Richard Walawender- CHairman
Richard Walawender is a senior principal attorney at the Miller Canfield law firm. He heads the firm’s Corporate Group, and specializes in M&A, venture funding and commercial transactions, and leads the firm’s Autonomous Vehicles practice and its International practice. He established and supervises the firm’s three offices in Poland, and represents public and privately held companies, private equity funds, startups and investors. Along with his law career, he proudly serves as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Detroit, and is based in Detroit, Michigan, but travels often to Poland and throughout the United States.
Dr. Walter Knysz, Jr.
Dr. Walter Knysz, Jr. is a very successful business owner, entrepreneur and investor. In 1982, he founded MIDA Dental Plans (MIDA) and Great Expressions Dental Centers (GEDC), a dental practice management company that grew to over 150 owned dental offices in seven states across the Midwest, South and Northeast. Upon its founding, MIDA Dental Plans was one of the largest privately held providers of managed dental care based in the United States. Dr. Knysz is also the Chairman of White Stork Capital, an investment firm operating in the U.S. and Poland. He is also currently involved in numerous Polish-American non-profit organizations. He resides in Florida.
Edward Marshall
Edward Marshall is a Senior Relationship Manager and Managing Director responsible for leading business development and account management of ultra-high-net-worth and family office relationships for the firm, Boston Private’s, Private Banking, Wealth & Trust business. He is based in New York City, but travels extensively working with his numerous clients and investments. Mr. Marshall is a Member of the Board of Directors for Americas Warrior Partnership (AWP), a non-profit for veteran service organizations across the U.S. that supports corporations to serve and retain veterans, and conducts ground breaking research on the factors and potential causes behind veteran suicide.
Walter Maziarz
Walter Maziarz is a Certified Public Accountant and an Investment Adviser Representative with Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Mr. Maziarz is also the CPA owner of Trinity Wealth Solutions. At the age of nine, Mr. Maziarz emigrated from Poland with his parents and five siblings and watched his parents work extremely hard to secure the American Dream for a better life. Mr. Maziarz is based in the Detroit, Michigan area and speaks Polish fluently.
Waldek Raczkowski
Waldek Raczkowski is a senior economist at Ford Motor Company. Mr. Raczkowski is the founder and Principal of Kedlaw Capital, LLC which is an early stage equity investor in several successful non-automotive start-up ventures including Level One Bank, Ann Arbor State Bank, Encore Service Group, and several Polish startups. Mr. Raczkowski has been deeply involved in numerous Polish-American non-profit organizations. He speaks Polish fluently.
wladek rzycki
Władek Rzycki is a principal attorney at the Miller Canfield law firm’s offices in Warsaw and Chicago. He is experienced in transactional and corporate matters in Poland and the United States, with particular expertise in M&A, private equity, public procurement, and international and U.S. tax law. His background includes private equity, cross-border M&A, public procurement and offsets, project finance and government practice. Mr. Rzycki represents private equity funds, multinational and Polish enterprises, and entrepreneurs.
Konrad Salaber
Konrad Salaber is a Managing Director at Wind Point Partners, a private equity firm based in Chicago. He currently serves on the boards of A&R Logistics, STG Logistics, and U.S. Nonwovens. Prior to Wind Point, Mr. Salaber was an Analyst in the Investment Banking division of A.G. Edwards Capital Markets.
Tomasz Stefanowski
Tomasz Stefanowski is a Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey, based in New York City. Mr. Stefanowski leads the firm’s Corporate Valuation Advisory Services efforts for the East Coast. He has worked on a range of valuation advisory assignments for both financial sponsors and corporate clients, including business enterprise valuation, spinoff transactions, capital structure valuation, fairness and solvency opinions, purchase price allocations, goodwill impairment, legal entity valuation, intangible asset valuations, and private equity mark-to-market assignments. Mr. Stefanowski focuses on the consumer, industrials, and business services sectors.
SLAWOMIR (SWAVIC) M. ZIELENIEC
Slawomir Zieleniec accomplished sales executive with proven effectiveness as international business developer. Mr. Zieleniec has experience in strategic planning, international sales and project management. He has extensive background in engineering and manufacturing, along with one patent. His specialties include: strategic planning, key account management, international sales and project management, customer value creation, revenue and profit generation. Mr. Zieleniec was born, raised and educated in Poland (Silesian technical University). He has lived in the USA since 1981 and is fluent in English and Polish, as well as conversant in Russian and German.
