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Elliot Richardson
Co-Founder & President
Elliot Richardson is the Co-Founder and President of the Small Business Advocacy Council, an organization laser-focused on improving the economic environment for small businesses in the State of Illinois. The SBAC strives to empower the small business community by bringing business owners, professionals and entrepreneurs together to speak with a unified, and strong voice.
Elliot Richardson is also a partner at the law firm of Korey Richardson LLP, handling a variety of commercial litigation matters in both federal and state court.
Elliot has been involved in community service since his college days at Bradley University. Presently, Elliot serves on the Board of Directors for Childserv, a large and successful organization focused on helping at-risk children. Elliot is co-chair of the resource development committee of this organization. Elliot is also on the board of Youth Conservation Corp., a dynamic non-profit which provides training in the construction industry to at-risk children.
Elliot formerly served on the Board of Directors for Youth Communications, an organization that empowers children by teaching them crucial writing skills. He also served on the Editorial Board of the Chicago Bar Association and on the executive committee of the Young Lawyers Section of the CBA. Elliot also served on the board of the YMCA Alliance Board.
Elliot received his law degree from the University of Dayton. In law school, he was the member of the Public Interest Law Organization and received the University of Dayton School of Law Pro Bono Publico Service Award. Elliot graduated from Bradley University with a degree in sociology and criminal justice. He obtained a minor in history.
Scott Baskin
Retired President & CEO of Mark Shale
Chief Executive Officer
Scott Baskin retired as President and CEO of Mark Shale in 2011. Mark Shale was Chicago’s largest independent clothing retailer with stores in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, and St. Louis. Prior to his business career, Scott served as Chief Legislative Assistant to the late Congressman Abner Mikva.
In addition to his professional experience, Scott is an engaged community leader. He is a board member of Uptown United, an economic development organization serving Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. He was an elected member of the Northside College Prep High School Local Council and chair of its finance committee, and past treasurer of the Center for Law and Social Work. He is a graduate of Vassar College and Northwestern University School of Law.
Steve Banke, Jr.
Chief Operating Officer
Steve Banke Jr. joined as COO of the SBAC in November 2018, and started as a member in 2015. In his time as a member of the SBAC, Steve has been very active in the Young Professional’s Board, and currently sits as Board Chair.
Steve received his B.S. in Kinesiology from Indiana University – Bloomington in 2014, and moved to Chicago afterwards where he started working at Land of Lincoln Health, Illinois’ Health Insurance Co-Op that was born out of the Affordable Care Act. After Land of Lincoln, Steve started working for a Group Long-Term Care Insurance brokerage in Lake Forest, and spent the next 3 years learning Employee Benefits, Digital Marketing, and Corporate Sales. As COO of the SBAC, Steve oversees all things operations at the SBAC.
Patti Zikmund-Roverud
Director of Membership and Communications
Patti joined the SBAC Team in February 2020 as a part-time consultant while continuing her work at SBAC Empower as a Program Consultant. In June 2020, she was invited full time to the SBAC as the Director of Membership and Communications. Patti has a Bachelors in International Business, Marketing and French. She speaks French and German fluently while dabbling in several others. Patti has built her career working with small businesses, start-up companies, and entrepreneurs helping them build internal and external communications as well as managing their business. Additionally, she is a certified DISC and Motivators Consultant.
Mark Revis
Policy and Communications
Mark Revis is a recent graduate from Lewis University where he majored in Public Policy and minored in Finance. He has a diverse working background ranging from the golf industry to political campaigns. In 2018, he worked on the Wedgewood Golf Course reconstruction project with the nation’s premier golf course builder – Wadsworth Golf Construction. In 2020, he worked on a contentious re-election campaign for an Illinois State Representative, edging out the opposition by a significant vote margin. In the era of COVID-19, Mark is committed to using his voice in the fight to improve the damaged small business environment.
Federica Ferrari
Research, Content, and Intern Coordinator
Federica Ferrari began working with the SBAC as an intern in March of 2020 and joined the SBAC staff in September of 2020 as Research, Content, and Intern Coordinator. In this role, Federica oversees the SBAC's intern team and research initiatives. Federica is a senior at the University of Chicago, working towards a BA in Political Science.
