Edward W. Towers, CBI, M&AMI, QFP, RFC, CSA

Ed Towers is President of TIGER Brokerage Group, which is associated with Personal Financial Consultants, Inc.. TIGER is a middle market intermediary firm involved in private investment banking, business brokering, valuations, and planning. TIGER is linked to M&A Source, the world’s largest network for intermediaries.

Ed has a distinguished track record in mergers and acquisitions over 20 years. Previously Ed was Managing Director of a national M&A firm. For 16 years, Ed held senior executive positions with Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., a publicly traded telephone and wireless company with 5.4 million customers and a market capitalization of about $5 billion.

As Vice President of Corporate Development and Operations at TDS, Ed was responsible for strategy development, identification of potential targets and then negotiating and closing acquisitions and divestitures. He had an active role in taking their subsidiary (U.S. Cellular) public and wrote the business plan leading to the IPO. Ed spearheaded corporate growth by acquiring over 300 companies around the country. During his last year at TDS, Ed originated and negotiated 19 acquisitions worth over $600 million. For 5 years before joining TDS, Ed held various managerial roles in marketing and planning with GTE.

Prior to his career in telecommunications, Ed founded and ran a privately owned office products retailer and educational materials distributor in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. Ed is a member of numerous professional organizations including Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries, Association for Corporate Growth, Financial Planning Association, International Business Brokers Association, Chicago Association of Private Equity Executives, and M&A Source.

Ed is a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI), a Registered Financial Consultant (RFC), and a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA). He has a Certificate of Completion for the CFP Program and is a Qualified Financial Planner (QFP), which is the unifying credential that qualifies the various designations of personal financial planners, including CFP, ChFC, etc. In addition, Ed is a Registered Business Broker in Illinois and a licensed Real Estate Broker in Wisconsin. He is also registered by the Illinois Attorney General as a Franchise Broker. Ed has recently been honored as a M&A Master Intermediary. His civic activities include the Lake Forest Breakfast Rotary Club and the Medina Shrine (32 degree Mason). With Ed’s extensive experience and professional designations, he is a sought after speaker on M&A issues. He has given over 100 speeches and presentations to different organizations during his career and is on the Board of several companies.

Ed earned his B.S. in Business Administration from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He also earned an MBA with distinction from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bill Towers, CBI, CM&AA

Bill is Managing Director of TIGER Brokerage Group. He spearheads the small market division, as well as supervises marketing activities, drafting Descriptive Offering Reports, lead generation, and management of the website. He is a Registered Business Broker and Franchise Broker in Illinois with TIGER. Bill also has a real estate broker license in Illinois for commercial real estate transactions.

With several years of experience in M&A advising with TIGER, Bill brings a broad background to his practice. Previous positions include consulting with PFCI and sales training with Global Enterprise Technologies

Bill received a B.A. from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and he has also attended programs at Oxford University in England and Dartmouth College. He is a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) and has completed a Certificate in Financial Markets for the Center of Law and Financial Markets graduate school at the Illinois Institute of Technology with credits towards a Master's degree. Bill also holds the CM&AA (Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor) credential put forth by the AMAA (Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors). Currently, Bill is a candidate for a Masters of Science in Financial Services at The American College.

Associations to which Bill belongs are the International Business Brokers Association, Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries, Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors, Kenyon College Alumni Association, Phi Kappa Sigma International Fraternity Alumni Association, and Lake Forest Academy Alumni Association.

Gretchen Baas

Gretchen Baas is a consultant and office manager for TIGER. A team member of TIGER upon its founding, she is also responsible for customer service activities. Previous work experience was as a consultant and database manager for PFCI, Assistant Director of Public Relations for Grant Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and employment coordinator for Owens-Corning. In addition to her B.S., she has taken numerous software and database management courses.