University of Michigan and KPMG Unveil 2016 QuantumShift Graduates

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, today announced graduates of QuantumShift, a week-long entrepreneurial development program recognizing successful entrepreneurs and executives of U.S. high-growth private companies.

"No matter how much business experience an individual has – and those selected for this year's program are among the most knowledgeable in the country – the need and importance of reinvigorating the entrepreneurial spirit is never-ending," said Stewart Thornhill, executive director of the Zell Lurie Institute at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. "The business leaders who participated in this year's program were able to learn from each other by sharing their own unique experiences and walked away with a refreshed ability to take their already successful organizations to the next level."

QuantumShift is a collaborative project between KPMG LLP and the Ross School of Business. Unlike other recognition-only entrepreneurial development programs, QuantumShift is rooted in sustained learning, networking and collaboration. The program provides an opportunity for participants to learn from a wealth of talented professionals – including distinguished Ross School of Business faculty members – and offers graduates access to the Fellows Network, an exclusive peer-to-peer network focused on ongoing problem solving, development and mentorship.

The diverse class of participants represents some of the top entrepreneurs and executives in the country. As a group, the participants' organizations average $62 million in revenue and have a combined total revenue of $2.4 billion. Together, they have a three-year growth rate of 149 percent, and more than half of the executives were named to the 2015 Inc. 5000 list.

"We were blown away by the expertise and knowledge the inaugural QuantumShift class brought to this year's program," said Brian Hughes, national leader of KPMG LLP's Private Markets Group. "We'll continue to follow these gifted business leaders throughout their careers, and are looking forward to watching each of their enterprises reach new levels of success."

The following participated in this year's QuantumShift program, held May 1-6, 2016 at the University of Michigan:

• Manoj Agarwal, CEO, US Tech Solutions
• Jason Albanese, CEO, Centric Digital
• Bruce Ballengee, CEO, Pariveda Solutions, Inc.
• John P. Borneman, Ph.D., CEO and chairman, Standard Homeopathic Company and Hyland's, Inc.
• Lauren Boyer, CEO, Underscore Marketing
• Vance Brown, CEO and co-founder, Cherwell Software
• Ricky Caplin, CEO, The HCi Group
• Jaswinder S. Chadha, CEO, Axtria, Inc.
• Oni Chukwu, CEO and president, etouches, Inc
• Ryan J.Q. Clark, CEO, PeopleShare, Inc
• Megan Driscoll, CEO and founder, PharmaLogics Recruiting
• R. Gregory Eisner, president, Engineers Gate
• Sloan D. Gaon, CEO, PulsePoint
• Nick Gesue, CEO, Lancaster Pollard
• Dinesh Gulati, CEO and managing director, IIT, Inc.
• Avi Gupta, CEO and founder, SmartZip Analytics
• Vinita A. Gupta, co-CEO and founder, Apex Resources, Inc.
• Oisin Hanrahan, CEO and co-founder, Handy
• Mike Harris, CEO, Zonoff
• Joe Hessling, CEO, 365 Retail Markets
• Sylvester Hester, CEO and president, Global Automotive Alliance
• Craig Hubbell, CEO, PlayNetwork
• Jay Kulkarni, CEO, Theorem Inc.
• Carl Joyner, CEO, TRIOSE, Inc.
• Michael Kaiser, CEO, People's Care
• E. Davon Kelly, CEO and president, NOVAD Management Consulting LLC
• James Kilkelly, CEO, Apto Solutions, Inc.
• Wan Kim, CEO and Brand Owner, Smoothie King Franchises
• Tony Knopp, CEO, TicketManager, Inc.
• Amy V. Kothari, CEO, My Alarm Center
• Paulo Lima, co-founder and president, IT Cosmetics
• Peggy McHale, principal, Consultants 2 Go
• Abdul K Naushad, CEO, PayCommerce Inc.
• Jeff Nelson, CEO and president, Healogics, Inc.
• Chris Onan, co-founder and CFO, Galvanize
• Eric Schweiger, M.D, CEO and founder, Schweiger Dermatology Group
• Gary Solomon, Jr., president, Solomon Group
• Timothy W. Wallace, CEO, iPipeline, Inc.
• Wade Wyant, CEO and president, ITS Partners

This year's QuantumShift participants were vetted through a nomination and application process beginning in September 2015. To qualify, candidates must be the founder, owner and/or CEO of a private, U.S. company and have a meaningful personal stake in their companies' success. Their companies must be private, have an established revenue base, show a strong record of revenue growth and have a clear objective of continued growth. A final list of qualified nominees was reviewed by the Michigan Ross QuantumShift Admissions Committee, with the top 40 candidates selected for admission to the program.

Following completion of QuantumShift, graduates become members of the QuantumShift Fellows Network, a business support association providing them with opportunities to convene with fellow peers at scheduled in-person regional events and an annual National Fellows Conference.

To learn more about the 2016 QuantumShift graduates, visit www.quantumshiftus.com/class-of-2016 and follow #QuantumShiftUS on Twitter.

About University of Michigan: Ross School of Business

The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is a vibrant and distinctive learning community grounded in the principle that business can be an extraordinary vehicle for positive change. Through thought and action, members of the Ross community drive change and innovation that improves business and society. Housed within Michigan Ross, the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies is a leading center for entrepreneurial thought leadership and engagement.

About KPMG LLP

KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm (www.kpmg.com/us), is the U.S. member firm of KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"). KPMG International's member firms have 174,000 professionals, including more than 9,000 partners in 155 countries.

SOURCE University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business

Related Links

http://www.zli.bus.umich.edu