Empowering the Next Generation

Dennis Kessler is the President and visionary behind Midwest Family Business Advisors, a firm specializing in helping families overcome the challenges inherent in mixing business with family.

Dennis advises clients on family and business succession planning, governance structures, conflict resolution and strategic planning.

Thanks to successful careers as a professional and a volunteer, Dennis has made generous contributions to the College of Lake County’s (CLC) Advanced Technology Center Workforce Development Endowment, and most recently, a six-figure gift to CLC’s Student Employment Fund.

The Student Employment Fund empowers students with the unique chance to work on campus, providing them with a valuable sneak peek into their chosen career paths.

This experience enables them to make informed decisions about the alignment of their aspirations and actual expectations, ultimately helping them make more confident and well-informed career choices.

Citing the labor shortages and recruitment and retention challenges facing every industry sector, Dennis said:

“At CLC, students are in a professional environment where their supervisors mentor them and hone the soft skills that they will need to be successful once they graduate and enter the workforce.

It’s really vital that the next generation gets the education they need to be productive workers as well as develop not just the skills to be productive, but also a passion for being productive. That does not just come automatically and must be learned, first with their parents, and then with their teachers and professors, like at College of Lake County.”

Additionally, the Student Employment Fund allows students to improve their time management when juggling school, work and family responsibilities. Employers recognize that student employees are students first and create flexible work schedules to meet their scheduling needs.

“We are delighted to support the student employment program and the Advanced Technology Center in the hope that together we can support and grow the next generation of employees in Lake County. CLC is an excellent source for Lake County employers to find the employees they needed to grow their business.”