Stephenson brings years of entrepreneurial and financial expertise to the growing River North Chicagoland Sunbelt office.

Contact: Daniel Kite

Address: 350 W. Hubbard, Suite 470, Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: 312-878-1231
Email: dan.kite@sunbeltnetwork.com
URL: www.chicagolandsunbelt.com

Chicago, February 17, 2011 – Daniel Kite, President and Managing Partner of Sun Street, LLC, an affiliate of Chicagoland Sunbelt, www.chicagolandsunbelt.com, is pleased to announce that Fred Stephenson has joined the downtown office of Chicagoland Sunbelt as a business broker. Stephenson’s career as an entrepreneur, banker, and merchant trader prepared him well for his new role as a business broker as it provides him a unique perspective and practical deal making skills as he moves forward to help business owners sell their business. Stephenson entrepreneurial experience stems from when he founded and headed a commodities transportation business that served processors, manufacturers and exporters in a round-the-clock, no-holidays operation. In nine years Stephenson quadrupled the business to over $2 million in annual revenue and built the staff to nearly 20 employees.

“We’re very excited about the addition of Fred Stephenson as a Business Broker. We believe that he has a unique set of skills that will make him very successful as he helps people sell a business and provide the best results,” stated Dan Kite, “I was struck by Stephenson’s business knowledge and experience as well as his ability to understand the personal and financial implications for an individual when it comes to them selling their business.”

Most recently Stephenson was a banker at Charter One Bank providing financing and to small and medium sized businesses. He arranged conventional and SBA loan packages for manufacturers, distributors, line haul and local transporters, research concerns, franchises, software makers, staffing companies, contractors, professionals, property managers and service industries of all types. His clients ranged in size from $5 to $20 million in revenues.

Stephenson started his career in domestic corn trading where he advised and executed trades on behalf of users, merchants and speculators with interests in the commodity futures and options markets.  Stephenson became a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and designed accounting software and control systems for grain consumption/payment and options and futures risk management. Fred oversaw the grain consumption and inherent risk of a major miller as well as managed the sale of the consequent by-product to markets ranging from individuals to domestic conglomerates to worldwide exporters. 

Fred’s experiences have allowed him to gain insight to a wide spectrum of businesses and to develop the skills necessary to help business owners sell their businesses in a matter that rewards them financially and helps them transition to the next phase of their life.  

Stephenson graduated from Purdue University in 1980 where he studied economics with a focus on agriculture and business management.

About Dan Kite

Daniel Kite is President and Managing Partner of Sun Street, LLC, an affiliate of Chicagoland Sunbelt. Chicagoland Sunbelt is part of the Sunbelt Network which is the world’s largest business brokerage firm. Sun Street, LLC was formed as a partnership between Mr. Kite and Chicagoland Sunbelt to expand Sunbelt’s rapidly growing brokerage firm into the downtown Chicago market.

Dan has twenty years of entrepreneurial business experience and is considered an expert in business development, franchising, retail operations, technology development and real estate development. Dan began his career working with his family’s business. The business, the Marcus Corporation based in Milwaukee, WI, is the sixth largest movie theatre chain in the country and owns or operates over sixteen full service hotels.

He has owned, developed, operated, and sold his own businesses, including a chain of Blockbuster Video stores, Screenz Computing Centers, and Tailor’s Touch. He has also founded two software companies and has licensed his technology to Fortune 500 companies throughout the nation. Dan has been both a franchisee and a franchisor giving him a unique perspective on the world of franchising. Dan most recently spent five years as a Director of a private equity firm.

Daniel Kite holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University where he graduated, Magna Cum Laude.

To learn more about Dan Kite visit http://www.chicagolandsunbelt.com/team-Kite.htm

About Chicagoland Sunbelt

Chicagoland Sunbelt is a business brokerage firm that focuses on helping people buy, grow and sell businesses in Chicagoland and the surrounding Midwest. Having sold hundreds of businesses, Chicagoland Sunbelt specializes in a broad range of industries, including business services, distribution, food & beverage, franchises, personal services and retail. Its experienced team of M&A brokerage consultants also develop and execute comprehensive strategies designed to meet individual financial and non-financial goals.

Chicagoland Sunbelt is also a proud member of Sunbelt Midwest, which operates offices in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Illinois. For your next business purchase or sale, visit Chicagoland Sunbelt at www.chicagolandsunbelt.com