Who We Are
Group Leadership
Peter Limberger
Co-Founder
Peter Limberger
Inga Carus
Co-Founder
Inga Carus
Hinesh Patel
Chief Executive Officer
Hinesh Patel
Matt Ptacek
Chief Financial Officer
Matt Ptacek
Matt Ptacek has deep and comprehensive financial expertise, having spent the early part of his career as a cost analyst, a financial analyst, a business analyst, and a plant Controller with Kimberly Clark. Matt earned an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is married with two grown daughters.
Prior to joining CL Enterprises, Matt served as Chief Financial Officer for TH Foods in Loves Park, IL. and worked for Advanced Integration Technology, a Private Equity company in Texas as CFO.
Cindy Akins
Chief Human Resources Officer
Cindy Akins
Cindy is a Human Resources Executive with over 25 years of global and domestic human resources experience. She is a true generalist with deep experience in workforce engagement, compensation and benefits, talent acquisition and development, change management, and employee communications. She loves building talent strategies which help drive business growth.
Cindy most recently worked as an independent HR consultant focused on the small to mid-size business market. Her previous corporate experience includes organizations of all sizes, both public and private, in a variety of industries. She has a Master’s Degree in Labor and Industrial Relations from Loyola University in Chicago and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Illinois. In her free time, Cindy enjoys boating, yoga, reading, and spending time with her husband and kids.
Barry Whited
Controller
Barry Whited
Barry has a BS in Accounting from Bradley University and an MBA from Lewis University. Barry started his accounting career as a staff accountant at Beck Oil Company. Over the last twenty-eight years, Barry has worked in an accounting role with increasing responsibilities, including the last fifteen years as a controller.
He has worked in various accounting roles in the following industries; bank accounting and commercial lending, corporate accounting, manufacturing controller, retail, service, restaurant, and construction accounting. Barry started with Carus Group in April of 2015 then transferred to CL Enterprises in January of 2017.
Barry has worked for thirty years as an Adjunct Professor at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Illinois. He teaches in the fields of Accounting, Business and Economics.
Billy Quesse
Principal Technologist
Billy Quesse
As our resident technologist, Billy, a veteran Software Engineer, brings to the table creative solutions in all areas of our portfolio. Having grown up in the heart of Starved Rock Country, he has a passion for the small-town revival that is part of CL’s general vision. After living out West, he was drawn back home, where he joined the CL team.
He has a B.S. in Computer Science from the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and resides in Spring Valley with his wife Gracelyn and their two dogs – Phoebe and Adaline(Della). In his free time he enjoys stargazing, is an avid maker, and tends to a garden of hot peppers. Each year, he drops off the radar for most of November and emerges with his annual Christmas light show.
Matthew Klein
Senior Marketing Specialist
Matthew Klein
Matthew Klein graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bradley University Foster College of Business with a B.S. in Business Management and Leadership and a minor in Marketing. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administration. While at Bradley, Matthew received first place in multiple innovation competitions, and an official proclamation for his entrepreneurial abilities from Bradley President Stephen Standifird and City of Peoria, IL Mayor Rita Ali.
Matthew joined CL Enterprises (CLE) in 2021. He assists the Chief Marketing Officer with on-going marketing operations and future growth objectives across the CLE corporate brand. He also works with internal teams to create and execute brand building strategies and marketing activities for CLE’s diverse portfolio of companies.
Growing up in the Illinois Valley, a collection of small communities with distinctive characteristics, the art of storytelling and perspectives has always been a fundamental principle to Matthew. His passion and desire to create led him to found his creative video production company at the age of 17.
In 2021, his video work was included and credited in an HBO original documentary produced by Unrealistic Productions, a Mark Wahlberg company. Matthew has created over 500 films for a wide range of public and private entities.
In his spare time, Matthew enjoys photographing nature, flying drones, hiking at National Parks, and spending time with his friends and family. There’s also a good chance of running into him at the local coffee shop.
Business Leaders
Robert Davidson
President, Alexander Chemical
Robert Davidson
Jayson Wilson
President of Revv Aviation
Jayson Wilson
Jayson Wilson is the President of Revv Aviation.
He has been around aviation is entire life. His dad was a crop duster aviator and Jayson grew up on an FBO, so he understands and shares the passion that Revv is trying to recreate with its expanding footprint. He is excited to have the opportunity to help shape a company that’s creating something new and different in the aviation sector. Over the years, in business and with the military, Jayson has had the good fortune to work in almost every aspect of the aviation industry, from combat to expeditionary to air cargo and charter, he is privy to worldwide enterprises, not only as a leader, but as an operator.
The opportunity to lead Revv, with its full suite of services, its small-town focus, and its entrepreneurial vision, felt like the perfect opportunity for Jayson to draw on all those different experiences.
He is a 2015 Inductee and member of the ICAS Foundation Airshow Hall of Fame (Red Baron Formation Aerobatic Team) Red Baron Squadron. He is an accomplished aviation executive with extensive experience, and a proven operations and P/L multiplier with regards to austere and high-risk operational areas and conventional commercial aviation. He has served 27 years as the President and COO of Carolina Aerobatics, LLC, an aerobatic training company specializing in competition and airshow flying disciplines.
Jayson served honorably and nobly for 25 years as an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilot with the U.S. Army with numerous combat tours in the Middle East, Afghanistan and the Balkans.
Blake Rohrabaugh
CEO, Tangled Roots Brewing Co.
Blake Rohrabaugh
Blake Rohrabaugh was born and raised on the mean streets of Northbrook, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois in Champaign- Urbana and received a Bachelor’s Degree in History. But more importantly, while in school he was given his first bartending job at a local campus bar, where he quickly picked up and mastered the art of tending bar.
In 2003, Blake joined Bar Louie in Chicago. During his tenure with Bar Louie, he helped grow the company from 11 locations to 150 as General Manager, Director of NSOs, VP of Beverage Innovation, and VP of Operations.
Restaurant and bar operations are his life’s passions, with emphasis on guest satisfaction, amazing food and beverage offerings, and a true dedication to Hospitality.
Blake currently lives in Northbrook, Il with his wife Nicole and three children. When not working, he is a cocktail enthusiast, loves fishing and kayaking, listening to The Grateful Dead and Phish, and is hopeless supporter of both Manchester United and the Chicago Cubs. And he is still a great bartender!
Michelle Christ
President of Starved Rock Wood Products
Michelle Christ
Michelle is proud now to be leading Starved Rock Wood Products, having joined in 2022 as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining the team, she held senior financial leadership roles at MoboTrex and Terso Solutions. As President, Michelle’s focus is on creating a future-facing organization and culture that can adapt to the growth the company is experiencing across the Midwest and Chicagoland markets in particular. She holds a BA in Accounting and an MBA.