Building teams, building trust: Meet Steve Rudnik, Wipfli’s new head of corporate development
When Steve Rudnik’s then-seven-year-old daughter Kathryn asked him two summers ago to teach her how to pitch softball at 8 p.m. on a sweltering Sunday evening — after he’d already coached three games in 90-degree heat — he didn’t hesitate. They spent two hours in the front yard, practicing by car headlights. That moment captures something essential about Wipfli's new head of corporate development: he shows up when people need him, even after a demanding, jam-packed day.
Rudnik brings that same commitment to his new role at Wipfli, where he’s tasked with supercharging the firm’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) function. Over nine years at Hightower Advisors LLC, one of the largest independent wealth management firms in the country, Rudnik helped build a team of about 15 people that completed 50 to 60 acquisitions, some years closing as many as 14 deals.
“My job is to further build out the M&A function at Wipfli and find those right-fit acquisitions that’ll help expand our value proposition to clients and grow the company overall,” Rudnik explains. The role is an outgrowth of Wipfli's recent private equity investment from New Mountain Capital, providing new capital to fuel inorganic growth.
In welcoming Rudnik to the firm, Wipfli CEO Kurt Gresens says, “Steve’s experience building and scaling an M&A program will be a strong asset as we continue to execute on our growth strategy. His track record and leadership will help us expand our capabilities and better serve clients as we pursue strategic opportunities,” said Kurt Gresens, CEO at Wipfli.
From engineering to accounting: Finding his sweet spot
Rudnik’s path to this role wasn’t exactly linear. Growing up in Glenview, Illinois, he entered the University of Notre Dame planning to study engineering. That lasted exactly one day into his second semester. “They laid out what we’re going to learn all semester, and I thought, ‘Man, this is not for me,’” he recalls. He immediately switched his schedule to enter the business program, where accounting felt natural in a way engineering had not.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in accountancy in 2005 (and a master’s in accounting science from the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign a year later), Rudnik spent a decade at Ernst & Young, primarily auditing financial services clients, including several of Chicago’s largest private equity firms. But it wasn’t the audit work that kept him there — it was the people.
“The thing I really enjoyed was being the senior manager who people were willing to come talk to for career advice,” he says. Associates would stop by his office to work through challenges, whether professional or personal. “I always joked I should have had a mini fridge in my office with some beers to say, ‘Hey, just crack a beer, let’s talk.'”
That experience shaped his leadership philosophy. Rudnik thinks of John, an EY audit partner who would roll up his sleeves when the team was stretched thin and assist with whatever was needed in the trenches. “That helped me see what I wanted to be as a leader — someone who will be there when people need it,” Rudnik reflects. “It’s not going to be leadership at the top and then the team doing all the work. If work needs to be done, I will make time to help people out.”
Building relationships, not just deals
Rudnik’s approach to M&A centers on a fundamental principle: trust. “These are people businesses,” he said. “They’re built on trust. Economics matter, but it’s the trust and the people that drive these partnerships forward.” He pointed out a Hightower acquisition that closed in 2025 — after his boss first met with the company in 2012, and he first met them in 2019. “You have to know that people have their own evolution, their own timelines. Our goal is to build the relationship, have a stellar reputation such that when someone is ready to sell, you get that call.”
As he ramps up M&A activities for Wipfli, Rudnik plans to grow from about 4 people to a dozen contributors over the next few years. He plans to cast a wide net, meeting many potential targets to find the truly right fits. And when companies aren’t a good fit? “End with a good relationship, explaining why they aren’t at that time. You will still have a reference, a contact for life. I do believe in karma.”
The sporting life: Making time for an annual Notre Dame football game is a family priority.
Squaring ambition and family
Outside of the office, Rudnik coaches his 12-year-old daughter Lauren’s fastpitch travel softball team, the Glenview Titans — a role he initially took on three years ago because no one else would. “My wife Nancy and I decided to step up at that point, and with our busy lives, the nice thing about being the head coach is that you control the schedule. However, once we started, we were hooked and decided to lean in.”
Under their joint leadership, the program’s team more than doubled their win total from the prior season, ultimately finishing second in their season-ending tournament. Nancy now coaches their youngest daughter, Kathryn’s team. Their oldest, Elizabeth, is a competitive swimmer.
Despite a demanding career, Rudnik makes it work. “I’m an early riser, generally up by 5:00 a.m., and I do a few things before anyone else is up,” he says. “And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take calls in between softball games at a tournament, sitting in the parking lot.”
For Rudnik, sports teach lessons that translate directly to the workplace: teamwork, resilience, and understanding that everyone has a role to play. “You might be the ninth hitter playing right field, but when you make that game-ending catch, the team is still celebrating for you,” he observes. “We’re all driving toward something greater as a team.”
That philosophy — showing up, supporting the team, building trust — is what Steve Rudnik brings to Wipfli. And if his track record is any indication, it’s going to be quite a run.
