an Uncertain Real Estate Market,” and he was invited by the Turnaround Management Association to participate in a panel discussion at their seminar, “How Rainmakers Make It Pour.” He has also been a guest speaker at JPMorgan Chase Bank, Harris Bank, Fifth Third Bank, and Bank of America on several occasions, covering topics such as “Solving Management Problems at Troubled Companies,” “Relationship Management in Good Times and Bad,” “How to Identify and Turn Around a Troubled Company,” and “Maximizing Value in Distressed Situations.” He has also provided pro bono services to the American Liver Foundation and Casa Central, a social services network for the Hispanic community. Prior to forming his consulting firm, Mike was a principal of Abbott Capital Corporation, a Chicago-based venture capital investment firm. Earlier, he served as a supply officer on a destroyer during the Vietnam war. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University at St. Louis and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
Robert Steele, Director
Robert Steele is currently Chief Executive Officer of Quadrant 4. He has previously served as President of Quadrant 4’s Health Division since June 2013. He is a technology industry veteran with over 30 years of experience focused on the insurance, employee benefits, and health care sectors. Steele has founded several technology companies including the first Section 125 administration system to serve small and mid-market employers. Steele was named by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in the “Twenty Techies to Know” in a 2001 publication. Steele also served in the Georgia General Assembly as an elected state representative in 1988.