Pictured from left: Summit Group guest Dave McAdow of MC Print Solutions, member David Niles of Productive Knowledge Marketing and Public Relations, and guest Dan Myer of BizTimes Media discuss business during the August 2010 breakfast meeting at the Milwaukee Athletic Club.

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IN THE NEWS:

Below are links to news articles that have featured members of The Summit Group, or the group itself.

Armitage sells business to Chicago investor

August 25, 2011 -- Mark Shelstad, a former partner in a Chicago-based insurance investment management firm, has purchased a majority interest in Armitage Investigative Services LLC in Milwaukee.
Formerly Armitage & Associates Investigative Services, Inc., the firm was founded in 1988 by former FBI agent Michael Armitage. It is now Wisconsin's largest private investigation firm with 25 employees. The company specializes in financial, traditional and mortgage fraud investigations for law firms, financial institutions, large corporations, government agencies and small businesses.
The company’s principal client is Milwaukee-based MGIC Investment Corp., the largest private mortgage insurer in the United States.
Armitage said he sold a majority interest in the company because it needed to diversify more, and Shelstad had the experience in the insurance and financial fields as well as the contacts.
"I strongly felt the company needed someone else to take it to the next level with the financial resources, ideas and contacts," Armitage said. "Mark is the perfect person because of his strong background in the insurance and financial industry."
Shelstad has been a principal and senior portfolio manager at Asset Allocation & Management Co. LLC in Chicago for more than 25 years.
"Michael Armitage has built a tremendous platform with a reputation for high quality and on-time delivery," Shelstad said. "There's a significant opportunity in the Financial Quality Control Audit market to expand, using that platform to diversify into auditing loans other than residential mortgages. It's a large and under-served market that will benefit from our services leading to improved compliance and reduced enterprise risk."
Armitage will still be involved in the business but in a limited capacity.

Tom Wood Joins The Summit Group

July 6, 2011 -- Tom Wood of Appleton has joined the Summit Group Associates, Ltd., a Milwaukee-based consortium of management consultants with clients nationwide.
Wood is founder and president of Navigata, LLC, in Appleton, and consults on operations, financial management and strategy development for businesses and non-profit organizations. He has expertise in lean management and what it takes to implement a lean environment.
Prior to founding Navigata, Wood worked with a billion-dollar construction company, Wisconsin’s largest health care organization and smaller, family owned businesses. He has held positions of chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
Wood earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame.
Navigata is on the web at www.navigatallc.com.
The Summit Group Associates, Ltd., is a multi disciplinary association of business consultants and small businesses that work individually or collaboratively with businesses, organizations and government bodies. The Summit Group Associates, founded in 1999, is on the web at www.summitassociates.com.

Coffee Break with Mike Armitage, owner and president, Armitage & Associates Investigative Services Inc.

Feb. 6, 2009 -- BizTimes Milwaukee interviews Summit Group director Mike Armitage on the strong health of his business, Armitage and Associates Investigative Services.

Strategic Plan is Key Tool for Weathering Recession

Jan. 9, 2009 -- Companies that have mapped a strategic plan should be in good shape to weather the current economy, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for those that haven’t, said Tom Beug, president of The Summit Group in an article in The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee.

Beug says while many companies know their strengths and weaknesses, competition and customers, they often don’t organize that knowledge into a strategic plan that looks at near term and the long term.

Amid Growth of On-Demand Software, Integration and Security Concerns Remain

Feb. 26, 2008 -- While the software-as-a-service model is enabling companies to capitalize on their expertise and realize tremendous efficiencies, industry still battles concerns about data security and integration, says the Summit Group's David Niles in an article on the Wisconsin Technology Network. "But insiders agree that the model, also called on-demand software, is the future of application development."

Solid Online Strategies Can Boost Revenues  Jan. 25, 2008

Online marketing efforts can pay off, Summit Group principal David Niles says in this article in Milwaukee's Small Business Times.

Study Shows College Students Don't Recognize Wisconsin Career Opportunities  September 2007

Findings from a study by Productive Knowledge Inc. on college students' perceptions of Wisconsin career opportunities

Summit Group Makes Business Top List   July, 2007

Chicago Calling

Strategies for Doing Business in the Windy City, March 16, 2007, Small Business Times, Milwaukee (Includes interview with Summit Group CEO Tom Beug)

Auto Driveaway Re-Opens Tampa Office, March 15, 2007, Auto Fleet magazine, noting purchase of Tampa, Fla. and Long Beach, Calif. Auto Driveaway offices by Summit Group members Tom Beug and Kevin Horton.

Private Investigation Firm Does Due Diligence, Feb. 16, 2007, Small Business Times, Milwaukee (On Summit Group member Mike Armitage)