Chairman
Mike Harris, 49, is a proven and prolific entrepreneur. He has been involved in two business success stories where the venture capital firms that funded his companies earned more than $300 million on invested capital of $9 million. Mike has significant experience in starting and building professional and technical services firms and he also helps companies of any kind to plan and execute growth strategies. Harris is best known as the founder of Milwaukee’s Jefferson Wells (www.jeffersonwells.com). Under his leadership as Chairman and CEO, the firm grew organically to 1,600 employees, 23 offices and annual sales of $131 million from 1996-2000. Jefferson Wells has become a widely respected alternative to the Big 4 firms for a range of internal audit, tax and accounting services. Harris and his investors sold Jefferson Wells in July 2001 to Manpower International for $174 million in cash. The Inc. Magazine, ranked Jefferson Wells as number five of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in America for 2001.
Prior to forming Jefferson Wells, Harris was the Chief Financial Officer for Alternative Resources Corporation formerly of Barrington, Illinois. Harris helped this IT services firm get started in 1988 and then grow to a national company with multiple branches and hundreds of millions in sales. He led its very successful initial public offering on NASDAQ in May 1994.
Mike also has previous experience with Wind Point Partners, a venture capital firm, where he was the CFO and with First Financial Corporation, a savings and loan, where he was Vice President-Accounting. He started his career with Ernst & Young in their audit division. He is a graduate of UW-Parkside (1982) and holds a CPA designation.
Since selling Jefferson Wells, Harris has been quite busy with several ventures. In 2001, Harris founded Capital H Group, a professional services firm focused on consulting and outsourcing in the human resources niche and Sagence Group, a business intelligence and analytics firm. In 2003, Harris founded and currently serves as Chairman and CFO of the Novo Group, a customized recruiting solutions firm headquartered in Milwaukee (www.thenovogroup.com). In 2006, Harris founded Adams Harris (www.adamsharris.com), an accounting, tax and internal auditing firm headquartered in Chicago where he serves as Chairman. In 2008, Harris founded Milwaukee’s Patina Solutions (www.patinasolutions.com) a unique professional services firm using the talents and experience of those aged 50 and up to serve clients. Mike is currently the Chairman and CEO of Patina.
Harris is a Board member or advisor for several mature and start-up private companies including Tax Air, a Milwaukee-based transportation company, Welton Enterprises, a Madison-based commercial and industrial real estate company and World Fantasy Games, a leading fantasy sports company in Kenosha. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Prairie School in Racine and is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from entrepreneurial endeavors to transitioning from CFO to CEO.
Harris enjoys tennis, golf, playing guitar and singing, reading, travelling and driving race cars. He is a lifelong resident of Racine, WI.