You and your business are unique.

That’s the starting point for all the work we do, i.e. getting to know your unique organization before we offer any advice on the best way to assist you. We love learning about our clients and really enjoy the opportunity to dialogue and brainstorm with you on your business.

We have found that working together (e.g. listening intently, asking questions, sharing ideas candidly) drives creative thinking –and we find that to be very energizing, enlightening and of course very productive! We believe that it simply makes good sense to get to know you and your business, first, before we offer recommendations and detailed plans. Thus, the way we work with you is not necessarily the way we work with another company. Getting to know you helps us zero in on exactly what you need to improve your condition, and the best ways to achieve it.

About Us

For more than thirty years SIGMA Resource Group has been helping business leaders and their companies achieve their goals. We help business owners and leaders break through organizational and personal limitations and plan and lead their companies to long term success. Our one driving goal has been and always will be to help clients improve their condition.

Mark Akerley

Mark is managing partner and principal consultant for Sigma Resource Group. His clients and colleagues point out his excellent listening and analytical abilities combined with his drive and know-how for getting things done. He has worked with companies of all sizes and in many industries –including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, GE, Penn National, EMC, AMA, American Automobile Association, many solopreneurs and start-up companies, and over 200 other organizations. His consulting, coaching and facilitating has resulted in companies significantly improving service, quality, productivity, and operating results. Mark’s real passion is working closely with small to mid-sized companies and their owners to establish and achieve realistic yet “stretch” goals, using a “working together” approach.

Prior to co-founding Sigma, Mark spent ten years in industry rising to senior vice president of Signature Financial Group responsible for several operating divisions. However, before that, he established a successful taxi ride-sharing business (before Uber and mass adoption of the internet!). Running that business (and even driving the taxis sometime) provided many valuable lessons about markets and getting things done … and especially about working with people.

Mark is a US Army veteran, has served on the leadership council for the Lincoln Foundation to help Illinois companies achieve excellence, the advisory board for the Montgomery County American Red Cross and the MGH Health Foundation. Mark has been awarded degrees in business, economics, and organizational improvement from the Defiance College and DePaul University. He has authored and co-authored several instructional handbooks for business leaders including “Food for Thought –Lessons at Lunchtime for Business Leaders,” “Becoming Better Leaders,” “Strategic Edge: a simple but not easy process for producing winning results,” and “Manage Yourself Then Lead Others.”

For fun, Mark likes to roll on the floor with the grandchildren and teach them things their mothers won’t. He is also an FAA licensed pilot where he enjoys the challenges of flying sailplanes (i.e. airplanes without engines) cross country –sometimes successfully and sometimes not. Mark is married to the lovely Mary for 42 years, and is fortunate to have received much sage advice from her throughout their journey together.

Partial List of Clients

  • Arbitration Forum
  • Biodyne
  • Cameron Group
  • Eva Maddox Associates
  • Daily Herald
  • EMC
  • Germania
  • Mutual Trust Life
  • Farm Mutual
  • Fortis Financial
  • Guarantee Reserve
  • Horton Group
  • Guy Carpenter
  • MGH Health
  • Montgomery Mutual
  • Mountain West Farm Bureau
  • Newcastle Companies
  • PAMIC
  • Partners Group
  • Penn National
  • Quaker Oats
  • Security Benefit
  • Rowe Companies
  • US dept of Agriculture
  • US Postal Service
  • Interstate
  • Merchants & Business Owners Assn.
  • Preferred Mutual
  • Amtrak
  • Robert Taylor Associates
  • Business Engineering
  • TIACP
  • IBR Services
  • ARAMARK
  • Northwestern Memorial Hospital
  • American Medical Association
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Certified Grocers
  • Perseco
  • Richard Morton Company Charming Shops
  • Sterling Stainless Tube
  • Nielson Clearing House
  • Boatman’s Bank
  • Fort Dearborn Life
  • Holmes Murphy & Associates
  • Management Programs Inc
  • Federal Reserve Bank
  • Montgomery Ward
  • Farm Bureau
  • North American Insurance
  • Official Airine Guides
  • Mid Central Foods
  • Walter Heller Financial
  • UARCO
  • American Medical Association
  • Heinold Commodities
  • Elangy Littman Jewelers
  • Channel Home Centers
  • Regency Savings Bank
  • Exchange National Bank
  • Signature Group
  • McCrory Stores
  • American Dental Association
  • Alliance Insurance Co
  • Employers Health Insurance
  • Aetna
  • The Brethren Mutual Insurance Co.
  • National Assn for Mutual Insurance Co’s
  • MEDCO
  • Follett College Stores
  • AAA-American Automobile Assn.
  • J.C. Penny
  • Lewis Paper Inc.
  • Chicago Beverage Systems
  • Alliance of American Insurers
  • Amerisafe
  • Town of Franklin
  • Village of Rocky Hill
  • ITT

Clients and Testimonials

For more than thirty years, Sigma Resource Group has helped hundreds of businesses – of various sizes and in many different industries – become more successful.  Our work with clients can be short or long term, hands-on or just advisory – but in all cases focused on your needs to help you improve your condition.

Below are just some of the clients we have had the pleasure to work with:

Mark has helped me on multiple occasions challenge my thinking and plan substantive new business initiatives. If you truly want a strategic thinking partner to help you surface important issues and build processes to address them successfully, I can recommend Mark without reservation.

Ron Wajer, President, Business Engineering

Working through building a business model and executing the plan with Mark was incredible. The process increased my focus by a factor of ten, and now I’ve got my business headed where I want it to go … and achieving expected results.

Mary Witowski, Owner, DataKeep

Over the past few years Mark has been my valued coach both in my role as Senior Vice President of a large financial services firm and now as owner and CEO of a specialized services company, by combining tactical techniques to solve pressing problems and leadership insight to continue growth and development. He is an excellent business consultant and strategic advisor. I recommend him highly.

Jason Bogart, CEO, Deep Customer Connections, LLC

You certainly helped us get our planning and accountability back on track. Your direct assistance and keen insights into our business were all-important in helping us move ahead. I look forward to working with you more in the future.

Tim Dorr, President, Mutual Reinsurance Bureau

Mark, thanks for getting our team on the same page and showing us how to stay FOCUSED! We’ve been able to get so much more accomplished since we adopted the business processes you helped us design – we’re on our way - many thanks!

Linda Richter, The Richter Agency

I have used Mark’s consulting services on multiple occasions over many years and varied assignments. Our team members have always rated Mark as the best consultant they have ever worked with (me too).

O. Paul Shew, Peer Consultants, P.C.

Wow! Working with Mark we were able to surface our priority issues, develop a master strategy, and put together a practical operating plan with clear objectives and accountabilities in just two days – with a group of twelve independent agency owners no less. We started seeing the benefits of this almost immediately – focus and results!

Ken Lloyd, President, TIACP

Working with Sigma Resource Group has been a real “discovery” process for me and my team. Learning how to master a few key leadership/management skills and integrate them into our business processes has accelerated our growth beyond my expectations.

Eva Wilson, President, Eva WIlson Associates

I have worked with Mark for more than ten years and during that time our company has moved from struggling to prospering. Everyone on our management team has become a better manager and leader thanks to the practical tools and processes Mark has helped us assimilate and use effectively - his guidance and counsel have been crucial to our success.

Eric Faust, President, EMCnationallife

I really enjoyed working with Mark as my "on call mentor". There were 2-3 situations where I wasn't sure how to handle and needed outside perspective, to determine the best way to proceed. My line of work is in the professional services space, working with other executives at organizations. Mark was always an email or phone call away, at the ready to hear the situation I was dealing with and having an open conversation about any techniques that had worked for him in the past. His guidance was invaluable, as my business is built on trust and relationships, with little room for error. I trust Mark because his guidance would always be centered around integrity, honesty, and being of service to others. Should you be looking to advance in your career and skip "newbie executive" mistakes, I strongly encourage that you consider working with Mark!

Rocio Baeza, CEO, CyberSecurityBase

Get in Touch Today!

SIGMA Resource Group specializes in strategic growth and development for business owners, executives and senior teams. Our goal is simple… to turn your vision into reality.

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