Philip Rice (Managing Partner) E-mail: price@acumen-group.com  
Mr. Rice co-founded the Acumen Group in 2001. Prior experience included roles as Chief Operating Officer (Stahls Inc., a $75 million company operating in the US and Europe), Chief Financial Officer (Gallagher-Kaiser Corp., a $100 million design-build contractor). Mr. Rice started his career experience in 1977 as a Certified Public Accountant with Deloitte and Touche, which included 3 years working in Europe (France and Germany). Over the years, Mr. Rice has created business relationships in China that help him work creatively with clients who desire to do business with the Chinese.

Mr. Rice has a BA from The University of Cincinnati. He is on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Regional Chamber and a member of The Detroit Athletic Club, serving on the Finance Committee.

Alexander J. Bacon, Jr. E-mail: abacon@acumen-group.com  
Mr. Bacon’s 25+ years of management experience, including 11 years as the owner of a small business and 15+ years of Commercial Lending Experience in the US and Europe with Mellon Bank and ING Bank, positions him in a unique position to help manage business owners through the challenges of today’s operating environment. Mr. Bacon is also a Partner in B2B CFO, the nation's largest CFO firm serving mid-market companies.

Mr. Bacon graduated with an MBA from Vanderbilt University and a BA from Denison University.

Charles “Chip” Brethen E-mail: cbrethen@acumen-group.com  
Mr. Brethen’s 25+ years of top management experience with companies ranging from $20+ million to $500+ million includes positions as CEO of Wyandotte Paint Products, AKZO Coatings, TOGO Wyandotte, DeCouper Industries and Telescope Travel. Mr. Brethen has extensive experience in developing corporate strategic plans, operational plans for technology assimilation, and business plans for aggressive, strategic Merger & Acquisitions.

Mr. Brethen holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina. He has attended the Harvard and UCLA President's Programs and the INSEAD Cross Cultural Training course. He also participated in the Kepner-Tregoe Rational Manager program and the Xerox Interpersonal Management Skills course.

Fred Leeb E-mail: fleeb@acumen-group.com  
Mr. Leeb founded Fred Leeb & Associates, LLC over 13 years ago. Prior to that, Mr. Leeb’s experience included troubled company consulting at Jay Alix & Associates (now Alix Partners), Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers), Occidential Petroleum and Ford Motor Company. Mr. Leeb has extensive knowledge from working with numerous large and small companies to quickly increase the client's cash flow and credibility. His industry experience includes construction, real estate, large and small automotive stampers, retailers, high tech, distribution, major nonprofits, etc.

Mr. Leeb received his MBA from Wharton.

Daniel Smale E-mail: dsmale@acumen-group.com  
Mr. Smale specializes in Mergers, Acquisitions and Private Equity placement. He divides his time between transactions on the buy-side, sell-side and helping companies fund significant expansions programs using outside investments. He is also the author of the firm’s Due Diligence methodology and Private Equity Source database. The firm uses this database to match client needs with over 1400 private equity funds around the country. It allows us to target funds whose selection criteria match our client companies. Prior to 2001, Mr. Smale was a partner with Accenture where he was responsible for ‘Change Management’ with Automotive and Industrial Equipment clients around the world. Some of Mr. Smale’s work was featured in Accenture’s IPO circular for the unique approach to reducing costs and increasing client revenues. Mr. Smale also has been granted US Patent #6,990,465.

Mr. Smale has a BA and MBA from The University of Michigan. He is a member of The Detroit Athletic Club and The Grosse Pointe Club (Little Club) where he has served as both Treasurer and Chairman.

David Stanislaw E-mail: dstanislaw@acumen-group.com  
Mr. Stanislaw is a licensed psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience in the mental health and business fields. In addition to a graduate degree from Wayne State University, Mr. Stanislaw has pursued additional training in mental health and has trained in psychoanalysis. Mr. Stanislaw's professional experience has included running his private practice in mental health, the founding and operating of 2 outpatient psychotherapy clinics, and consulting with business owners and executives. Mr. Stanislaw brings his mental health knowledge and psychotherapy skills to the business environment to help organizations address personnel and behavioral issues, which influence both overall day-to-day employee job satisfaction and profitability. Utilizing Mr. Stanislaw's expertise, several companies have been able to overcome obstacles to corporate success. Mr. Stanislaw has developed programs that employs effective tools to assess businesses, to get to the root causes, analyzing internal strengths and weaknesses, corporate structure and policies. The goal is to understand the underlying causes and develop interventions that create a climate of harmonious, goal-oriented productivity among all employees of the organization. When this occurs, it adds to the bottom line and to each employee's sense of accomplishment in their work activities.

Contact Us

To learn more about what the Acumen Group can do for your company, please contact us at: 586 665 9000 or e-mail: price@acumen-group.com.

Copyright 2007 - Acumen Group LLC, Royal Oak, MI 48067