CFA-MidWest is staffed with a team of the most experienced
M&A professionals in the area. All of the M&A professionals have owned,
bought and sold their own businesses. We know how our clients feel because
we've all been business sellers and buyers ourselves.
Morley
Zipursky founded CFA-MidWest in 1980. Under his guidance and direction, CFA-MidWest
has been named CFA's Office of the Year 10 times in 23
years. Morley was CFA's Dealmaker of the Year for 1986 and
1989. In 1997, in recognition of his leadership as well as his record as
perhaps the top dealmaker in CFA history, Morley became the second inductee
into the CFAW Circle of Fame.
In addition to his role as Chairman of CFA-MidWest, Morley
also serves as the Chairman Emeritus of CFAW. He was Chairman of the Board of
CFAW from June, 1996 until August, 2003.
Prior to founding CFA-MidWest offices, Morley spent 27 years
as the owner of his own manufacturing businesses, including 22 years as the
co-founder of the Commodore Corporation, a publicly traded manufacturer of
mobile homes.
Morley is a 1949 graduate of the University of Tulsa with a
BS degree in Petroleum Refinery Engineering. He was President of the Student
Council from 1948-49. He served as an enlisted sailor in the Royal Canadian
Navy during World War II.
You can reach Morley directly at (402) 330-2160.
Jim
Zipursky joined his father Morley at CFA in 1990. Since assuming management of
day-to-day operations in 1994, CFA-MidWest has been named CFA's Office
of the Year seven times in 12 years. Jim won CFA's Dealmaker of the Year
award for 2003. In 1999, Jim was responsible for closing the Largest
Transaction of the Year for CFA Worldwide.
In addition to his role at CFA-MidWest, Jim serves as the
Chairman of CFAW's Member Services committee. He also serves as CFAW's
representative to the International Business Law Consortium, www.iblc.com. He is a member of the Denver Chapter of
the Association for Corporate Growth, www.acg.org/denver/
and the Society of Plastics Engineers. Jim serves of the Advisory Board for
Wall Street Management & Capital, www.wsmcapital.com.
Jim holds Real Estate Broker's licenses in Nebraska, Iowa and Colorado and
holds a Business Broker license in Illinois.
Prior to joining CFA, Jim founded, operated and sold a
specialized temporary help agency in the Washington DC area. He also worked for
Electronic Data Systems before starting his own business.
Jim is a 1982 graduate of the University of California with
a BA in Political Science.
You can reach Jim directly at (402) 330-2160.
Ron
Chernak joined with Jim Zipursky to open the CFA-Colorado offices in 2005. In
addition to his role with CFA, Ron is the President and founder of First
Business Brokers, Ltd, (FBB) a business brokerage in Colorado Springs and
Denver (www.fbb.com). FBB works on
transactions smaller than those that CFA handles.
Prior to
organizing FBB, Ron practiced law with a 175-member law firm in Chicago. He has
a CPA Certificate (Illinois), is a Colorado Real Estate Broker, a Certified
Business Intermediary Fellowship status (the highest professional designation
within the Business Brokerage industry), and is a Master Merger &
Acquisitions Intermediary. He has extensive experience in contract and lease
negotiations, financial planning, and financing.
Ron
is very active in many community activities, such as the Colorado Springs
Chamber of Commerce (former Chairman of the Board), the Convention and
Visitor's Bureau, and the Rotary Club. He also has served as the Chairman
and/or Director of the Board for numerous business brokerage committees and
organizations, including a national advisory committee on mergers and
acquisitions. Ron also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the
International Business Brokerage Association (IBBA), the premier industry trade
association, with a membership of over 1,200 intermediaries in 22 countries,
and Chairman of the M & A Source, the largest association of middle market
intermediaries in the world.
Ron
earned his law degree from Duke University in 1974. He received his
undergraduate business administration degree in accounting from Notre Dame
University in 1971.
You can reach Ron directly at (303) 635-4667.
After
successfully growing and selling several family middle market businesses, Bob
Layfield decided to sell businesses for others and joined CFA in 1998. Bob is
responsible for working with sellers and buyers in eastern Iowa, Minnesota,
Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Prior to joining CFA, Bob spent over 23 years in the
food-service industry. He and his family owned a successful soft drink bottling
company and food-service distribution company in Mason City, Iowa. After
operating the food service distribution company for over 18 years, Bob led a
successful sale to a competitor in Cedar Falls. Bob then worked for the new
owners for five years before entering the M&A world.
Bob is a member
of the Minnesota Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and the
Chicago-based Midwest Business Brokers & Intermediaries Association, www.mbbi.org.
He was recognized in 1998 by the International Business Broker Association as
having earned the designation of Certified Business Intermediary, and holds an
Iowa Real Estate license as well as a Business Broker license in Illinois.
Bob received
his MBA in Finance from the University of Iowa in 1974. He earned his BA in
Economics from Northwestern University in 1972.
You can reach Bob directly at (319) 266-6427.
Bob Prangley joined CFA in 1989 as Vice
President, National Marketing and later became the first Executive Manager of
CFAW when he and ten of the offices acquired the company in 1996. Prior to
joining CFA, he was a business owner in broadcasting, publishing and video
production.
Following his recent
retirement from his executive staff position at CFAW, Bob naturally transferred
into the role of a "Rainmaker" for CFA-MidWest. As an experienced facilitator,
he is able to introduce qualified CFA professionals to prospective clients in
need of business transaction services.