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TMA Chicago/Midwest | October 2025 | Q3

CHAPTER PRESIDENT

Building the Bench - From Rookies to Large-Cap All Stars

David Levy, Summit Investment Management / Keen-Summit Capital Partners

It’s hard to believe we’ve already entered the fourth quarter—the year has flown by! Together, we’ve staged 28 successful events so far, with our marquee program still ahead: the Executive Speaker Forum featuring former Secretary of State Antony Blinken on November 20th.

As I like to say, “nothing but good comes from attending TMA events.” Each gathering helps you be in the right place at the right time to create opportunities for yourself, your firm, and your industry colleagues that make up your bench. For me, two events this year stand out as true highlights in expanding and strengthening our professional bench. Read more...

VICE PRESIDENT COMMUNICATIONS

Changing Mindsets – from Urgency to High-Value

Mark Silverman, Troutman Pepper Locke

I recently read an Inc. article by David Finkel, Stop Rewarding Urgency and Build a Culture That Prioritizes Value Instead about how organizations can get trapped in “urgency culture” – where speed becomes the metric of success, rather than the quality or impact of what is being done. Given what is at stake in our typical workday, urgency is sometimes a necessity. That said, if the quick response lacks strategic thinking, precision, or insight, aren’t we doing ourselves a disservice?

How can you be highly responsive while also adding immense value? In my view, communication is essential. It is imperative to be highly communicative with both good and bad news. Leverage the expertise of your team. If you are the most junior person on a deal team, and you notice that an internal update was sent, but some information has not yet been shared to the full client group – say something.  Read more...

Once again, TMA Milwaukee kicked off the summer with a blast (pun intended)! Members enjoyed the annual fireworks show, concerts, and dinner buffet at Milwaukee’s iconic Summerfest. Held on a beautiful evening along Lake Michigan, the group enjoyed exclusive access to a private lakefront deck with stunning views, setting the stage for an unforgettable night of networking, live music, and fireworks. Attendees were treated to prime views of the evening’s fireworks display, along with performances from nationally recognized artists across the Summerfest grounds. The private lake deck provided a relaxed and scenic environment for professionals to connect over food, drinks, and shared industry insights while taking in the energy of one of Milwaukee’s most celebrated festivals. We were especially honored to welcome TMA Global President Rachael Smiley as a VIP guest for the evening. Her presence highlighted the strength and connectivity of the TMA network at both the local and global level. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this memorable event — we look forward to seeing you at future Wisconsin gatherings!

The NextGen Happy Hour was a great success this year. The NextGen committee switched up the venue to Avec’s rooftop in River North and had perfect weather for the occasion. We had almost 50 people show up the event! Lots of new faces were shown thanks to the University Relations event that had happened in the prior weeks. Overall was a great success with lots of connections made!

For the fourth year in a row, TMA partnered with Back2School America, a non-profit organization whose mission is to create and support educational opportunities that enrich the lives of children across the USA. Thirteen TMA members and their families built 205 school supply kits for local Chicagoland children in need. Each school supply kit contained basic age-appropriate school supplies and a “Note of Inspiration” written by a TMA member. 

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of all children in the US live in low-income households and 17% of all children live in families that are at or below the poverty line. Back2School America has provided more than 10 million school supplies to over 340,000 across the country. The event was hosted by the Crown Family YMCA, who will distribute the school supply kits to local children involved in its programs.



Special thanks to the TMA members/firms who provided donations to support this event: Donna Hinrichs (Sky Business Credit), Development Specialists, Inc., and Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP.

The Milwaukee Committee traveled just a bit west in August for a lively happy hour at Eno Vino Wine Bar & Bistro in downtown Madison. Overlooking the Capitol, the event brought together restructuring professionals from across the region for an evening of networking, great conversation, and a relaxed atmosphere. Attendees enjoyed a curated selection of wine and small plates while reconnecting with colleagues and making new connections in the industry. The setting was ideal for exchanging insights on market trends and ongoing restructuring activity in a more informal setting. A special thank you to Milwaukee Sponsor Swanson Sweet LLP, Virginia George and Rebecca DeMarb, whose generous assistance in planning the event helped make the evening a success.