Our People

After 15 years of service in the manufacturing, engineering, and maintenance groups of the Consumer and Personal Products Divisions at Johnson & Johnson, Rich Panico decided to dedicate himself to a new business venture. He founded Integrated Project Management Company, Inc. in 1988 on principles of quality, trust and honesty.

Rich has since built IPM into a company that serves global giants and startups alike – always on the same set of values. In 2010, he was the recipient of the William C. Pollard Award for Business Ethics presented by the Oak Brook Executives Breakfast Club, and his company has been honored multiple times for workplace ethics by the Better Business Bureau. In 2011, Rich was inducted into the University of Illinois – Chicago’s Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, and IPM was awarded the Annual Award for Business Ethics by the Business Ledger. From 2001 to 2007, Rich served as chair of Chicago's DePaul University Institute for Business and Professional Ethics and continues to be an active member of its board of directors. He is actively recruited by organizations to present his philosophies on ethical conduct in the corporate world and recently contributed to the books Entrepreneurship – Values and Responsibility and The Integrity Dividend. A member of Heartland Angels, an early-stage private equity group, Rich regularly advises budding entrepreneurs on how to launch their businesses based on ethical precepts. Appointed to the Board of Directors of Midtronics, Inc. in 2011, Rich was added to the Board for his ability to provide insight to this worldwide leader of innovation in battery management.

Rich has authored several papers on a variety of business-related subjects, and his column "Manufacturing Excellence" is featured quarterly in Global Cosmetic Industry magazine. His interviews and works have appeared in Crain's Chicago Business, IndustryWeek, Projects@Work, Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, Journal of Leadership and Organization Studies, Pharmaceutical Technology, Plant Engineering, and US Industry Today.

Mike McLeod has over 20 years of professional project management experience in the manufacturing, engineering services, and business consulting industries. He currently serves as Vice President of Operations for IPM, a position he has held since 2006. In this leadership capacity, Mike has day-to-day accountability for IPM’s service operations and its marketing and business development efforts. Since joining the firm in 1994, he has led numerous projects, managed many client relationships, and supported the growth and diversification of the business. Prior to joining IPM, Mike led projects in the nuclear power and steel industries.

Mike holds bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and earned his Masters of Business Administration degree at the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in several states and holds his Project Management Professional certification through the Project Management Institute.

Ms. Jo Jackson has been the Chief Financial Officer since IPM’s inception in 1988. She has been responsible for every type of financial and administrative aspect of the business including recruiting, benefits, capital planning, cash management, forecasting, government reporting, financial reporting, and all legal requirements.

Prior to her employment with IPM, Jo provided accounting services to small businesses and previously served for ten years at Johnson & Johnson. She received her BS and MBA from Eastern Illinois University.

Jo is a member of the Board of Directors of The Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois. She also serves in a leadership role assisting the West Suburban Community Pantry. Jo is a member of the Chicago Finance Exchange, the Chicago Executives’ Club, and the Society for Human Resource Management, and received her CMA in 1984. Jo helped build and continues to nurture IPM’s culture of ethics, playing a key role in the company’s receipt of the 2010 American Business Ethics Award, as well as in capturing the 12th position on the Great Place to Work Institute’s list of 25 Best Small Workplaces in 2010.