Before launching GFV Business Advisory, Gary Vitale served more than 25 years as chief executive and senior manager of companies and subsidiaries that needed to address talent management and team building during their times of corporate transition.

He used his executive experience and time-proven assessment tools to successfully navigate everything from the smooth transfer of ownership in private, family owned businesses to orderly consolidation of acquisitions by publicly traded companies.

Throughout his corporate career, Gary has been able to build consensus among various stakeholders -- upper level management, owners, board members, lawyers, accountants, middle management and others -- to implement plans that allowed businesses to achieve their goals and objectives and position themselves for growth.

Among his assignments, Gary conducted work for:

• A $150 million privately held company in New Jersey to assess all of the management duties of a family member who wanted to retire from the business and delegate those responsibilities to the most appropriate personnel.
• A Grand Rapids, Michigan company to build consensus among owners, creditors, vendors, professional advisors and employees in the orderly liquidation of a $110 million business. All debt was paid to banks and suppliers, properties were sold, employee obligations were met, and the owners received cash distributions at liquidation.
• A Western Michigan chemical company to perform talent management assessments of executives and managers at two acquired companies to form a new management team with positive group dynamics. Results included an increase of $16 million in revenue and access to expanded distribution networks.
• A $250 million wholesaler of construction materials that needed a strategic plan for restructuring the company. The results included more than $1 million in cost reductions after centralizing purchasing and customer service and recalibrating corporate support functions.

In addition, Gary was the former president and CEO of the North American Wholesale Lumber Association in Rolling Meadows, Ill. He was appointed to serve on the U. S. Softwood Export Council by the U. S. Secretary of Commerce from 2009-2013 and served on the Board of Regents for St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, N.J., where he received a bachelor’s degree in marketing management and was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame for baseball.

Gary is a Talexes Talent Solutions Alliance Partner and has a network of affiliates who he calls upon to provide additional expertise on an as-needed basis.