A hospitality/real estate entrepreneur and private equity investor, Mr. Rutledge co-founded the Oxford Capital Group (where he serves as President) during his second year of business school (in 1994) while simultaneously completing an extended internship at the Wall Street mergers and acquisitions and merchant banking firm of Wasserstein Perella & Co. On behalf of a select group of institutional and private investors, including its principals, the Oxford Capital Group of Companies specialize in real estate principal investment with an emphasis on the hospitality sector but including select residential, retail, land and office transactions; private equity and investment management. In the corporate private equity area it makes early stage investments in high growth opportunities, primarily in the consumer retail area.
 
The Oxford Capital Group of Companies was initially formed as a platform to take advantage of what Mr. Rutledge and a partner felt was a compelling secular arbitrage opportunity resulting from the dramatic overbuilding in the nations' property markets, particularly the lodging sector, in the early nineties. Since that time, the Oxford principals have successfully quarterbacked a roll-up/acquisition strategy with an aggregate value of approximately $1 billion in the hospitality sector representing approximately $250 million dollars in annualized revenues and approximately 2,500 employees. Noted hospitality projects have included locally: The Wyndham Chicago Hotel, the Sheraton North Shore Hotel-Northbrook, the Hawthorne Suites Hotel-Schaumburg and nationally; the Hotel Lexington in NYC, the Metropolitan Hotel in NYC, The National Conference Center, in W.D.C. and The Wyndham Hotel in Wilmington Delaware. Corporate growth private equity investments have included: Room Service, Inc. (sold to Ez2Get), Sunglass Outlet Inc., (sold to Sunglass Hut), Potbelly Sandwich Works, Inc., Oxford Lodging Advisory & Investment Group, LLC, (a San Francisco, based Oxford affiliate), Metropolitan Capital Bank and Bobtail Soda Fountain.
 
A native of Wilmette, Illinois, and a graduate of the New Trier School in Winnetka, Illinois, Mr. Rutledge graduated from the University of Michigan, in 1985, with a bachelor's degree in economics, and an emphasis in real estate. In 1994, he received his M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago, with an emphasis in international finance and economics. He has also studied at Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois and The University of Oxford in England. He has been a guest speaker at Northwestern's J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a guest judge at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business New Venture Challenge. Mr. Rutledge is a member of: the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Economic Club of Chicago; the Auxiliary Board of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Advisory Board for the Polsky Center of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business; The Urban Land Institute (ULI), the board of The Inner City Teaching Corp and the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. In 1999, Mr. Rutledge was voted one of Crain's Chicago business's "40 under 40", a select group of rising young Chicago-area leaders. A voracious reader he is also lover of sports of all kinds including: triathlons, sailing helicopter skiing, scuba diving and world (and often adventure) travel. He is also a lover of art, architecture and history of all kinds.

Jeff Wilcoxon grew up in Columbus, Ohio focused on academics, tennis, and helping out with his family's ice cream business. After graduation from high school he went to Vanderbilt University to study economics and became the social chairman of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He spent the first year of his career at ABN AMRO in Lasalle Bank's credit analyst program. From there he was recruited to a management consulting position at Accenture in their Financial Services Strategy group. While at Accenture, Jeff partnered with two close friends to start a small residential real estate investment company. They focus on buying, improving, and managing three-flats in the downtown Chicago area. After two years at Accenture, Jeff's interests in real estate and desire to change careers inclined him to pursue his MBA at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business. His concentrations are entrepreneurship and operations, and he is a co-chair of the real estate group.
 
Through the New Venture Challenge and Kauffman Internship Program, Jeff experienced all that the entrepreneurship program had to offer at the GSB, and is still a vocal ambassador for the school's entrepreneurial programs. Jeff will graduate at the end of winter quarter 2004 in order to open Bobtail Soda Fountain, the ice cream company he developed with his close friend Chris Hill. Jeff will assume the role of COO and focus on retail and catering operations, human resources and catering sales.
 
In his spare time Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife, family and friends, traveling, reading, Ohio State football, and recreational activities.

Chris was born and raised in Shaker Heights, OH and spent his high school years as a devoted honors student, swimmer, lifeguard, and coach. He matriculated to Northwestern University in 1996, joined the MMSS honors program as a freshman, and ultimately earned majors in applied mathematics and economics. At Northwestern Chris spent two-years as a varsity swimmer, served his fraternity as pledge trainer and vice president, and spent a quarter abroad bartending in London. He spent two years with Accenture as a strategy consultant for the financial services industry and specialized in the capital markets. Clients included American Financial Group, Household International, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and AG Edwards. The job unearthed a passion for finance and the markets, leading Chris to pursue an MBA at the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business where he enrolled at the age of 24.
 
At the GSB Chris merged his passion for finance with one for entrepreneurship and partnered with Jeff Wilcoxon, a close friend, Accenture colleague, and classmate, to conceptualize and raise seed capital for Bobtail Soda Fountain. The retail venture was a finalist in the 2003 Edward L. Kaplan New Venture Challenge and will open a series of old-fashioned soda fountains serving ice cream, waffles, and coffee-related beverages. The first store will open on the north side of Chicago in spring 2004, and Chris will initially assume the roles of CFO and Treasurer, focusing on financial controls and reporting, accounting, marketing, public relations, and strategy.
 
Chris's favorite hobby is traveling with friends and his Mad River canoe to the lakes and rivers of Boundary Waters, MN and Algonquin Park, ON. He also enjoys skiing, reading, golf, adventure travel, cycling, and hiking. He lives in Lakeview on Chicago's north side where he is a member of an 11-member mutual investment club, serves as an alumni career counselor to his undergraduate fraternity, and most recently was nominated to the board of directors of the Lake View East Chamber of Commerce. Chris has also worked with Merrill Lynch as an undergraduate intern and Citigroup/Salomon Smith Barney as a graduate intern.