2023 Midwest Acquirers Board and Advisory Board

MWAA Officers




Board Members


Tod Kellen

Jeremy Epstein

William Treciak
Advisory BOARD MEMBERS


Lidia Kaihara

Jim Bembenek

Steven Morris
PAST EVENTS
20th Annual MWAA Event
- July 27th – 28th, 2022
- Chicago, IL
- Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
19th Annual MWAA Event
- July 21st – 22nd, 2021
- Chicago, IL
- Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
18th Annual MWAA Event
- 2020 – Sorry We Missed You
- See you in 2021!
- Chicago, IL
- Sheraton Grand Chicago
17th Annual MWAA Event
- July 17th – 18th, 2019
- Schaumburg, IL
- Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and
Convention Center
16th Annual MWAA Event
- July 25th – 26th, 2018
- Chicago, IL
- Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
15th Annual MWAA Event
- July 18th – 19th, 2017
- Chicago, IL
- Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
14th Annual MWAA Event
- July 26th – 28th, 2016
- Cleveland, OH
- Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
13th Annual Event
- July 14th-16th, 2015
- Chicago, IL
- Palmer House Hilton
12th Annual MWAA Event
- July 16th-17th, 2014
- Lombard, IL
- The Westin Lombard
Yorktown Center
11th Annual MWAA Event
- July 17th – 18th, 2013
- Chicago, IL
- Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
10th Annual MWAA Event
- July 18th – 19th, 2012
- Chicago, IL
- Hilton Chicago
9th Annual MWAA Event
- July 26th – 28th, 2011
- Oak Brook, IL
- Oak Brook Marriott
Resort Hotel
8th Annual MWAA Event
- July 21st – 23rd, 2010
- Schaumburg, IL
- Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and
Convention Center
7th Annual MWAA Event
- July 22nd – 24th, 2009
- Lombard, IL
- Westin Hotel
6th Annual MWAA Event
- July 23rd – 25th, 2008
- St. Louis, MO
- Renaissance St. Louis
Grand & Suites Hotel
5th Annual MWAA Event
- July 25th – 27th, 2007
- Cleveland, OH
- Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
4th Annual MWAA Event
- July 19th – 21st, 2006
- Chicago, IL
- The Palmer House
Hilton Hotel
3rd Annual MWAA Event
- July 27th – 29th, 2005
- Chicago, IL
- The Renaissance Hotel
2nd Annual MWAA Event
- July 28th – 30th, 2004
- Chicago, IL
- The Drake Hotel
1st Annual MWAA Event
- July 30 – August 1, 2003
- Chicago, IL
- The Allegro Hotel
Charitable Causes
Our Mission – No child should go hungry in a nation as wealthy as ours. But millions of kids are living with hunger right now because of the pandemic. With No Kid Hungry, you can help change that for good.
Our Work – No Kid Hungry is the only national campaign committed to ending childhood hunger in the U.S. Childhood hunger is a solvable problem. In times of crisis and not, we know what to do, but we need your help.
Mission: Bringing life-changing opportunities to young people in need
Vision: In partnership with MSG Entertainment, MSG Sports and MSG Networks, the Garden of Dreams Foundation provides young people in our communities with life-changing access to educational and skills opportunities; mentoring programs, and memorable experiences that enhance their lives, help shape their futures and create lasting joy. The Foundation focuses on young people facing illness or financial challenges, as well as children of uniformed personnel who have been lost or injured while serving our communities.
In partnership with MSG Entertainment, MSG Sports and MSG Networks, the Garden of Dreams Foundation provides young people in our communities with life-changing access to educational and skills opportunities; mentoring programs, and memorable experiences that enhance their lives, help shape their futures and create lasting joy. The Foundation focuses on young people facing illness or financial challenges, as well as children of uniformed personnel who have been lost or injured while serving our communities.
2021
Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center
(On Behalf of Biff Matthews)
Washington, NC
Visit Website | Donate NowOur focus at the cancer center is not only on the treatment of cancer, but also improving the everyday lives of patients and their caregivers. Our goal is to show compassion and provide hope on this journey by offering supportive services, complementary therapies and educational programs. These services are designed to help them cope with both the physical and emotional challenges associated with having cancer.
Through your contribution the Shepard Cancer Foundation supports the cancer center in its efforts to improve the mind, body and spirit of cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. The foundation also provides assistance for patients who may have become financially burdened by their cancer diagnosis.
Our Mission – No child should go hungry in a nation as wealthy as ours. But millions of kids are living with hunger right now because of the pandemic. With No Kid Hungry, you can help change that for good.
Our Work – No Kid Hungry is the only national campaign committed to ending childhood hunger in the U.S. Childhood hunger is a solvable problem. In times of crisis and not, we know what to do, but we need your help.
Our Mission – Located on the shores of Geneva Lake, Holiday Home Camp offers a fun and supportive environment in which many of our campers and teens experience true safety and the natural world for the first time. Thus, our purpose is to provide children and teens with a respite from often unhealthy, difficult and unsafe home circumstances. We offer these children an alternative and positive lifestyle to which they can aspire – one of respect, responsibility and positive relationships.
Our Work – Our organization delivers a healthy, safe, positive, educational, and recreational camp experience to children who otherwise would not be able to afford it. Holiday Home Camp leverages typical “camp activities” into learning opportunities. Campfires, group games, aquatics, nature hikes, and crafts are infused with outcome-based exercises and challenges designed to develop life skills: responsibility, accountability, trust, communication, teamwork, conflict resolution, problem solving and goal setting. As campers return for multiple seasons, they have the opportunity to build on these life skills and increase their sense of self-esteem, self-confidence and self-reliance. Many choose to apply for the ELITE Teen program – a leadership camp program that meets monthly, throughout the whole year. Holiday Home Camp does not turn away campers for the inability to pay. Our trained staff work closely with parents to make sure camp is affordable for everyone!
2018
Give Something Back
Princeton, NJ
Donation made on behalf of Bob Carr, Beyond
The Give Back Difference – There are scholarships. There are mentoring programs. Give Back is both. And, our model is ground breaking.
Our Scholars – Give Back scholars are academically motivated and resilient. Most are first generation college students who come from families below the poverty line. A special outreach is given to students who have experienced heightened social risks such as foster care or the incarceration of a parent.
Investing in Futures – Every Give Back scholar receives a full scholarship that covers college tuition, fees, room and board, lifting the heavy financial burden associated with higher education.
2018
Hope Hospice and Palliative Care
Providence, RI
Donation made on behalf of Andy Kinnecom, SwipeForACause.com
Hope Hospice is a compassionate team of professionals specially trained in caring for people facing serious illness and loss. We are the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine for The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Hope Hospice is a non-profit organization, part of the HopeHealth family of services. Hope Hospice has a long legacy of bringing care and guidance to patients, families and others in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
As a non-profit organization, we are completely focused on serving our patients and their loved ones with excellence, teamwork and compassion.
Our services include: Patient and Family Services: hospice at home, general inpatient care, veterans’ services, spiritual care, social work and alternative support services Grief Support Services: private counseling, support groups, remembrance events, community crisis
2018
Planting Justice
Oakland, CA
Donation made on behalf of Jeff Marcous, Dharma Merchant Services
Planting justice is a grassroots organization with a mission to empower people impacted by mass incarceration and other social inequalities with the skills and resources to cultivate food sovereignty, economic justice, and community healing.
Since 2009 Planting Justice has built over 400 edible permaculture gardens in the San Francisco Bay Area, worked with five high-schools to develop food justice curriculum and created 20 green jobs for men transitioning from prison in the food justice movement.
Grief Support Services: private counseling, support groups, remembrance events, community crisis interventions, grief camps and retreats, and alternative grief support.
Rainbow Village enhances the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities by providing safe, affordable and well-maintained neighborhood homes. Today, there is a critical need for residential placements for adults with developmental disabilities.
More than 400 people are now living at home, in institutions, or in substandard housing and are waiting for a quality home in the St. Louis community. Rainbow Village would like to provide a safe and affordable home for as many people with developmental disabilities as would need or like one.
The goal of Vets Returning Home is simple: to end chronic homelessness among veterans in our communities.
Our mission is complex, requiring more than putting a roof over the veterans’ heads. It requires an approach that address the “total veteran” and his needs and making sure they succeed after they are transitioned.
We are a volunteer operated 11,000 square foot facility with 43 beds and commercial kitchen. We provide a stable and sober living environment to veterans in crisis. Onsite services including employment readiness training, aid with job placement, disability benefit connection, legal support and life skills training.
Community support both physical and financial has been vital to our ability to continue our mission. Vets Returning home receives NO government funding.
We have successfully transitioned on average 140 veterans a year back into society as a fully functioning community member.
Whether living full-time at Mercy Home, receiving continued connection through our AfterCare program, or spending a few hours a month with a positive adult role model, our programs provide young people with many opportunities to develop the tools they need to see and build better futures.