Sometimes the best way to build a business is to define a niche that allows the company to function in cooperation with the big guys. Bruce Barton and his partners did this when they founded of The Livingstone Corporation.

The soon-to-be partners all worked with Youth For Christ, in a partnership project between YFC and Tyndale House that produced various publication projects. After several years and thousands of hours of hard work, the publication of Life Application Study Bible in 1988 also marked the birth of The Livingstone Corporation. Livingstone offers creative and management skills to handle massive projects for publishers; the business model quickly expanded beyond Bibles. The company has grown to 17 employees, and has completed more than 150 specialty Bibles and more than 400 trade books, devotionals, gift books, and curriculum products. In 1995, Livingstone added typesetting services; in 2000, graphic arts services; and in 2008, marketing and branding services.

About the CEO Series:

The CEO Series meets on the second Thursday of each month, from 8-10 a.m. at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Rice Campus, 201 East Loop Road, Wheaton IL 60187. Networking starts at 8; participants move into the meeting room at 8:30, and the official talk/Q&A wrap by 10, although presenters may be available for questions after the event ends as well.

This series is presented at no charge to area CEOs and business leaders by its organizers, the principals of three local firms dedicated to helping Chicago area businesses succeed:
• Ellen Huxtable of Advantage Business Concepts • www.advantage-biz.com 
• Bill Price of GrowthLaw • www.growthlaw.com 
• Paul Lloyd of Zuk-Lloyd Associates, Inc. • www.zuklloyd.com

Cosponsors
The CEO Series organizers thank their cosponsors for helping to get the word out about the series. Our current cosponsors:
• College of DuPage Small Business Development Center
• Joseph Associates International
• Second Chance Coffee
• Fox Valley Computing Professionals
• Congregational Church of Batavia Small Business Networking Group
• The Entrepreneurial Roundtable, University of Chicago-Booth Graduate School of Business
• Knapp Center for Entrepreneurship, Illinois Institute of Technology
• Valley Community Bank

Questions about the series? Or interested in becoming a series cosponsor? Either way, contact event chair Bill Price at 800.630.4780 or wprice@growthlaw.com. 
If you missed earlier presentations, video from the Fall 2009 CEO Series can be accessed through the links at www.growthlaw.com/ceo_series.