Robert C. Early
Mr. Early has over twenty years of experience in operating businesses, private equity, investment banking and consulting.

He serves on the Graue Mill Partners (“GMP”) Advisory Board, having previously been a full-time partner at GMP.  Mr. Early’s reduced role at GMP is the result of his commitment to both a board seat and an executive officer position at The Allant Group (see GMP “Portfolio Companies”) as it implements an accelerated strategic growth plan.  Mr. Early joined the Allant board in January 2003 and became an executive officer in December 2003.  From 2001 through 2003, he was a partner at GMP where he focused primarily on investments in the marketing services industry.

Prior to joining Graue Mill Partners, Mr. Early spent eight years in marketing and outsourcing services with both Acxiom Corporation and May & Speh, Inc. Mr. Early joined Acxiom under a two year contract in 1998, through its merger with May & Speh, to co-lead the merger integration team and fill a newly created corporate role for mergers and acquisitions/business development.

At the time of the merger, Mr. Early was Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and a member of the board of directors of May & Speh. His involvement with May & Speh began in 1992 as an outside advisor (when the company declined an offer to be sold for $42 million), and late in 1993, he assumed a part-time role leading corporate development and became a member of the company's three-person executive committee. Mr. Early and Larry Speh (CEO) became the principal architects of May & Speh's growth plan from a small family-run business to a rapidly growing enterprise. During the years leading up to May & Speh's successful IPO in early 1996, the revenue grew 24 percent CAGR, the net income grew 67 percent CAGR, and the operating margin expanded from 14 percent to over 22 percent. For the purpose of the IPO, Mr. Early served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from October, 1995 to January, 1997. Mr. Early later became the architect of the successful merger of May & Speh with Acxiom in 1998 at a value of $625 million. Through subsequent stock price appreciation, the enterprise value of May & Speh exceeded $1 billion in early 2001.

Prior to joining May & Speh, Mr. Early worked with Ridge Capital Corporation providing merger and acquisition, capital financing and strategic planning services. He also spent 12 years at Grant Thornton, LLP and was the Partner responsible for the Chicago office's Capital Markets Consulting Group from 1985 to 1990. Prior to 1985, he was a Partner and Director for International Consulting. During this period he traveled to more than 30 countries.

Mr. Early earned his BA with honors from Duke University and his MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a certified public accountant and also serves as a board member of several privately held companies.