Past Speakers

Douglas M. Cook is owner and president of Feldco, the Midwest’s largest window, siding and door company. Prior to acquiring Feldco, the lifelong Chicagoan spent over a dozen years in broadcasting working for Katz Media Corporation and Cox Broadcasting. While attending the Kellogg School of Management he became interested in entrepreneurship, and following graduation set out to acquire a company in the Chicago area. After a search of over two years in which he examined more than 120 companies, visited 60 and made offers on four, he was successful in acquiring Feldco, then a 25-year-old firm that had been providing window products to Chicagoland homeowners since the mid-1970s. Without altering the product line, he set about reinvigorating the company’s culture by bringing a fresh approach to marketing and management while making Feldco one area’s of the most visible and recognized firms. Since acquiring Feldco in 2000, it has grown more than 600 percent while expanding operations into three additional Midwestern states. The company does not aim to simply satisfy customers, Feldco sets out daily to delight customers and has developed a comprehensive company-wide system to make this a reality. Today, Feldco operates eight offices with over 450 representatives delivering in excess of $50MM in revenues annually.