Program produced by XPX Chicago.

Franchise Readiness:

how and why to franchise a business, plus marketing the opportunity

to buyers 

Join franchise and business attorney Laura Liss for a presentation on franchising. Both legal and business points will be addressed, as well as perspectives from franchisors and franchisees, and franchise marketing tips.

Meet our Speaker:

Laura Liss
Franchise Attorney
Liss & Lamar, P.C.

Attorney Laura Liss’ practice emphasizes working with start-up and experienced franchisors who license their intellectual property to create franchise systems, representing individuals who buy and operate franchised businesses, helping clients buy and sell businesses, and using trademark law to protect clients’ branding. Ms. Liss represents clients nationwide from offices in Chicago and Denver.

Program produced by XPX Long Island.

Long Island Case Study Part 6:

Financing Growth and Liquidity

his discussion will focus on third-party capital options for Companies exploring liquidity or growth capital.

Our panel of experts (Private Equity and Lenders) will focus on what steps a business should—and should not—take to prepare for and attract lending or equity partners …. Along with the advantages and risks for a company like HiTech.

We will continue to use our HiTech case study as the basis for the discussion.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY FOR THE MEETING.

Our Speakers:

Cristina Givelechian
Sr. Relationship Manager
City National Bank

As a Sr. Relationship Manager, Cristina is assisting mid-size companies in obtaining the financing needed to run operations, to expand to new markets, develop new product lines, make acquisitions and acquire real estate and other fixed assets. She also provides guidance to business owners as it relates to various other commercial banking services such as cash management, trade financing, FX and swap products.

Cristina has been in the banking industry for the past 25 years and held various roles including Sr. Corporate Banking Manager in the Middle Market group and District Credit Officer in Commercial Banking at HSBC Bank USA, NA as well as various client facing roles in Commercial Banking at Chase.

Evan Weinstein
Partner
Incline Equity

Evan Weinstein joined Incline in 2018. He is responsible for all aspects of investment management including sourcing and executing new investments as well as managing the portfolio. Evan is also responsible for management of the firm’s New York office.

Previously, Evan was a Principal at PAI Partners. Before joining PAI in 2016, Evan spent ten years at CI Capital Partners where he executed transactions across the distribution, business services, specialized manufacturing and consumer products sectors. Evan began his career at Lehman Brothers working in its Investment Banking Division.

Evan holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Longwood University.

Moderator:

Diane Johnston
Financial Advisor
Bernstein Private Wealth Management

Diane Johnston is a Vice President and Financial Advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management in the New York office. Diane’s focus is offering institutional quality wealth management to entrepreneurs, families and institutions, as well as their respective trusts, estates, foundations, endowments and pension plans. Before joining the firm in 2018, she was a director and senior investment leader at Willis Towers Watson, a global consulting firm. Prior to consulting, Diane was a director at WHV Investments, a VP at OppenheimerFunds, and a director at Fidelity Management & Research. Her 20-plus year career in capital markets also included roles in investment banking, trading and private offerings. Diane holds a BA in economics from Sewanee: The University of the South, and an Executive Certificate in business administration from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.

Program produced by XPX New England.

Impact of Proposed Tax Increases on Business Owners: 
What All Owners Need to Know

Three panelists and moderator, Greg Rush discuss proposed increases and examples of how they impact an owner.

Moderator:

Greg R. Rush
Partner
Dunn Rush & Co. LLC

Greg Rush is a co-founder of Dunn Rush & Co., and is responsible for business development, transaction execution and firm strategy and operations. Dunn Rush represents the owners of private companies who want to sell their businesses. Mr. Rush has extensive merger and acquisition experience across a number of industries, including industrial, manufacturing, consumer, business services, healthcare, technology and media. Previously he held positions with several middle market investment banking firms, including Citi Capital Strategies, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Tucker Anthony. Mr. Rush also has significant operating experience, serving for almost six years as Chief Operating Officer of the Community Newspaper Company, and subsequently GateHouse Media New England, after the sale of the business. Mr. Rush received a B.A. in economics from Dartmouth College and is a Registered Investment Banking and Securities Representative, Compliance Officer and Operations Professional (Series 7, 14, 63, 79, 99) and a Series 24 Investment Banking and General Securities Principal.

Our Panel:

John Napolitano
CFP®, CPA, PFS, MST
Director of Wealth Management

Since 1980, John has led a team of diverse, passionate professionals to help clients make informed financial decisions. He works with families and small business owners to provide comprehensive family office style financial guidance, minimizing the possibility of something significant falling through the cracks. John’s specializes in helping clients to enjoy the life they want, while bridging the gaps frequently found in closely held business succession plans and the governance of family assets and wealth.

John is a well-known financial advisor, writer, instructor, broadcast commentator and an experienced professional on financial planning within the financial community.

Brian Kerrigan
Partner
Whittlesey

Brian Kerrigan, JD leads Whittlesey’s Advisory practice. He provides advisory and tax services for large public and privately held companies throughout New England for more than 20 years. He has extensive experience with mergers and acquisitions of both private and publicly held companies and is skilled in tax strategies for large corporations operating in federal and multi-state tax environments.

Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bridgewater State University and a Juris Doctorate from Roger Williams University Law School. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA).

Kurt Steinkrauss
Member
Mintz

Kurt R. Steinkrauss is a member at Mintz. He chairs Mintz’s Closely Held Business Group and co-chairs the Private Equity Practice. He has significant experience helping individuals and families develop and implement successful estate planning strategies. Clients count on his insights on evolving gift and estate tax laws to help them manage their assets effectively. Kurt also handles a variety of corporate and employment matters. He often counsels closely held businesses, start-ups, and emerging companies on corporate governance matters as well as sales, acquisitions, and M&A transactions. Kurt is an experienced speaker and lecturer, and he regularly contributes articles to national and regional business and law publications.

Program produced by XPX DC Metro.

Building a Management Team:
A Key Value Driver to a Sellable Company

When planning an exit, business value is dependent on a handful of key “value drivers” – the ingredients that make the business worth buying. While cash flow, is of course critical, the top “non-financial” ingredient is the Management Team. A stable, capable, motivated management team is the best assurance an acquirer has that the cash flow will continue after the acquisition. Many of us can make a plan to increase sales, build systems, expand our market, but building a team is an art. Caleb Nel is the Founder and President of Organizational Health Solutions - a company devoted to helping organizations boost their performance, growth & overall value. Please join us for an engaging discussion on how to build that team by answering the following:

1. How do you identify a good manager?
2. How do you then build a team?
3. How do you make sure it’s a healthy team that has the ability to run /own the business?
4. How do you identify a successor?

Please join us!

Our Speaker:

Caleb Nel
Founder & President
Organizational Health Solutions

Organizational Health Solutions is a company devoted to helping organizations boost their performance, growth & overall value. After spending nearly a decade leading in non-profit & for-profit organizations, Caleb knows that to grow an organization does not only entail great strategy, marketing and systems - instead it also entails great people, great leaders, and a great work-culture. Organizations rise and fall because of the people who manage and lead them. Caleb has become an expert in helping businesses develop excellent leadership/management teams and healthy work-cultures where employees embody the most sought after behavioral value: ownership. In addition to his extensive leadership expertise, Caleb is also a certified strengths coach.

Program produced by XPX Long Island.

XPX long island case study part 5:

Defining success- what is it you really want from an exit?

The owners of HiTech, our case study company, are looking for ways to create additional value in their business in pursuit of a profitable exit. Transforming their operations will be a key driver of their ability to grow revenue, increase margins, and create a more sustainable company. By using operations as a driver of growth rather than a cost center, HiTech can make both their current business and their future roadmap more appealing to strategic and private equity buyers.

We will discuss how to transform HiTech's operations from a successful small business to a scalable, sustainable, and more profitable company. We will look at how to evaluate the maturity of their operations and systems, identify priorities for investment, and look at how to improve their management structure so they can successfully execute these changes. In doing so, we will see how operations can support (or hinder) other areas of focus including strategic planning and sales, and how embracing a digital mindset will allow them to both improve execution and portray HiTech as a forward-looking company with a clear niche in the modern economy.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY FOR THE MEETING.

Our Speakers:

Max Haspel, Co-President & Senior Advisor - Colony Business Owner Services

Max is the Co-President of Colony Business Owner Services and a Senior Wealth Advisor. With over 25 years of experience, Max leads Colony’s national Business Owner Services practice and its Long Island-based team in serving the needs of successful entrepreneurs and their families. He and his team specialize in advising business owners on exit planning by helping prepare owners, their businesses, and their families for success during and after the transition. Max founded, grew and ultimately exited a business, and has experience in business exits both as an advisor and entrepreneur.

Marshall Rowe, Co-President - Colony Business Owner Services

Marshall Rowe has 30+ years’ experience advising clients, which he brings to his role as Co-President of Colony Business Owner Services. He has authored numerous articles and frequently speaks on business transitions, risk management, and private foundation portfolio design.

Program produced by XPX Chicago.

The Legal Basics of an M&A Transaction

Markus May will provide a broad overview of what happens in selling or buying a business so that non-lawyers will be better able to help their clients navigate the process. This fast paced presentation will cover things such as the purpose of a letter of intent, stock vs. asset deals, the basic sections of the sales agreement and how they work together, and many other issues related to the mergers and acquisitions process.

Our Speaker:

Markus May
President
May Law Firm LLC
400 E. Diehl Road, Suite 310
Naperville, IL 60563
630–864–1004
mmay@illinois–business–lawyer.com

Markus May is the principal attorney of May Law Firm LLC. which serves business clients throughout the Chicago area. He is a client focused business attorney with knowledge in a broad range of industries. As a mergers and acquisitions attorney he has represented numerous clients with respect to business sales and purchases. Mr. May also acts as general outside business counsel to small midmarket companies where he helps them solve business related legal problems. As a transactional attorney he often drafts shareholder agreements, operating agreements, distribution and manufacturing agreements, leases, supplier and customer agreements, and numerous other contracts and documents for businesses.

Program produced by XPX New England.

Getting Comfortable with Virtual Communication:

Connecting with Your Clients

Better Than Face to Face

Get comfortable on screen communicating your brand and pitch in an authentic way with this month’s XPX New England webinar “Getting Comfortable with Virtual Communication” where Clark Merrill of Dale Carnegie will review tips and tricks for virtual presentations, and networking best practices that we will put into action during the event. A great event for business owners and advisors alike.

Our Speaker:

Clark Merril of Dale Carnegie

Program produced by XPX Fairfield County and XPX Hartford.

How to Emotionally Prepare Key Stakeholders for a Successful Transition

People always have mixed feelings about change. When negative feelings are not surfaced and addressed in a systematic way, they often assert themselves exactly when they stand to do the most damage, at the closing.

Thoughtful exit planners do well to find ways to address the needs and concerns of all individuals and groups affected by an exit or business transition.

Our panelists will explore with us how to:

• Anticipate common hopes, concerns, feelings, and cognitive biases associated with exits
• Prepare the owner/s early on, so things go smoothly later
• Support the family, the leadership team, and the rest of the workforce
• Collaborate with experts in change management

Join us for this insightful conversation.

Our Moderator:

John Weidner
Managing Partner
Cornell Global LLC

John is Founder and Managing Partner of Cornell Global LLC, a Human Capital Strategy Consulting firm. Working with various sized companies across various industry sectors, John strives to drive increased company valuation through leadership development, talent acquisition and innovative people focused programs and processes. John’s corporate career included progressively responsible positions with Price Waterhouse, Bankers Trust, E. F. Hutton, Chemical Bank and later G.E. Capital. Since leaving corporate, John has founded three management and career coaching consulting firms; Cornell Global LLC, Pierway Associates LLC and Heroes in Transition.

John attained his Masters Degree from Boston University and a Bachelors Degree from Westminster College.

Our Panel:

Paul Edelman, PhD
Executive Coach and Family Wealth Consultant
Edelman & Associates

Paul works with exit-planning professionals and business owners to prepare the owners, their companies, and their families to navigate challenging business, family, and wealth transitions. Advisors and their clients benefit from higher valuations, smoother deal-making, and better post-deal outcomes.

Charles “Chuck” Presbury 
Executive Coach & Business Advisor
Presbury & Associates 

Chuck has served as an expert internal and external executive coach/ business advisor for more than 30 years. He solves performance problems by bringing the clarity and alignment between the business strategy, leadership practices and organizational culture needed to drive it. His firm provides services such as talent assessments, succession planning, executive coaching, team coaching and conflict resolution.   

Chuck received his BA from Holy Cross College and his MS from Columbia University.

Program produced by XPX New Jersey.

When SPACs Attack

The New Jersey chapter is excited to continue our programming year with another thoughtful and insightful meeting. Our chapter is growing and welcoming professional advisors who help business owners plan for a successful exit. As we continue to examine many of the different planning considerations and decisions an owner needs to face, our members participate in this interactive discussion. We welcome your attendance at our next meeting.

Not a week goes by without another announcement about new SPAC's (Special Purpose Acquisition Companies), ranging from those focused on initial launch to IPO to portfolio acquisitions. It is happening and happening very fast. What opportunity is presented to the business owner that was not available before? How can owners and their advisors participate in this market entry position and how do they really work? Finally, what are the pitfalls to the SPAC euphoria?

At this month’s discussion we will hear insight from Sean Denham, Partner from Grant Thornton. Sean is the National Special Acquisition Company Leader for Grant Thornton. Locally, Sean is the Office Managing Partner (OMP) for Grant Thornton’s Philadelphia office. As OMP, Sean has the privilege of leading an exceptional team of high-performing individuals in the Philadelphia region who provide top tier accounting, advisory and tax services for our clients. As an audit partner of the firm, Sean serves some of Grant Thornton’s most prominent clients including public and private companies in the professional services industries.

This highly interactive session will allow for participation by attendees in a collaborative format. As an association of experienced advisory professionals for business owners and their companies, we are all focused on delivering the highest level of subject matter expertise to our clients and we would value your expertise and insights. We invite you to join us for this exciting event and for the entire series this year! Please register for this highly informative event. Final information for the Zoom webinar will be sent to all of those registered.

Our Speaker:

Sean Denham, Office Managing Partner (OMP) - Grant Thornton’s Philadelphia Office

Sean Denham is the National Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) Leader, as well as, the Global and US Services Industry Leader. Locally, Sean is the Office Managing Partner (OMP) for Grant Thornton’s Philadelphia office. As OMP, Sean has the privilege of leading an exceptional team of high-performing individuals in the Philadelphia region who provide top tier accounting, advisory and tax services for our clients. As an audit partner of the firm, Sean serves some of Grant Thornton’s most prominent clients including public and private companies in the professional services industries.

Sean is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Lehigh University.