Meet the Team
Larry Chester
Founder and President
Larry has served as a CFO for 25 years for companies including Colovos Company, Republic Windows and Doors, United Service Companies, and High Sierra Sport Company, helping them eliminate losses and improve financial operations and reporting.
Realizing that he enjoyed the challenges of helping companies that were working their way through a crisis, he joined a bankruptcy trustee for several years, analyzing the financial condition of client companies, and managing them through those difficult times.
Meet the Team
Ed Kaplan
Ed Kaplan joined CFO Simplified with a deep background in finance and operations within varied industries and enterprises. He is a talented controller who works hard and cares about his clients and the companies we serve. In the age of remote work, Ed may be one of the few people left who truly appreciates the value of working in-person at an office, face-to-face with his clients. That’s because Ed’s finest skills as a corporate controller lie in his ability to relate his deep operational acumen directly, live and on the scene as day-to-day accounting challenges arise. Being in a front-line role as a strategic business partner allows him the chance to convey key information to executive teams so they can lead from a data driven perspective. Although Ed is happy to do all this great work remotely as well, his ability to be present and his excellent communication skills remain valuable in all situations.
Meet the Team
Frank Wojtowicz
Frank is an experienced hands-on financial executive with a strong operations background and experience having P&L responsibilities. He has demonstrated successes in implementing financial and operational improvements, financial forecasting, cash flow improvement programs, introducing planning and control systems, and enhancing the accuracy and usefulness of financial reporting and cost accounting systems.
Meet the Team
Kevin Harris
Kevin is a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor and member of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. His diverse educational background and accounting services experience benefit small businesses in all industries. Prior to founding QuickSolvers, Kevin spent two years as a Financial Analyst at a northwest suburban Chicago manufacturing company, and then served as the CFO for a residential homebuilder and general contractor in Chicago. Kevin’s diverse educational background and accounting services experience benefit small businesses in all industries.
Meet the Team
Mark Finckle
Mark Finckle’s experience and zest for executive financial consulting has been a valuable complement to the CFO Simplified Team. He has served as a Senior Finance Executive with Fortune 500 companies and other dynamic businesses across a broad variety of industries. His best work speaks for itself when we see the current day success of the many businesses he has helped build through the years. When working with Mark Finckle, clients can expect the benefits of having an enthusiastic problem-solver, a focused strategic thinker and a sincere, committed partner on their team. By helping clients identify new growth opportunities and implementing meaningful changes to existing processes, Mark’s contributions are the prelude to the positive financial outcomes that no businesses can afford to miss.
Meet the Team
Melissa Hurley
At CFO Simplified, Melissa Hurley supports every member of the team and serves as a touchpoint in the company for established clients and new connections alike. Melissa helps support the many behind the scenes aspects of running a small (but busy) business, including all aspects of operations, HR, recruiting, marketing, event planning and day-to-day correspondence with the many wonderful people connected with CFO Simplified.
Meet the Team
Paul McEntee
Paul McEntee brings over 30 years of financial consulting experience to the CFO Simplified Team. He has successfully served as the CFO at many Chicago based companies. Paul’s favorite part of his job at CFO Simplified is getting to know the people he is working with and helping them build on their already incredible journey to business success. Paul always appreciates the creativity, hard work, and commitment of the wide range of business owners, leaders, and CEOs who he works alongside. He enjoys the challenge of finding meaningful answers to the industry-specific challenges they face and jumps at the opportunity to help clients take their own unique organization to the next level.
