Mark Smith, Senior Vice President: With the last 30 years in small business, Mark began his career by expanding a small, family-owned contracting business into over 30 employees. After this success, he joined a well-known downtown Milwaukee commercial real-estate firm in 2002 where Mark became one of the top performing brokers. With his experience as a successful business owner and expertise in the commercial real estate market, Mark’s knowledge will be of great benefit for anyone looking to buy or sell a business.

Cal Williams: With over 5 years of experience in sales and marketing as well as 20 years operating and managing a $1,000,000 annual budget, Cal brings many valuable assets to the VR team. He has a high degree of integrity and work ethic, which not only makes Cal a great team member, but a great partner when trying to buy or sell a business.  

Nicole Bullard: Nicole comes to us from Direct Supply where she developed and implemented direct marketing and sales support programs to drive inbound calls and orders. She designs and directs the marketing programs including corporate contract compliance, web standardization, marketing communications with our diverse global client base. She is further responsible for web site integration and key word click programs. Nicole is an honors graduate from Marquette University, with a major in marketing.

Shari Collins: Shari offers over fifteen years experience providing customer-focused solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses in a variety of industries. Her last ten years as a commercial lender has further developed her understanding of the marketplace, and she is confident in driving effective negotiations while developing and growing new alliances. Shari’s business experiences have had her interacting primarily with Presidents, CEOs CFOs and other high-level executives in the Midwest and on the West Coast, and her style can be categorized as consultative. In addition to her business background, Shari has had a variety of experiences throughout her life that categorize her as "well-rounded." Her educational background is strong in the humanities, particularly the visual arts, and she has direct non-profit experience in the arts as well, from creating, exhibit planning, organizing, contributing, writing, and designing to interacting with board members and other executives, fundraising and outreach activities. Please contact Shari if you own or wish to own a business in Racine, Kenosha, or Walworth County.

 

Cole Brieman: Cole has been involved in the commercial real estate field for 2 years working as the Director of Client Services in Wisconsin for a national Internet-based data exchange platform. He worked directly with the largest brokerage & appraisal companies in the Milwaukee metro. He has also been actively involved in a small real estate investment company for over 5 years. Cole comes to us from a direct-sales position in which he marketed for fortune 500 companies. He also has a degree in marketing as well as a certificate in real estate from UW-Milwaukee. His education and employment history in the marketing field give Cole a competitive advantage when it comes to marketing your business.

 

  Carla is a proud graduate of Marquette University where her degree in Dental Hygiene led to a twenty-five year career as co-owner of a dental practice in Mayville, WI. Her love of the water and the desire for new challenges helped create her next career as a Realtor of residential lake properties in and around Green Lake, WI. That career opened new doors and allowed Carla the opportunity to serve on The Board of Directors of St. Agnes Hospital Foundation where she raised and allocated funds to provide services for the less fortunate in the community of Fond du Lac, WI.In 2003, she was recognized as Mayville’s “Citizen of the Year” for her involvement on The Board of Directors of The Tag Center an $8 million dollar Aquatic / Fitness Center where she assisted in the design, helped coordinate the construction and raised a generous endowment fund for its future and ongoing maintenance.  Carla’s broad realm of experience in the real estate and health care industries along with her “get it done” attitude will certainly excite any VR customer who wants to buy or sell a business.

 

 Larry Heck: With over 26 years of being an owner in different businesses, Larry relates very well with entrepreneurs and business owners as he works closely with clients to guide them through each step of their buying or selling process. Larry’s business owner experiences in personally running and then selling his businesses give him special insight and understanding of clients’ needs which ensures a smooth, successful, and timely transaction.  As founder and President of a business for 12 years in the sports/golf services industry and co-owner and Vice President of a business in the food industry for 15 years prior to that, he has built a commitment to client-oriented service and high standards of professionalism, honesty, and integrity. Joining VR Business Brokers as Vice President of Client Services, Larry utilizes creativity and out-of-the-box solutions along with the proven VR systems and team to deliver the clients' needs.

 

 Jeanette Garczynski brings 5 years of experience in sales and marketing of businesses in Southeastern Wisconsin to VR Business Brokers. Originally from New York, Jeanette graduated from the University of Rochester before living abroad in Europe and South America.  She has spent numerous years in the insurance and automotive industry working in various aspects of employee relations and human resources.  Jeanette’s comprehensive knowledge of employee assets, intense promotion, and energy make her an invaluable addition to our team.

 

 

Scott Busse comes to Lakes Business Group with a wide range of experiences and over 17 years in management and sales positions. With his personal involvement in owning a Real Estate Firm, as well as a Heating and Cooling business, Scott has the business owner mentality and knowledge to help others buy and sell businesses, specifically focusing on the Tomahawk, Wisconsin area. Lakes Business Group welcomes Scott and his passionate, professional can-do attitude to our team.