People on the Move: Savant Wealth Management’s Brent Brodeski named CEO of the Year

Brent Brodeski, CEO of Savant Wealth Management, a fee-only registered investment adviser, was named CEO of the Year for RIA firms with assets of $20 billion or more by WealthManagement.com.

The recognition is part of WealthManagement’s 2024 Industry Awards (The “Wealthies”). Brodeski was honored at the awards gala in New York City Sept. 5.

Brodeski was selected by a panel of industry leaders who evaluated finalist initiatives based on quantitative (scope, scale, adoption, and feature set) and qualitative (innovation, creativity and new methods of delivery) measures.

“I am honored to receive this prestigious award from WealthManagement.com, and to be acknowledged alongside such exceptional industry leadership,” Brodeski said. “I believe being named CEO of the Year helps validate the commitment and effort we have invested in making Savant a leading organization dedicated to serving our clients, employees, and community.”

Over the course of 18 months, Brodeski spearheaded a period of exponential growth for Savant, with a plan focused on significant investment in talent, technology, strategic acquisitions, marketing, and practice management to help clients pursue their ideal futures. The firm is majority-owned by its employees.

ComEd honors employees’ volunteer service

ComEd is marking the 19th year of honoring the contributions of its employee volunteers with its annual Employee Volunteer Awards Luncheon.

ComEd’s Employee Volunteer Awards program recognizes the contributions of employees who go above and beyond in their volunteer efforts, demonstrating a commitment to making a positive impact in their communities. As a recipient, ComEd employees also receive up to $5,000 for the organization with which they volunteered.

Shane McCoy, a project manager at ComEd in Oak Brook, recently was recognized for his dedication to Invisible Book Bag. The organization offers opportunities like sports and field trips to help students in the city express themselves.

McCoy’s motivation stems from his own experiences with similar programs during his youth on the West Side of Chicago. He dedicates five to 15 hours a week to work with students transitioning to college or the workforce.

PALFINGER promotes 3 North American executives

Schaumburg-based PALFINGER, the world’s leading producer of innovative crane and lifting solutions, recently promoted three key leaders in its North American business.

Rob Engdahl has been appointed head of engineering, Global Stiff Boom Cranes, while continuing in his role as senior director of engineering for North America. Engdahl has been with PALFINGER for a decade. He has held various product design and engineering leadership positions in the North America region.

Jason Holt has been named vice president of operations, North America, and will be a member of the company’s Global Operations Team. Holt first joined PALFINGER in 2013, holding several executive leadership roles in plant management and operations over the past 11 years. He has been serving as interim vice president of operations for North America since Jan. 1.

Gustavo Rigon has been named vice president of regional procurement, North America, and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. He has held a number of managerial and leadership positions over the past 19 years with PALFINGER and was most recently director of procurement for North America.

John Lavin joins Prairie Capital Advisors as managing director

Oakbrook Terrace-based Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc., a leading corporate advisory and investment banking firm, has named John Lavin as its newest managing director in the firm’s investment banking group.

Lavin joins Prairie with more than 15 years of experience in investment banking. He has managed mergers and acquisitions transactions and provided capital advisory services, acting as a liaison between investors and company management throughout the process. He has a background in business development, where he has played a key role in generating advisory engagements and identifying growth opportunities for previous firms.

“From investment banking to principal investing, John brings a wealth of middle-market transaction experience and a strong reputation for advising business owners through complex transactions,” said Tim Witt, managing director with Prairie’s Investment Banking Practice.

Lisa Backlin named group vice president at Parts Town Unlimited

Addison-based Parts Town Unlimited recently hired Lisa Backlin as group vice president of supply chain.

Parts Town Unlimited is the parent company of Parts Town, a global leader in the high-tech distribution of genuine OEM replacement parts for food-service equipment, residential appliances, HVAC equipment and consumer electronics, as well as related products.

“Lisa’s deep experience in network design and optimization is a critical skill for us to add to our team as we continue to further our operational competitive advantage for future growth,” said Steve Snower, CEO of Parts Town Unlimited. “Her ability to design and build global distribution strategy, along with her drive for operational excellence will be instrumental to continuing to drive the highest levels of customer satisfaction.”

Backlin brings more than 20 years of global experience to her role with Parts Town Unlimited. She previously was vice president for Supply Chain Direct Fulfillment at The Home Depot, leading a network of more than 100 direct customer fulfillment centers and delivery operations.

Endeavor Health appoints executive leaders

Endeavor Health has appointed Joe Dant and Sean O’Grady to newly created executive leadership roles designed to support the organization’s continued growth and operational excellence as one system.

Dant most recently served as president of South Region and Institutes, including Edward, Elmhurst and Linden Oaks hospitals. He now is Endeavor Health’s system chief growth officer.

O’Grady has been named the new president of Acute and Ambulatory Operations for the health system. He most recently was president of North Region and Institutes, including Evanston, Highland Park, Glenbrook, Northwest Community, Skokie and Swedish hospitals.

Cherry’s Industrial Equipment names Jason Podjasek corporate account manager

Roselle-based Cherry’s Industrial Equipment, an engineering and manufacturing company dedicated to solving workplace workflow and safety issues, has appointed Jason Podjasek of St. Charles corporate account manager.

In this role, Podjasek will help establish new accounts and work with existing clients across Cherry’s national territory. His work will concentrate on the dairy, cheese and egg, beverages, confectionary and building supplies sectors.

Podjasek comes to Cherry’s from the software industry, where he spent the last six years.