About Us

Diane Fitzgerald serves as Principal of The Fitzgerald Group, a consulting company she founded in 1994. Focusing on strategic planning, marketing, sales and communications for a diverse group of clients, The Fitzgerald Group supports business leaders in developing and implementing company-wide processes and procedures. With a history of successfully introducing planning and organizing as key elements of any company, Diane advises domestic and international corporations on realizing their full potential and sustaining growth. Her credentials are multifaceted. Projects Diane is currently involved with include a luxury green home in the heart of. Chicago , business development and marketing & communications for a progressive and cutting-edge construction company, and strategic planning for an international franchisor making its debut in the. US. this year. Previously Diane was director of Global Thought Leadership Marketing & Communications at Andersen Consulting. With a team from around the world, she led efforts to shape ideas from creation to dissemination. As president of Lotus Tours, an international motorcycle touring company, Diane managed all new projects and project development, operations and marketing & communications. As Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Diane’s on-line role at The Habitat Company, a. Chicago. real estate developer, brokerage and property manager, had P&L responsibilities. In that role, Diane’s leadership helped increase revenues 22%, developed the brokerage sales force from 16 to 33 brokers, increased productivity by 20% in six months and created structure for profitability/gap analysis. At Fruit of the Loom, Inc., Diane was Director, Corporate Communications, a role that served as liaison to the investor community and financial analysts globally. Diane’s internal and external communications – from information regarding analysts meetings, annual reports, warehouse closing, NAFTA & GAAT issues and inexpensive off-shore labor – established the relationship Fruit of the Loom had with the world. Prior to completing her MBA from the University of Chicago in 1993, Diane had been founding executive director of Marwen Foundation, a non-profit visual arts organization – the first program of its kind in the country - focusing on inner-city youth, job training, career development and college planning through visual arts curriculum. Diane started her career as an art teacher, most recently at the Francis W. Parker school and The School of The Art Institute, holds an active Illinois Real Estate License and is a certified, licensed motorcyclist. Diane’s personal riding highlights include several exotic trips to. Brazil ,. Morocco ,. Thailand ,. Turkey. and. Africa . Diane and her husband live in historic. Old. Town. in a landmark home which they fully renovated to its 1882 distinction. It is one of the many development projects they have tackled over the years. 

As an Associate with The Fitzgerald Group, Burt is involved with workplace/space planning for our clients. Burt works with clients to seamlessly integrate architecture, systems, furniture and technology,. designing the workplace into a strategic asset. Having a high-performance work environment helps people improve individual work processes, manage knowledge, speed the development of ideas, and quickly gain access to information. Burt holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design/Interior Architecture from. Syracuse. University. . In 1961, Burt started his career in. New York. at Perkins Eastman architecture firm as an Industrial Designer. He was transferred to their. Chicago. office in 1963. In 1968, Burt, along with two friends, founded Richmond Manhoff Marsh, an interior architectural and design firm specializing in office design and planning. By 1987, the company had grown to over $10 million in annual fees with a staff of 180 architects and designers in 7 cities. Eventually, Richmond Manhoff & Marsh became The Environments Group which was bought by Perkins & Will Architects in 2008. Beginning in 1982, Burt organized and guided motorcycle tours around the world. In 1985, he incorporated Lotus Tours, an international motorcycling touring company. By 1987, Burt devoted his energies full-time to Lotus Tours. As Chief Executive Officer and Tourmeister, Burt led discriminating travelers on hundreds of trips through Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and the. United States. . Although Lotus Tours ceased operations in 2007, Burt continues to create and capitalize on networks and business connections to promote and produce motorsports events under the banner of FitzRich, Inc. In 2008, he was an integral part of producing Motogiro. America. , a classic motorcycle rally based on the historic, world famous Motogiro d’Italia. In conjunction with organizing Motogiro America, Burt co-founded the inaugural Monterey Motorcycle Meet (or simply, “The Meet”), a week-long series of events including Motogiro America, the Moto Concorso motorcycle show and the Mid-America Auction, culminating with the Red Bull MotoGP at Laguna Seca. A strategic visionary with a clear sense of purpose, Burt has demonstrated the ability to lead clients and partners to new levels of success, usually while having fun. Burt and his wife live in. Chicago ’s historic. Old. Town. in a landmark home, which they fully renovated to its 1882 distinction. It is one of the many development projects they have tackled over the years. He also continually works on vintage motorcycle and auto restorations.