Washington, DC (October 1, 2004) – FOCUS Enterprises, Inc., a national investment banking firm providing merger, acquisition and corporate finance services to emerging growth, middle market and small companies, is establishing a Chicago office and adding a Midwest Region Managing Partner, William S. Lear, bringing the number of FOCUS Partners to 13 and the total professional staff to 16.
“With a Chicago office, the firm can significantly expand the Midwest presence of FOCUS by adding new clients, new partners and ultimately serving our clients nationwide better,” says FOCUS Chairman Marshall Graham. “Adding a seasoned, talented professional like Bill Lear to our team helps ensure the success, unique capabilities and national scope of the firm.” The Chicago office of FOCUS is located at 330 North Wabash Avenue, Suite 3100, Chicago, IL 60611. Mr. Lear can be reached at 312.373.1446, 312.375.3709 or at [email protected].
About William S. Lear
William S. Lear, joining FOCUS as a Managing Partner, Midwest Region, is responsible for the firm’s business in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. Mr. Lear has more than thirty years experience in corporate finance, specializing in advising companies about how to better articulate their business strategy to the financial markets, identify sources of capital and structure and price private placement securities.
Prior to joining FOCUS, for the last three years at Bridge Investment Corporation, Mr. Lear worked extensively with small- to medium-sized companies, helping them “find a voice” in a crowded and confusing financial market place. Successful mandates include advising on a $5 million rights offering for a bio-tech company and representing the 15 percent owner/employee of a service company in a multi-million dollar purchase of the founder’s 85 percent interest.
Previously, Mr. Lear was executive vice president and chief financial officer of BioSafe Medical Technologies, raising almost $20 million in capital which enabled the Company to become the world’s only laboratory able to produce a platform of highly accurate diagnostics using micro blood samples self-collected at home or work. Mr. Lear also spent twenty years with the First National Bank of Chicago and, prior to that, five years in investment banking with Hornblower & Weeks: Hemphill, Noyes.
Mr. Lear has an undergraduate degree from Yale, an MBA from Harvard Business School and served two years as an Officer in the Navy. He recently completed twelve years as a National Trustee with the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society and two years as Co-President of the Harvard Business School Club of Chicago. He is on the Boards of the Better Government Association and the Friends of Prentice, the woman’s hospital at Northwestern Memorial.
About FOCUS Enterprises, Inc.
FOCUS Enterprises, Inc., founded in 1982 in Washington, DC, provides a range of investment banking services tailored to the needs of middle market and small businesses. Today the firm is national in scope, serving clients from offices in major cities across the United States. FOCUS specializes in transactions for entities with $5-100 million in revenues, serving entrepreneurs, corporate owners and various types of investors. Currently, FOCUS has over 25 investment banking engagements in its four offices in Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, DC. To learn more about the specialized services of FOCUS, visit www.focusbankers.com.
