Kenneth Serwinski co-founded Prairie Capital Advisors with Robert Gross in 1996 after the pair of industry veterans recognized a universally under served need for objective financial advisory consultation for closely-held businesses. Currently, he serves as Chairman of Prairie’s Board of Directors and is a shareholder in the firm. Ken has dedicated his vast experience to providing closely-held companies with the guidance and expertise needed for some of their most critical business decisions. He continues to grow Prairie’s reputation as a widely-respected firm of its kind, designing, structuring and implementing customized ownership transition strategies, including private sales, management buyouts (MBOs), employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and more, for businesses nationwide.
As a lifelong educator and respected industry expert, Ken is widely published in a variety of formats and is a frequent speaker around the nation on subjects including valuation, ESOPs and ownership transition planning. Notably, he co-authored Making Sense of Your New ESOP: A Leader’s Guide. Whether sitting across the table from clients or speaking at workshops and seminars, he strives to ensure business owners have the complete, accurate information they need for confident decision-making. Ken is on fiduciary boards of five private companies and an advisory board of a 2nd/3rd generation family business – a service provider to the life sciences industry, a healthcare solutions provider, a billion-dollar+ bank, a general contractor and design builder, an IT Services provider to the retail industry and a wholesale supplier for commercial plumbing, mechanical contracting, industrial repair and manufacturing. Ken is a current member and past chair of the Advisory Committee on Finance, and he is a past delegate to the Interdisciplinary Committee of Fiduciary Issues for The ESOP Association in Washington, D.C. In 2020, Ken was inducted into the ESOP Advisor Hall of Fame by ESOPMarketplace.com. Ken is also an Emeritus Member of the Advisory Committee on Finance.
Corporate Directorships:
- Shared Imaging, LLC, Streamwood, IL – Member, Board of Managers
January 2009 – Present - Village Bank & Trust, Arlington Heights, IL (a Wintrust Bank) – Member, Board of Directors
October 2013 – Present - Meetings & Events International, Inc., Chicago, IL/Evansville, IN (a 100% S-corp ESOP/WBE) – Member, Board of Directors
June 2017 – Present - FCL Holdings, Inc., Itasca, IL (a 100% S-corp ESOP) – Member, Board of Directors
March 2020 – Present - Porter Pipe & Supply, Addison, IL – Member, Family Board of Advisors
November 2021– Present - Level 10 Holdings, Inc., Hoffman Estates, IL (a 100% S-corp ESOP) – Member, Board of Directors
January 2022 –Present - Interior Systems, Inc., Milwaukee, WI – Member, Board of Directors
September 2005 – January 2017, sold to Elkay Manufacturing Company, Oak Brook, IL
