Michael R. Zook, Sr.
Partner, Focus, LLC

Michael R. Zook, Sr., a FOCUS Partner, works with the owners and senior managers of privately held businesses to increase both their business and personal wealth. His unique background of over 30 years in the financial services industry includes experience in a very wide range of disciplines and services that provide a foundation for the investment banking and consulting services that FOCUS offers.

He brings FOCUS clients the skills acquired in banking, as a commercial lender, middle market lending division head, cash management business manager, senior credit officer and trust and banking service relationship manager. Mr. Zook, with a group on investors, purchased a public SBIC, extending mezzanine financing to over 20 privately held companies. Most recently he completed merger and acquisition, and capital raising engagements as a managing director in a boutique investment banking firm.

Prior to joining FOCUS Mr. Zook was a Managing Director at MASI, Ltd. where he completed divestitures in the printing, software, business services and distribution industries. He also worked on several buy side engagements for electronics and industrial equipment companies. In addition, Mr. Zook utilized his mezzanine banking experience to raise subordinated and mezzanine debt for growing companies.

Previously, Mr. Zook worked for Capital for Business, an SBIC and wholly owned subsidiary of Commerce Bank in St. Louis. This was his second position in the SBIC industry. The first was the purchase of a Milwaukee based public SBIC, Capital Investments where he served as President and managed a wide range of private company financings, utilizing subordinated debt and preferred stock.

Prior to his SBIC experience Mr. Zook was a Senior Vice President for The Northern Trust Company in a wide variety of assignments, as the senior banking and marketing officer in the Bank’s initial expansion into Florida, the senior credit officer for all commercial credit in suburban and out-of-state banking offices, the head of a Chicago middle-market lending division and the head of Cash Management Services.

Mr. Zook has an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Mr. Zook is a graduate of the Venture Capital Institute, an industry sponsored education program for individuals working in the venture capital industry, and served for three years as an instructor. He is also the past President of the Midwest Region of Small Business Investment companies and a member of the Association for Corporate Growth and the Executives Club of Chicago.

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