Eric Grabowski
Leadership & Business Analytics Consultant
Edge Construction Supply
Spokane, WA
CE 4974, Chair: Linda Remsberg
Vistage member
since 2016
Legacy Award
“You may have a lot of inherent value in your company, but if you can’t quantify it to dollars and cents, it becomes really hard in a transaction.”
Eric Grabowski’s path to a successful exit was not opportunistic—it was methodical. Over the course of eight years, he transformed Edge Construction Supply from a founder-led regional distributor into a scalable enterprise, achieving 30% annual profit growth and revenue growth above industry averages. In 2022, Eric completed an ownership transition from his father-in-law to himself and his wife. Just one year later, in October 2023, Edge was acquired by NEFCO—an organization eight times its size—in what became the largest acquisition
Hannah Steiman
Co-Founder & Head of Growth
Peak Support
Cambridge, MA
CE 5845, Chair: Nancy Babine Kucinski
Vistage member
since 2019
Legacy Award
“Timing is everything. It may be hard to let go, but waiting too long to sell can mean a lower valuation or missing the opportunity altogether.”
In 2017, Hannah Steiman took a leap of faith, leaving her consulting career to join Peak Support, the customer service outsourcing company her husband founded. At the time, the business had roughly $1.6M in revenue and 60 employees. Hannah’s leadership helped build the infrastructure required to scale responsibly, fueling sustained growth in which the company roughly doubled each year from 2019 through 2022. That foundation supported expansion to nearly $38M in revenue and close to 2,000 employees, while achieving a
Iris Schimke
President & CEO
Express Information Systems
San Antonio, TX
CE 3867, Chair: Charles Marino
Vistage member
2011-2025
Legacy Award
“Have your buyer provide the post-acquisition hundred-day plan in writing.”
In 1989, Iris Schimke was laid off from the computer store she managed in San Antonio, while five months pregnant with her oldest son. Soon after, a client’s request for help with an invoicing system turned into a consulting gig, which ultimately launched her career in software reselling. With no formal business plan, Iris formed Express Information Systems with her business partner, Cheryl, and together they led it for 36 years. They prioritized quality over rapid growth, building a $5M
Jeff Huntley, Sr.
Retired CEO
T-H Marine Supplies
Huntsville, AL
CE 3872, Chair: Hema Menon-Grant
Vistage member
since 2012
Legacy Award
“We're all going to exit our business planned or unplanned, and I think planning for it ahead of time is the better option.”
In 1994, Jeff Huntley, Sr. stepped off a well-defined career path as a Harvard Business School graduate working at Bain & Company to purchase T-H Marine Supplies, a small marine supply manufacturing business. As CEO, Jeff executed a disciplined growth plan that resulted in 125x revenue growth in five years from $2M to $250M, 18 acquisitions, and expanding to nine locations with over 600 employees. Recognizing the importance of exit planning, Jeff built a formal five-year exit-readiness strategy that led
Jennifer Harris
CEO
TMC Global
El Segundo, CA
CE 5225, Chair: Bonita Garcia
Vistage member
since 2020
Legacy Award
“Prepare your business whether you plan to sell it or not.”
Jennifer Harris started Technology Management Concepts in a laundry room with her friend from college, learning the computer business on the job. Together, they built a company teaching businesses to use accounting software, growing to about 20 employees, and by 2001, Microsoft acquired the product they were built on. In December 2024, after five years of deliberate transformation, Jennifer sold 53% of the company to a private equity firm — a liquidity event fewer than 1% of women-only founders ever
Jim Miller
Founder & Chairman
J.R. Miller & Associates (JRMA)
Brea, CA
CE 8755, Chair: George Stepancich
Vistage member
since 2023
Legacy Award
“Instead of saying, 'I think you should do this,' I'll say, 'Would you consider?' If there's one thing that's been the key to my success, it's that.”
Forty-three years ago, Jim Miller founded J.R. Miller & Associates (JRMA) with the belief that industrial facilities could be designed to be more economical and more operationally efficient. When the 2008 financial crisis slowed construction, a former client’s request to help build one of the first large-scale food-waste-to-energy facilities led JRMA into organics processing. That diversification, along with steady 10% growth since 2019, gave Jim the confidence to pursue an ESOP, with JRMA becoming 100% employee owned in September 2024.
