Steve Schneider is Co-Managing Partner of Blackman Kallick. Steve also heads up our Food Industry Practice, serves on the firm's management committee and is the Partner in Charge of Marketing. Known as one of the hardest-working partners at the firm and as one of the best when it comes to marshalling the firm's resources for a client, Steve focuses on analyzing his clients' financials, comparing them to what he has learned from experience and providing tactical business advice. "The goal is to help our clients function at a higher level. By spending time on their site and comparing the numbers to what we've seen elsewhere, we can bring issues and opportunities to their attention they might not notice from an inside perspective." Steve serves a broad client base, including food processing, manufacturing, distribution, service and hospitality clients. While the majority of his current clients are closely held, Steve has a long history of serving public companies. His experience with clients goes well beyond the core services of auditing and review. He lends his tenacity and problem-solving skills to the full range of business issues, including: Coordinating mergers, acquisitions and divestitures Operations management Forecasting, budgeting and modeling Formulating ownership succession plans Cost-segregation studies He believes that hands-on attention to the client is the only way you can become the trusted advisor that owners and managers need. Whether it's helping combat issues like eroding margins and shrinking profits or taking advantage of opportunities such as assessing new ventures and increasing market share, Steve feels that the difference lies in being fully up-to-speed on the client's industry and specific situation. It's no wonder that a large majority of Steve's clients have been with him for over a decade. "There is no substitute for the history you have with people and their industry in terms of being able to contribute and provide applicable solutions." Steve was a manager at KPMG before joining Blackman Kallick in 1981 and has been a public accountant for over 30 years. A member of the AICPA, the Illinois CPA Society, the Illinois Venture Capital Association and the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies, Steve has spoken and authored articles for professional and trade groups. Steve received his B.S. in Accountancy from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. He has two daughters and currently lives in Highland Park. A second generation CPA, Steve credits much of his work ethic and style to his father. He saw that his father was a no-nonsense, hard-working accountant who spent much of his time building relationships with his clients. Steve appreciates the respect and trust his father received and how the clients treated his father like a member of the management team, not like an outside accountant. "My passion isn't really for accounting. It's for the clients and their businesses. I know I can make a difference. I know I have."