Advisory Board

A creative connector at heart, 11:11 Partners' Founder and CEO, Samir has 25 years of direct experience leading teams within Fortune 100 companies and creating new teams within small businesses. In recent years he has served as the CEO of The Protein Bar & Kitchen, COO of Boudin Bakeries, and various other leadership positions at Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonald’s and Deloitte. With Samir’s help building conscious teams, these organizations expanded into new territories, launched new brands, and delivered impressive growth.

Samir’s path to transformation started when his coach said, “You have to decide how happy you want to be.”  Ultimately the answer to that question was the idea for 11:11 Partners, and a commitment to help organizations thrive.

Thea Polancic is a passionate advocate for the power of business to create prosperity, fulfillment and beauty in the world.

Over the past fifteen years, Thea has helped organizations large and small to create businesses that are “great from the start”. She is a founding mentor to Chicago accelerators TechStars Chicago and The Impact Engine. She is also on the Advisory Board of the Conscious Venture Lab, a business accelerator for early stage conscious capitalist companies.

Nancy Pautsch is the Chief Evangelist of Stakeholder Value (President) of Envision IT, a group of driven, curious, and compassionate people growing a soulful company. Envision’s mission is to enrich the lives of their stakeholders. Their business is technology consulting focused on optimization helping to ensure technology is an enabler to employee engagement and business success. Envision IT is the go-to technology partner for organizations across the U.S.

Nancy has been in the technology industry for 20+ years focused on business development. Keys to her leadership are a growth mindset and fostering collaborative cultures that breed a grounded sense of purpose while striving for excellence. Since heading-up Envision’s strategic transformation, the company has achieved triple-digit growth to the top and bottom line. Additionally, Envision has been lauded locally for their contributions to the community and economy; recognized globally in the technology industry as ‘best of the best’ for engineering quality, innovation, and customer experience; and highlighted by the Conscious Capitalism movement as a model for stakeholder orientation.

Teddy Heidt is the Founder and CEO of The Gauge Collective, a digital marketing 'anti-agency' that collaborates with emerging and established brands on strengthening and elevating their digital presence via various channels. With over twelve years of professional experience in advertising, marketing, and media, Teddy continues to find excitement and passion in creativity. Starting his career working for brands like The Walt Disney Company and Protein Bar Restaurants, he discovered and strengthened his passion for creating and managing custom and authentic marketing programs that are unique, powerful and successful.

Today, he's proud to oversee a freelance-based team of fifteen creatives and works diligently to bring the core values of Conscious Capitalism to his 100% remote workforce.

Ale Breuer is a former founder turned investor with extensive experience in coaching startups and working in venture capital. She invests in and advises startups, including serving as a College New Venture Challenge Coach at the University of Chicago. Ale caught the entrepreneurial bug while pursuing an MBA from Chicago Booth, where she founded Ezza Nails, a conscious tech-enabled brick-and-mortar consumer nail business that empowered women on both sides of the manicure table.

In addition to advising and investing in startups, Ale teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Her journey as a venture-backed founder provides her with a unique operator's perspective, which she brings to the classroom. Ale is passionate about helping founders navigate the early exploration stage and create a path to product-market fit. She understands the unique and realistic challenges of an entrepreneur, drawing from her own experience to provide practical guidance. With a strong background in fundraising and a talent for storytelling, Ale excels in helping entrepreneurs articulate their vision and see around corners. She focuses her classes on the realities of building a business and emphasizing practical, hands-on learning.

Ale is deeply passionate about conscious capitalism and using business as a force for good. She believes in the power of business to drive positive change and is committed to supporting ventures that align with these values. Through her work, she aims to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to build businesses that not only succeed financially but also contribute to the betterment of society.

Jean has been with Ace Metal Crafts Company since 1983, joining as a sales rep and progressing over the years to Vice President of Sales and Marketing, then to President and to her current role as CEO in 2003.

Throughout her tenure, Jean’s passion for developing conscious leaders and helping team members thrive has advanced the success of the company, and produced a culture with a foundation built on trust. Her extensive sales and leadership experience has taught her that taking great care of customers on the outside starts with taking good care of people on the inside.

Under Jean’s leadership, Ace has been honored numerous times for outstanding business practices, workplace culture, industry and community outreach. During her tenure the company was honored with an award for a Psychologically Healthy Workplace from the American Psychological Association. The company was honored to be named a Small Giant by Forbes magazine and has won the local and national Best and Brightest Companies to work for in 2023 and 2024. Ace Metal Crafts Company was also named to the Fab 40 by Fabricator magazine and is an active member of manufacturing associations: AME, TMA and FMA.

In addition to her role at Ace, Jean has served on the board of directors of Berthold Electric Co. in Chicago and the Board of Advisors of Irmco, Inc. in Evanston, IL. She served as a member of the IMEC (Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center)board of director’s and recently served on the finance committee for the Village of Hawthorn Woods. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing from University of Wisconsin and her MBA in finance from Northern Illinois University.