(PRLEAP.COM) K. Patrick Kruchten, CEO of First Integrity Bank N.A., is pleased to announce their co-sponsorship of best selling author Tom Gegax’s presentation on his latest book, The Big Book of Small Business: You Don’t Have To Run Your Business By The Seat Of Your Pants. The event will be held at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables (1200 Anastasia Avenue) on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 from 4-6 PM with a cocktail reception and book signing following the lecture.

Before his career as author and consultant, Tom Gegax served for 24 years as Chairman and CEO of Tires Plus Stores. By the time Gegax sold the company to Bridgestone/Firestone in July 2000, it had mushroomed from a concept sketched on a restaurant napkin to a market leader with 150 upscale stores in 10 states and $200 million in revenue. Today, he helps growing companies raise profits and reduce stress through fast and affordable business management coaching and he is also a best-selling author and speaker.

Gegax’s groundbreaking management methods have been featured in the New York Times and Fast Company magazine, and on CNN, CNBC, and PBS. He was named a 1995 Midwest Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine and Ernst & Young. He is the youngest person to be inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame.

His latest book, The Big Book of Small Business: You Don’t Have To Run Your Business By The Seat Of Your Pants, is receiving rave reviews from top business leaders across the country, including Ken Blanchard (The One-Minute Manager), Harvey Mackay (Swim with the Sharks) and Richard Schulze, Founder and Chairman of Best Buy. His guide connects the dots between all aspects of a business with unprecedented breadth and depth.

The Miami-Herald says, “(The book is) loaded with insights and strategies…dealing with real-world situations and solutions that most small firms face. “

In The Big Book of Small Business, Gegax shares his hard-earned lessons on how to become an enlightened, effective leader, and on how to do the small things right so the big decisions work. This all-in-one toolbox for small businesses is jammed with warm-hearted, tough-minded practices and street-smart tips, covering every aspect of a growing business.

Organizing sponsors for the lecture, book signing and reception are the law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP and the INCubation Center. Spearheading the event is Steven H. Silton, a Partner in Hinshaw’s Minneapolis office.

"To show Hinshaw & Culbertson’s commitment to the growing business and banking community in South Florida, and throughout the State of Florida, we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to present Tom Gegax and his proven business concepts," says Silton. “Small businesses make up a large part of Florida’s economy, we want to help foster their success in anyway we can.”

Steven H. Silton joined Hinshaw as a partner in the firm’s Minneapolis office in July 2007 with a group of seven attorneys from the law firm of Mansfield Tanick & Cohen, P.A. Silton represents small to mid-sized corporations, banks, credit unions and financial groups in corporate and commercial law matters as well as complex bankruptcy matters.

First Integrity Bank’s CEO, K. Patrick Kruchten, says “Gegax says it like it is, he gives practical and vital information… information the small business owner can use to improve the bottom line.”

Information about the sponsors

First Integrity Bank N.A. is a privately held FDIC bank specializing in commercial real estate loans. They have been funding developments and projects in Southwest Florida for more than a decade. The Naples office is located at 975 6th Avenue South in Naples and their phone number is 239-793-7123. Their home office is in Staples, Minnesota and they may be found online at www.fibna.com.

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is a national law firm with 450 lawyers in 27 offices. The firm offers a full-service practice, with an emphasis in litigation, corporate and business law, environmental, labor and employment law, professional liability defense, and wealth preservation and taxation matters. The firm provides services to a range of for-profit and not-for-profit clients in industries that include construction, financial services, health care, insurance, legal, manufacturing, real estate, retail and transportation. Firm clients also include government agencies, municipalities and schools. Hinshaw was founded in 1934. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, and maintains offices in 12 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

INCubation Center is a Hinshaw program that encompasses several important legal and non-legal issues critical to new businesses. With regard to the legal issues involved in any new business, the INCubation Center provides competent counsel to guide entrepreneurs forming their new venture and provide a range of legal services for the business. For more information, you may visit www.hinshawlaw.com.

Seating is limited for the upcoming FREE event. Interested business owners or managers must RSVP to Renee Odom at 312-704-3050 or rodom@hinshawlaw.com no later than October 8th.