Jim Lieske
Jim is passionate about leadership, executive development, helping companies grow, and advising leaders.
Jim Lieske grew up on a typical family farm in south-central Minnesota, a background he cherishes. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Jim joined his family’s small but growing agribusiness company, later serving as its CEO. Jim led the company through many transitions, including a tremendous growth period, which included the company conducting business throughout North America and many foreign countries.
After the company’s sale, Jim committed to forming an advisory firm to provide help to leaders and companies, with the goal of providing the very thing he’d wished he had – but never did: a trusted “fellow traveler” advisor relationship. His professional and personal experiences have uniquely prepared him for his work.
Jim is the author of “The Intentional Professional,” “Intentional Teams,” and “Enterprise”. He’s also written many short stories and is in the process of completing a business novel titled The Journey.
Jim is an avid golfer, fisherman, outdoorsman, and writer. He is a longtime member of Hazeltine National Golf Club and has served on its Board of Governors. He is an active member of Wooddale Church and a loyal supporter of many other faith-based organizations. His Christian faith is the source of his strength and guidance. Jim and his wife Helene live in Eden Prairie, MN.
Milo Arkema
Using the platform of CPA financial services, Milo developed the skills to be a trusted adviser to entrepreneurs and family businesses, helping them grow and transition into larger, successful businesses.
Milo Arkema was raised on a family farm in Iowa and began his career on Wall Street in New York City. He moved to Minneapolis in 1975 to join a small consulting CPA firm. One client of that firm was the Lieske family’s growing agribusiness. Because the growth of the firm’s clients required a broader array of financial services, the firm eventually merged into Baker Tilly, a regional CPA firm.
At the time of the merger, the private equity industry was beginning to buy successful middle-market businesses similar to Milo’s clients. Using his years of experience and knowledge, Milo helped Baker Tilly build a financial due diligence practice, including leading due diligence teams on approximately 100 acquisitions.
Milo was on Baker Tilly’s governing executive committee for five years before selling his ownership as part of his transition to an independent consultant with continued affiliation with Baker Tilly. He then joined the board of directors for three companies. Milo has also served on the board of several non-profit organizations, including CaringBridge, and he is currently on the board of Urban Homeworks.
Ron Wrenholt
Ron is an experienced senior executive who has successfully driven product and marketing initiatives that deliver growth, differentiation, and optimal customer experience.
With Ron’s unique blend of experience in consumer insights, process-driven innovation, digital strategy, and technology development, he’s ready to help your company drive sales growth in several different ways, including:
- Helping you identify, document, and improve the journeys your customers take, from awareness through purchase and towards long-term loyalty.
- Evaluating and building out your online and mobile strategies to meet your customers where they want to be.
- Evaluating and refreshing your product strategy.
- Creating and managing a successful innovation pipeline.
Ron has consulted with companies in various industries, including telecommunications, personal book publishing, and military publications. Prior to starting a successful consulting practice, Ron spent over 15 years with a $1B market leader photography and yearbook company. Ron played an integral role in the company’s growth initiatives, which included spearheading digital transformation that took the company’s e-commerce revenue from zero to $250M.
Before his corporate career began, Ron co-founded and directed Nordic Software, a developer of educational software and custom applications.
Ron holds a BS in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska and completed Columbia University’s Marketing Management Program and the University of St. Thomas Graduate School’s Emerging Leaders Program.
Not sure who is the best fit for your situation? Contact us for a complimentary session! We are very happy to invest an hour of our time, at no cost, to learn about you and explore how we can best be of help.