James

Certified Tutor

I am a semi-retired, well-rounded and seasoned entrepreneur with a proven track record of success.

My specialty has been, and continues to be, the founding and growing of companies and the application of technology to business enterprises.

From 1979 to present I was involved in numerous entrepreneurial ventures, both public and private, with responsibilities spanning the spectrum from executive administrative tasks to chairing Boards of Directors.

I attended the University of Illinois where I earned a Bachelor's degree (in only 5 semesters) in Business Administration and graduated Summa Cum Laude (1978). During that time period I helped establish my first financial conglomerate, including a mutual fund, an NASD sales and investment advisory firm, and a transfer agent.

In 1983, I earned a Master's in Business Administration from Illinois State University with a specialty in the field of Finance. I also taught there for a period of time and authored two books: The Do-It-Yourself Investor and Do-It-Yourself Investment Analysis. The former book was chosen by Sylvia Porter as one of her top business books for 1987.

While completing my MBA, I also began my professional career in the Financial Services Industry with the firm that later became Shearson American Express. At that firm I worked as a licensed stock, commodity, and insurance broker, earning the position of 2nd Vice President of Investments.

By 1987, I had founded AISCO Holdings, Ltd., where I served as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and its Chairman of the Board. During my tenure, I held, among others, SEC Series Licenses 3, 4, 7, 15, 24, 27, 53, and 63. As the firm's primary SEC Licensed Principal, I grew this financial services conglomerate to $21 million in annual revenues, with over $700 million in customer assets under management, and employed approximately 300 licensed personnel. I coordinated and managed all functions of the holding company and its subsidiaries, which included a national brokerage firm, a commodity firm, an insurance firm, a market-making brokerage firm, and a facilities company. My responsibilities included all aspects of corporate and financial management, new business development, strategic planning, and tactical operations.

After retiring from the Financial Services Industry, I have both consulted as well as managed various private companies in the Mineral and Mining Sector.