The following is a biographical summary of each of our organizers, directors and executive officers:
Patrick Avendt Director,
Organizer, President, and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Avendt is an organizer, a director and our President and Chief Executive Officer. His banking career spans more than twenty years and includes executive management positions at Northern Trust Company and Harris Bank. Most recently, he was employed as the Regional Private Banker for Harris Bank in the Joliet market, a position he held for five years. Before he joined Harris Bank, he worked for eighteen years in numerous executive management positions in operations and sales at Northern Trust Company, where he began his career in 1982. Before leaving Northern Trust, he attained the position of Group Head of PFS Operations, where we was responsible for fourteen divisions with a total of 218 employees. As Group Head, he managed an annual budget of approximately $8.7 million. A Michigan native, Mr. Avendt is a graduate of DePaul University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, and the University of Wisconsin's Graduate School of Banking. He is actively involved in numerous church, community and professional organizations and boards and currently serves as Scoutmaster of a local Boy Scouts troop. Mr. Avendt is also a sworn part-time police officer for the Village of Tinley Park.
Azeem Ahsan Organizer Dr. Ahsan is an organizer. For the last 18 years, he has been actively engaged as a practicing physician in Will County and the greater Joliet area. Over his career, he has grown his practice from a small solo medical practice to a group practice with multiple providers. He has also been involved, in various capacities, with Alliance Health, a physician hospital organization, where he currently serves as Chief of Utilization Review after having previously served on the board of directors and as Medical Director. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Ahsan was a founding member in 2004, and currently serves as a director, of a malpractice physician captive insurance company based in Illinois.
Joseph Baltz Organizer Mr. Baltz has been actively engaged in banking in the Shorewood, Joliet and Will County areas for the past 28 years, most recently in Shorewood at the J.P. Morgan Chase office. Mr. Baltz is currently serving in his 23rd year as Troy Township Supervisor, and is a 31year veteran of the Troy Fire Department. He is a past Director of the Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce, past President of the Will County Local Development Corporation, past Chairman of Provena St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation, and past member of the Will County Board and Forest Preserve Board. Mr. Baltz is a graduate of Northern Virginia College with A.S. Degree in Business Management and earned a Bachelor's of Science Degree from University of St. Frances majoring in Law and Government. Mr. Baltz had previously worked, as an auditor with the FBI in Washington D.C. Mr. Baltz is a member of St. Paul's the Apostle Church of Joliet and is a past Parish Council member. He resides in Shorewood with his wife Nancy and 3 children.
Richard Berti Organizer Mr. Berti is an organizer. He is President and sole owner of R. Berti & Son Contractors, Inc., a family-owned construction firm established in 1923 and based in Lockport, Illinois. Since acquiring the company in 1996, he has overseen an annual growth rate in the company's contracts of approximately 25%. Mr. Berti is a member of the Joliet Chapter of UNICO National, an Italian-American service club, and serves in other capacities on the Joliet Junior College Construction Technology Committee and the Exchange Club of Joliet, Illinois. He is also very active with the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Joliet. A Joliet native, Mr. Berti earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, with an Operations Management major, from DePaul University.
Ralph Bias Organizer and Director Mr. Bias is an organizer and director. He is a retired businessman, having spent more than thirty years employed by Caterpillar, Inc., where he was actively engaged in quality control and purchasing for the company. Over his career, he has been actively engaged in community organizations, including serving on the boards of the March of Dimes, Big Brothers, Aid Ministry Board, United Way and Narcotics Anonymous Board. Mr. Bias is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces and attended Alcorn State University where he studied Mechanical Engineering.
John Camphouse Director Mr. Camphouse is a director. He is a retired businessman, having most recently served for more than six years as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Evergreen Community Bank, an Evergreen, Illinois-based independent bank that he organized in 1999. Over his working career, he has served in management capacities in employee relations, recruitment, employee development and employee benefit administration in manufacturing, research and development and banking. A Chicago native, he is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Employee Relations. He has been actively involved in community affairs and has served as an Alderman and Treasurer of the City of Palos Heights and as President of the Board of Directors of Chicago Christian High School. He has resided in Palos Heights for more than 33 years.
Jack Carlstrom Organizer and Director Mr. Carlstrom is an organizer and director. He is a life-long resident of Will County and has been actively engaged as a businessman in the local community throughout his professional career. In addition, he has been actively engaged in owning and managing real estate investments throughout the greater Chicago area. Over his career, he has been involved in leadership positions in numerous civic and business organizations. He has served on the board of directors of Heritage First National Bank of Lockport, as President of the Joliet West Kiwanis Club, as a member of the Advisory Board of Providence Catholic High School and on the Board of Trustees of Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, an organization with which he has been affiliated from almost 20 years.
Lori Chignoli-Cora Organizer and Director Mrs. Chignoli-Cora is an organizer and director. She and her brothers co-own Chignoli Auto Sales, Inc., a company their father organized more than thirty years ago. A Joliet native, Mrs. Chignoli-Cora is a graduate of St. Francis Academy and Lewis University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting. She has also been licensed as a certified public accountant by the State of Illinois. Mrs. Chignoli-Cora is very active in the community, having served on the Private Industry Council of Will County, Joliet Area Community Area Hospice Board, Joliet Junior Catholic Women's Club, and the Joliet Chamber of Commerce.
Ronald Chovan Organizer and Director Mr. Chovan is an organizer and director. For the past thirty years, he has been actively engaged in a local construction and real estate company. In addition, he has served on the Police and Fire Commission for the last 8 years in Crest Hill, Illinois, the last four of which he has served as Chairman. Mr. Chovan was born and raised in Joliet.
John Dabrowski Organizer, Executive Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer Mr. Dabrowski is an organizer and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He has over 30 years experience in bank accounting, reporting, and compliance. He was employed by Beverly Bancorporation, Inc. a multi-bank holding company organization for 19 years. For the past 10 years he was employed by Devon Bank in Chicago with the title of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He is a graduate of DePaul University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He also earned his certified public accountant accreditation and is a member of the Illinois Society of C.P.A.'s. Mr. Dabrowski currently resides in Orland Park. He is a Knight of Columbus and member of St. Julie parish where he has assisted in various fund raising and educational programs in the community.
Elsy Devassy Organizer Dr. Devassy is an organizer. A Joliet resident, she works as part of the medical staff at the Provena St. Joseph Medical Center and Silver Cross Hospitals in Joliet and serves on many medical boards and committees for these and other hospitals. She also holds memberships with various medical societies. Mr. Devassy has lived in the United States since the early 1980s. She has been Board Certified with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General Psychiatry since 1985 and Geriatric Psychiatry since 1996.
Surendra Gulati Organizer and Director Dr. Gulati is an organizer and director. He has been actively engaged in the private practice of medicine in the Joliet area since 1983, when he started a neurology practice in the area. Since that time, he has practiced as both hospitals in the area and served on various hospital committees and as Secretary-Treasurer at the St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Illinois. He has also served as Director of Neurology and is currently in the process of developing a Neuroscience Institute that will help to provide a very high level of neurological and neurosurgical services in the Joliet Community.
Rao Kilaru Organizer and Chairman of the Board Dr. Kilaru is an organizer and the Chairman of the Board. A practicing physician, Dr. Kilaru has been heavily involved in hospital administration for twenty years and is currently the President of Prairie Emergency Services, one of the largest emergency departments in the State of Illinois. He has been board certified as a general surgeon since 1976 and in emergency medicine since 1985. Dr. Kilaru is actively involved in the community and has served on local boards for the local hospital, junior college, and an INS company.
Robert Krockey Organizer Mr. Krockey is an organizer. A Chicago native who has lived in Joliet since 1967, Mr. Krockey is actively engaged in the practice of law and has served as senior partner in his own firm since 1972. He has specialized in the representation of closely held businesses, real estate and estate planning. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and DePaul Law School. He is also a certified public accountant. In addition to his professional activities, he has served as President of the Board of Directors of the Will County Legal Assistance Program, Prairie State Legal Services, and United Cerebral Palsy.
Edward Marso Organizer Mr. Marso is an organizer. He is a partner with the accounting firm of Wermer, Rogers, Doran & Ruzon, LLC, where he has practiced since 1984. He graduated with honors from the College of St. Francis, where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree, and he earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Lewis University. He is licensed by the State of Illinois as a certified public accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois Government Finance Officers Association. He also currently serves on the Advisory Board for Provena Villa Franciscan, which operates a long-term care facility in Joliet, Illinois.
Edward Mattox Organizer and Director Mr. Mattox is an organizer and director. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Inland Electric and Kipling Development. Kipling Development commenced operations in 1980 with the construction of two homes and has since grown in the development and homebuilding industry with annual revenues exceeding $100 million. Inland Electric is a locally-owned electrical contracting company that employs more than 400 electricians. He is a member of The National Electrical Contractors and the Chicago Home Builders, and is a licensed electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. A Joliet native, Mr. Mattox is active in the community, serving on foundation boards of both St. Paul and St. Jude of Joliet. He has also served on the Will County Building Commission, the St. Jude School Board and the Salvation Army Foundation.
James Ruzon Organizer and Director Mr. Ruzon is an organizer and director. He is managing partner of the accounting firm of Wermer, Rogers, Doran, & Ruzon. A Joliet native, Mr. Ruzon earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from Lewis University and is licensed as a certified public accountant by the State of Illinois. He currently serves as President Elect of the Lincolnland District Exchange Clubs and as a member of the Agri-Business Committee of the Illinois CPA Society. He also serves on the board of directors of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Guardian Angel Community Services and as a member of the Exchange Club of Joliet.
David Stanton Executive VP, Chief Lending Officer, and Director Mr. Stanton has been actively engaged in the business of banking for over 20 years, most recently serving as Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer at Oak Lawn Bank. Mr. Stanton started as a lender at Devon Bank in Chicago. He moved to Beverly Bank in 1988, moving up the ranks of the lending department, eventually becoming Chief Lending Officer. He later became President of First National Bank of Wilmington, (a wholly owned bank of Beverly Bancorporation, Inc.) in Wilmington, Illinois and later, President of Beverly Bank Oak Lawn. After the Beverly Banks were sold, Mr. Stanton accepted a position in 2001 at Oak Lawn Bank as Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer and Director. Mr. Stanton also served as secretary of the board. Mr. Stanton was instrumental in the development of the newly formed, Oak Lawn Bank and eventual sale to First Banks, Inc., a St. Louis, MO bank holding company. Mr. Stanton is a graduate of DePaul with a BA in finance and currently resides in Mokena with his wife Phyllis.
Suryakumar Tanna Organizer and Director Mr. Tanna is an organizer and director. He is currently employed as a sales executive with Sharper Image Engravers and as a seasonal tax professional with H&R Block. He is a graduate of Nagpur University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, and of the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he earned his Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. A Shorewood, Illinois resident, he has served as a board member of the Will Grundy Medical Clinic in Joliet, Illinois since 2001.
Thomas Vana Organizer Mr. Vana is an organizer. He has been actively engaged for twenty years in managing numerous family businesses, which include memorial chapels, funeral homes, a crematory, and an ambulance and paramedic service. Mr. Vana was responsible for organizing the first Advance Life Support Ambulance Service within the Will/Grundy Emergency Medical System. An Illinois native, he graduated from Lincoln Way High School and attended Joliet Junior College and Worsham College of Mortuary Science.
Robert Wysocki Organizer and Director Mr. Wysocki is an organizer and director. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Grant's Appliances, Electronics and More, a retail store that he acquired in 1993. Since its acquisition, Mr. Wysocki has overseen the company's growth from a single store to an eight store chain and an increase of almost 400% in annual revenues. Prior to his acquisition of Grant's, he was employed for fifteen years with Fretter Superstores, where he served in numerous managerial capacities, including as Executive Vice President with overall responsibility for Real Estate, Warehousing and Distribution, Customer Service Operations. Over his career, Mr. Wysocki has been active in numerous local charitable and community service initiatives. He has served as President of both the Joliet Junior College Foundation and the Will Grundy Free Medical Clinic, more than doubling the ability of the latter to service less fortunate members of the community. He has also served on the board of directors of Provena St. Joseph Medical Center and of its foundation, and is currently the Chairman of the Center's Quality Control Committee.
