Company after a career with Akzo Nobel, a multinational chemical corporation, and as an intermediary in European mergers and acquisitions. During his tenure as acquisition coordinator at Akzo Nobel headquarters in the Netherlands, 28 companies were acquired worldwide with a value of approximately $1.4 billion. After leaving Akzo Nobel, he was active as a consultant to several London investment banks and later as an intermediary in Amsterdam, affiliated with a firm that was part of a European M & A network specializing in cross-border transactions. He worked extensively with clients in the chemical, coatings, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and food ingredients industries. Mr. Gross was also retained as a strategic planning advisor to a number of chemical and pharmaceutical companies in Central Europe. He returned to the United States in late 1997. Mr. Gross has an M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie-Mellon University, an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, and a B.S. in Chemistry with High Distinction from the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth, the University Club of Chicago, Midwest Business Brokers & Intermediaries (MBBI), and the Mergers International network, an affiliation of European and U.S. acquisition intermediaries.