James Weis

Current

• Owner at Eyes on Africa

Past

• Principal at JWW Design / Murphy-Weis Consulting, LLC
• Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at Information Resources, Inc.
• Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis at Kraft Foods

• Senior Audit Supervisor at KPMG Peat Marwick

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Education

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
• University of Wisconsin-Madison - School of Business
• Evanston Township High School (ETHS)

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Connections

145 connections

Industry

Leisure, Travel & Tourism

Websites

• African Safari
• Africa Travel Journal
• Safari in Botswana

James Weis’s Summary

Owner of Eyes on Africa, a growing travel company, specializing in African Safaris and travel to Southern and East Africa.

My background is in Finance and Information Systems and I worked as a CPA out of college.

Today, I manage Eyes on Africa with my wife, Nicky Glover.

James Weis’s Specialties:

African Safaris
Photography
Adventure Travel

James Weis’s Experience

• Owner

  Eyes on Africa

  (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

  July 2002 — Present (7 years 5 months)

  African Safaris and Holiday Travel to Southern and East Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Seychelles Islands).

• Principal

  JWW Design / Murphy-Weis Consulting, LLC

  (Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)

  October 1995 — December 2004 (9 years 3 months)

  • Co-manage day to day operations of growing consulting practice with annual revenues of $4MM-$8MM.
  • Plan and develop corporate budgeting, reporting, financial analysis and other Business Intelligence models.
  • Expertise in Hyperion Essbase, Hyperion® System™ 9 Financial Management™ (HFM), Visual Basic, Microsoft Access/Excel and SQL querying.
  • Manage large-scale projects for mid-size to large corporations, overseeing and training internal IS staff.

• Director of Financial Planning & Analysis

  Information Resources, Inc.

  (Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; IRICR; Information Services industry)

  October 1993 — October 1995 (2 years 1 month)

  • Key financial representative for investment and financial decisions. Responsibilities:
  - Recommended action plans for profitability and cost containment projects.
  - Managed development of the $500 million Corporate Operating budget.
  - Created presentations to Board of Directors, CEO’s, CFO, shareholders, investment community.
  - Approved all capital investment projects.
  - Executed comprehensive corporate financial statements (P&L, Cash Flow, Balance Sheet).
  - Developed and presented monthly Operating forecasts.
  • Created valuation analyses for numerous potential investment / acquisition opportunities using net present value / cash flow analyses.
  - Evaluated cash vs. stock alternatives
  - Analyzed EPS dilution on future earnings and tax impacts.
  • Developed 3-year Strategic Plan for line of credit refinancing and search for equity investors. Worked extensively with the Company’s Bankers and Investment Bankers.

• Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis

  Kraft Foods

  (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; KFT; Consumer Goods industry)

  November 1989 — October 1993 (4 years )

  • Managed development of the $100 million KGF Technology Operating budget.
  • Negotiated R&D re-bills with Operating Group Financial Vice Presidents.
  • Developed and presented Operating budget, Re-forecasts, and Strategic Plan.
  • Provided ongoing support for 800+ Technology employees through financial analysis of Operating results.
  • Directly managed five professional staff.

• Senior Audit Supervisor

  KPMG Peat Marwick

  (Partnership; 10,001 or more employees; KPMG; Accounting industry)

  January 1986 — November 1989 (3 years 11 months)

  Managed audit engagements. Established and monitored budgets, negotiated fees, planned and assigned audit procedures, wrote management and audit committee reports, supervised, trained, and evaluated staff.
  • Specialized in Leasing and Real Estate industries.
  • Obtained significant experience in SEC reporting, divestitures, and internal control reviews.

James Weis’s Education

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  MBA , Finance, Economics , 1990 — 1993

• University of Wisconsin-Madison - School of Business

  BBA , Accounting, Information Systems , 1982 — 1985

• Evanston Township High School (ETHS)

  1975 — 1979

Additional Information

James Weis’s Websites:

• African Safari
• Africa Travel Journal
• Safari in Botswana

James Weis’s Interests:

Fine Wines, Photography, African Safaris, Travel to Africa

James Weis’s Groups:

IATAN, BBB, ASTA, ATTA

•    Northwestern University Alumni
•    Linked n Chicago
•    Apple Professionals
•    Land Rover and Jaguar Owners & Enthusiasts
•    Wisconsin Business Alumni ® (Official)
•    Evanston Township High School Alumni (ETHS)
•    IRI Alumni Association
•    Chicago Cubs MLB Group
•    Kraft Alumni Network
•    Kellogg School of Management
•    Africa Travel & Tourism
•    ASTA - American Society of Travel Agents

James Weis’s Honors:

Eyes on Africa was selected most knowledgeable Regional Expert for Southern Africa / Safaris by National Geographic Traveler Magazine, 20th Anniversary Special Issue, October 2004.

James Weis’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch