ACI Corporate Partners support ACI and our member colleges and universities in two important ways: First, they make an annual commitment to ACI of $5,000, $10,000 or more, that helps defray ACI’s operating costs and focus philanthropic dollars on mission-critical programs. Second, each Corporate Partner offers products and services designed to meet the specific challenges of higher education. Many ACI member institutions already do business with these partners, and we encourage all ACI members to make our Corporate Partners their first call when they require the products or services these businesses provide.
For additional information about ACI Corporate Partnerships, contact April Arnold, executive director, 312-263-2391, ext. 1, or aarnold@acifund.org.
For over 25 years, Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA) has helped educational institutions reduce costs without compromising quality or service. Our higher education group focuses on finding savings in cost or profit centers in areas such as food service, telecommunications, janitorial supplies & service, printing & production services, office supplies, facility maintenance, payroll processing & credit card fees, and many more. Operating on a contingency fee model, ERA delivers savings before earning a fee for the value delivered.
Expense Reduction Analysts is one of the world’s leading consultancy organizations. Specializing in cost optimization and supplier relation management, ERA delivers Value through Insightᵀᴹ to clients in both the private and public sectors. Through in-depth industry knowledge and insight across a variety of expense categories, ERA adds value to organizations by advising on industry-specific best practices, reducing costs, and ultimately delivering tailored solutions to benefit organization health and growth.
For more information, contact:
Marty Leiter, Senior Principal Consultant
mleiter@expensereduction.com
630-416-7086
Sikich is a dynamic professional services firm specializing in accounting, technology, investment banking* and advisory services.** Founded in 1982, Sikich now ranks as one of the country’s Top 35 Certified Public Accounting firms and is among the top 1 percent of all enterprise resource planning solution partners in the world. From corporations and not-for-profits to state and local governments, Sikich clients can use a broad spectrum of services and products that help them reach long-term, strategic goals.
Sikich’s not-for-profit and higher education professionals have dedicated their careers to serving a wide variety of not-for-profit and higher education organizations. Whether your challenges lie in managing and tracking the generosity of your supporters or implementing regulatory changes, our team of experts is here to help you accomplish your goals, realize your mission and strengthen your organization.
*Securities are offered through Sikich Corporate Finance LLC, a registered broker/dealer with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a member of FINRA and SIPC.
**Advisory services offered through Sikich Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Securities offered through Triad Advisors, Member FINRA and SIPC. Triad Advisors and Sikich Financial are not affiliated.
For more information contact:
Scott Wegner, Partner
swegner@sikich.com
Phone: (630) 566-8417
Fax: (630) 375-8817
Michael Best is a full-service law firm providing legal services to clients on a local, regional, national, and global basis. With more than 400 attorneys in 19 offices nationwide, Michael Best counsels higher education institutions on a full range of legal issues, including intellectual property protection and labor and employment matters, such as Title IX, employee benefits, student affairs and immigration. We help universities commercialize their technologies and resolve technology-related disputes. In our work as outside counsel to many university leaders, our lawyers take calls on whatever campus exigencies occur, from cybersecurity and real estate transactions, to campus safety, public finance and governance issues.
For more information, contact:
Daniel Kaufman, Partner
dakaufman@michaelbest.com
(312) 836-5077
About Element451
Element451 is the AI Workforce Platform for Higher Education—where intelligent, proactive digital agents work alongside your team to engage and support students faster, smarter, and with less stress, from enrollment through advancement.
How We Support ACI Member Institutions and Students
Through our partnership with ACI, Element451 delivers AI-powered tools to drive student success across every stage of their journey:
- Admissions + Enrollment: Bolt Agents assist with application review, fraud detection, decisioning, and follow-ups—freeing staff to focus on relationship-building and yield strategies.
- Marketing + Communications: Our AI-driven agents create, personalize, and manage campaigns, ensuring timely outreach and consistent messaging.
- Engagement: 24/7 digital agents respond instantly across chat, email, web, SMS, and voice, enhancing student access and responsiveness.
- Student Success: Agents monitor risk, deliver nudges, and guide students through challenges—helping improve retention and outcomes.
Our modular platform, Element Core, powers these AI agent teams—enabling institutions to onboard quickly with specific “teams” for Admissions, Engagement, Marketing, or Student Success—or bundle all for full platform access. It’s about building your AI workforce based on your priorities.
Follett Higher Education partners with more than 1,000 colleges and universities
across North America to inspire, enable, and celebrate the academic journey for
over 6 million students. We’re shaping the future of higher education—with
memorable retail experiences, pioneering technology, sustainable practices, and
programs that ensure students get instant, equal, and affordable access to the
course materials they need to be successful. Building on 150 years of experience
serving college campuses, Follett delivers industry-leading expertise to help
schools of all sizes create one-of-a-kind solutions, foster academic enrichment,
and evoke campus pride.
For more information, please visit us at: https://follett.com/contact/
For more information on Graystone Consulting, please contact:
Robert Dow, CIMA®
Executive Director
Institutional Consultant
Brett Herbison
Vice President
Institutional Consultant
2211 York Road, Suite 100
Oak Brook, IL 60523
630-573-9697
E: graystoneoakbrook@morganstanley.com
W: www.msgraystone.com/graystoneconsultingoakbrook
Quest Food Management Services was founded in 1985 in Lombard, Illinois with the goal of providing fresh, made from scratch food and intensely personal service. Today,
Quest has grown to serve over 100 partners across the Midwest, with annual revenues of roughly $75 million. In 2021, Quest was ranked #28 in Food Management
Magazine’s Top 50 food management companies in the United States.
For more information, please contact:
EVP Sales & Development:
Kris Kotte, kkotte@questfms.com
(312) 339-3747