Excited <> Fatigued

       Happy <> Frustrated

 Confident <> Confused

Ever have these conflicting feelings as a business leader? Yup, we have too! But you know it and we know it – the conflict can be overcome with focus and discipline, clearing a path to better results and fulfillment.

So if you value clear thinking, simple planning, rational decision making, and accountability – we’re on the same page! Let’s work together!

About Us

Mark Akerley

Mark Akerley is co-founder and chief focus officer for Sigma Resource Group, Inc, a business advisory firm that helps business leaders focus on what’s important and improve results. For more than thirty years he has worked with a broad variety of companies including Aetna, GE, Quaker Oats, EMC, AAA, Daily Herald, Penn National, Germania Insurance and over 200 other organizations – large and small. Mark is a value-driven advisor with comprehensive skills in planning and leadership, and practical know-how for integrating both for long-term results.

Prior to co-founding Sigma, Mark spent ten years in industry leading and managing several operating divisions and new business acquisitions. One such acquisition was a start-up designed to compete with and overtake a nationally known retirement association. It failed miserably in twelve months, providing a life-time of practical lessons in Management and Leadership.

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. He has received 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.”

When not reading or writing about business and personal growth, you might find him rolling on the floor with his grandchildren or, as an FAA certified flight instructor, teaching aviation enthusiasts how to fly sailplanes (airplanes without engines).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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).

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.