Craig Bouchard, Founder CEO
Craig is a New York Times Best Selling author. “The Caterpillar Way. Lessons in leadership, growth and shareholder value” was released in October of 2013, reaching #1 on the Barnes & Noble Best Seller List, and #8 on the New York Times Best Seller list in the business category. James V. Koch was once again Craig’s co-author. (McGraw Hill.)
Craig became the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Signature Group Holdings (OTCQX: SGGH) in June, 2013 after leading a hostile proxy battle to remove the company’s board. This was Craig’s second successful hostile take-over on Wall Street.
Craig is also the founder and current Chairman of the Board of Cambelle-Inland, LLC, a private company named after his daughter. Cambelle-Inland houses Craig’s investment activities in the steel industry and his investment in China.
In 2010 Craig founded Shale-Inland, named for his daughter Shale, and his father’s company, Inland Steel. Shale-Inland is the nation’s leading master distributor of stainless steel pipe, valves and fittings, stamped and fabricated parts to the US energy industry. The company is rated A3, and is publicly traded in the bond market with revenues approaching $1 billion.
In 2004, Craig co-founded Esmark Inc. Esmark acquired nine steel companies, including the celebrated hostile takeover of Wheeling Pittsburgh Corporation. Esmark accomplished the first hostile reverse tender merger in Wall Street history and became the 4th largest American steel company when its revenues grew from $4 million in 2003 to $3.5 billion in 2008. This story is chronicled in “America For Sale, How the Foreign Pack Circled and Devoured Esmark.” Copyright 2009 Craig T. Bouchard and James V. Koch, (ABC-CLIO.)
From 1998-2003, Craig was the President and Chief Executive Officer of New York based NumeriX, is a risk management software company commanding a leading market share on Wall Street.
Prior to helping found NumeriX, Craig was a Senior Vice President at the First National Bank of Chicago, (now JPM/Chase). His career there spanned 19 years. In the 150-year history of the bank, Craig was the 3nd youngest individual to rise to the level of Senior Vice President. He was the Head of Asia Pacific, living in Hong Kong And Tokyo, and later became The Global Head of Derivative Trading and Quantitative Research.
Craig holds a Bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University (1975), a Master’s Degree in Economics from Illinois State University (1977), and an MBA from the University of Chicago (1981). He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Boston University and the Foundation of the University of Montana. He is currently a member of the Board of the Department of Athletics, Duke University. Craig is an alumnus of Leadership Greater Chicago, and was a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award (Illinois) in the year 2005.
Craig was elected to the Hall of Fame of the Illinois State University College of Arts and Sciences in 2008. He is a member of the Hall of Fame of Hinsdale Central Township High School. Craig holds United States Patent 4,212,168, Power Producing Dry-Type Cooling Systems.
Craig is married to Melissa N. Bouchard and is the proud father of six children: Kai, Justin, Patrick, Shale, Cambelle, and Braidy.