Program produced by XPX Maryland.

Strategic Workplace Transition: A Psychological and Tactical Perspective

Join us for a deep dive into issues business owners will be navigating as employees return to the office. Laena Capps, Executive Director of HR at Capital Services, and Litsa Williams, Co-Founder at What’s Your Grief, will cover operational and psychological concepts our clients will need to consider.

Topics will include:

• Concerns of fully going back to work from the employee perspective
• Internal Policies, schedules and resources for remote work to reconsider
• Understanding and applying strategies to address anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty in employees. 
• Adapting workplace processes and culture to address shifts in employee values and work-styles during this period of workplace recovery and reconnection.

Our Speakers:

Laena Capps, Executive Director of HR at Capital Services
Litsa Williams, Co-Founder at What’s Your Grief

Program produced by XPX Atlanta.

Personal Financial and Estate Planning Prior to Selling

Our "owner" Sam McGraw's marital harmony has just tanked upon confessing the business is not going to net what he and his wife “need” for retirement. Enter the personal wealth and estate planning gurus to collaborate and explore financial realities and realistic options for a successful exit that achieves their retirement goals.  Missed any episodes of our 2021 Case Study? Catch up here: https://exitplanningexchange.com/atlanta/news

Our MC:

Barry Selvidge, Partner - Newport LLC

With over 30 years of experience as a founder, operator and chief legal officer for public and private companies, Barry provides wise and trusted counsel to his business owner clients. A veteran business and legal advisor who has walked in his clients’ shoes, Barry’s unique combination of entrepreneurial, corporate and M&A experience helps early stage and middle market companies accelerate growth and prepare for exit.

Our Panel:

Ritesh Patel, Member - Pollock, Merlin & Turner

Ritesh “Tesh” Patel practices in the area of estate planning and trusts and foundations. Tesh helps families and individuals with trust formation, implementing sophisticated estate and gift tax saving techniques, lifetime gifting, charitable planning, incapacity planning, intra-family transactions, and post-mortem trust and probate administration. He regularly provides counsel to multiple generations of families, working alongside their teams of trusted advisors to develop tax efficient and long-term planning strategies to facilitate the family’s ultimate wealth planning goals.

Angie Rehkop, ChFC, CFP - Financial Care Providers

Angie’s practice is founded with one simple, yet essential, goal in mind: to design financial plans that take care of the wealth and well-being of her clients. Grounded by two decades of financial planning, she carefully tends to the financial future of individuals, families and business owners. With smooth precision, Angie designs custom financial strategies, simplifies processes so you can make informed decisions, and coordinates with CPAs and attorneys so nothing falls through the cracks. She holds seven licenses and registrations, as well as two certifications: Chartered Financial Consultant and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and received the Five Star Wealth Manager Award for Best In Client Satisfaction in 2012-2020.

Program produced by XPX New York.

Managing Employee Risk as Your Company Pivots Back from COVID-19

Businesses now face uncertainty and new risks as they apply the "new rules" developed during COVID-19 of managing employees and operations. We will discuss current challenges and provide practical advice about managing these issues, led by Christopher Santomassimo, an experienced Outside General Counsel and Partner from Santomassimo Davis LLP.

Our Speaker:

Christopher Santomassimo, Partner – Santomassimo Davis LLP | Outside General Counsel Solutions

Chris is a senior business-oriented General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, who assists companies with a wide range of legal and business issues to manage the risk of their operations. His firm’s Outside General Counsel™ practice covers a broad spectrum of concerns facing business clients on a daily basis, such as employment counseling and defending companies against employment claims; ethics and compliance counseling; corporate investigations; advising company executives on business and legal issues; and all types of corporate transactions, to name a few.

Chris’s focus is delivering strategic and cost-effective counseling to business clients, including several U.S. subsidiaries of global companies headquartered outside the United States.

Program produced by XPX DC Metro

In order to prepare for what is usually the single most critically important financial and emotional decision of a business owner's life, the transition out of their company, you must start somewhere. How then, does an owner prepare for an event that is the measure of his or her life's work? Planning an exit is like taking a journey; except that this journey may determine the quality of the rest of a business owner's life. You must start somewhere! Elizabeth Mower , President of BEI will explain the beginning part of the journey which is, the importance of an owner based financial plan that identifies the owners, goals, criteria, hurdles, and gaps to achieve their vision of their ideal future.

Our Speaker:

Elizabeth Mower, President of BEI

As President of BEI, Elizabeth leads a specialized team in the development of software, tools and resources that enable professionals in a variety of disciplines to work with business owners to design and implement customized, comprehensive plans for the future. Before joining BEI, Elizabeth was a practicing business planning attorney with the Denver law firm of Minor & Brown. During her time in private practice, Elizabeth represented clients in the areas of Exit Planning for business owners, business growth and continuity planning, business ownership transition planning, employee incentive planning, and the purchase and sale of business interests.

Program produced by XPX San Antonio

Growing Pains: Guiding Our Clients Through Common Challenges Arising in Established and Expanding Businesses.

Our Speaker:

Kelly E. Foster, Shareholder - Gardner Law

Kelly E. Foster is a Shareholder at Gardner Law, and is Gardner Law’s Business Group Chair. She advises small businesses and start-ups in connection with M&A, corporate governance, choice-of-entity and other organizational matters, as well as general corporate matters. Ms. Foster has extensive deal experience across many industry sectors, including construction, biotech, private utilities, health care, and real estate. Ms. Foster was born in Vicenza, Italy. She received her J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2003, and she joined Gardner Law in 2008.

Joe Swynnerton, EVP - Star Capital Bank, N.A.

Joe Swynnerton currently serves as EVP for Lone Star Capital Bank, N.A., overseeing the Bank’s commercial lending activities in the Central Texas Hill Country. He has 25 years of Corporate/Middle Market and Small Business lending. Joe enjoys working with Customers to appropriately structure their debt and balance sheets to allow for manageable business growth while simultaneously protecting against unforeseen financial risks. Outside of work, Joe enjoys playing Chess, NYT Crosswords, and roadtripping/spending time in the outdoors with his significant other, Sarah, and his two (2) spoiled-rotten Pelzkinder (fur babies), Lainey and Gina.

Bob Kilgore, Special Counsel -  Gardner Law

For more than 35 years, Bob Kilgore has helped employers throughout Texas who have been accused of wrongdoing by their employees or government agencies that regulate the employer-employee relationship. This includes serving as lead counsel in traditional discrimination litigation as well as benefits, compensation, and non-compete/trade secret litigation. Bob also advises and represents management in labor relations, including negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and union avoidance strategies.

Bob is Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law, “AV Preeminent” Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and is routinely listed in Texas Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.

Produced by XPX New Jersey

With public equity markets continuing to rise, many of us are curious if the private market valuations should rise as well. Too many owners are struggling and questioning their future and with that are considering an exit. But will their valuations justify an exit? What is the current read on the private market? How much of last year’s data is impacting current valuations?

At this month’s discussion we will hear insight from Greg Caruso, Esq.,CPA,CVA and Partner with Harvest Business. Greg has been involved with various industries throughout his 30 year career. Counseling the private market owners on a broad range of business topics with most recently specializing on business valuations. It will be an engaging session that you don’t want to miss!

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.

Program produced by XPX Chicago

Has Covid-19 changed thinking and actions regarding sale-readiness and exit planning?

• Should owners be adjusting timelines and planning for an eventual exit?
• How have business valuations changed?
• Have new doors opened, while others have closed for owners thinking of selling?
• What is the latest advice and guidance to prepare businesses for the future?

These are a few of the topics our panel of experts will offer business owners and fellow-advisors at our next Owners’ Academy session.

Program produced by XPX Fairfield County and XPX Hartford.

Fine Print: The Deal's Not Done Until

the Paperwork is Signed

The LOI and Asset/Stock Purchase Agreement is a critical step in the M&A process. Negotiating these agreements takes experience and skills to properly protect the client. All of this must take place before the deal can move to the closing table. Two seasoned transaction attorneys will pull case studies from their experiences to illuminate the twists and turns of these final steps. They will share deep insights into the legal agreements, the role of reps and warranties, disclosures and other issues that can halt a transaction, and most importantly, how best to prepare owners for the journey to the finish line.

Moderator:

Steve Pappas, Partner, Touchstone Advisors

Steve Pappas is President of XPX Hartford Chapter and owner of Touchstone Advisors, a leading lower middle market M&A advisory firm. Steve has over 25 years experience managing and executing transactions for business owners in a wide range of sector including manufacturing, distribution, technology and B2B services.

Panelist:

Brian W. Fischer, Partner Day Pitney LLP

Brian Fischer represents private equity and venture capital investors, public companies, closely held companies and emerging growth companies in formation, debt and equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic joint ventures, technology arrangements, and general corporate matters. He advises clients in structuring, forming and operating private investment funds, partnerships and joint ventures. Brian also has significant experience in transition planning for family-owned and closely held businesses and assisting owners and management in preparing for and executing sale transactions and other transitions to the next generation of owners and management.

Panelist:

C. Robert Zelinger, Partner, Hinckley Allen

Bob Zelinger provides legal services to middle market, privately held enterprises, including start-up business organizations and emerging growth companies. He advises clients on selecting the legal forms of operation, obtaining and documenting financial arrangements, compliance with regulations, and the negotiation and preparation of documentation for a variety of commercial transactions. 

Bob often serves as outside general counsel. On behalf of clients, he has formed, acquired, sold, and dissolved business organizations; structured private stock offerings and financial arrangements; developed tailored terms for contracts; negotiated and documented joint ventures, and handled a variety of commercial transactions and general business matters.

Program produced by XPX Maryland.

Understanding New Tax Laws: What Do they mean for business owners

Ed Kidner, Attorney at Davis, Agnor, Rapaport & Skalny, helps us traverse new Tax Reform legislation and understand how the new laws will impact business owners.

Our Speaker:

Ed Kidner, Attorney at Davis, Agnor, Rapaport & Skalny, LLC

Ed is an experienced tax, business and transactions attorney and seasoned legal advisor. His practice encompasses all facets of federal and state income taxation with a particular focus on optimal tax planning and structuring, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, shareholder and ownership matters, financing and capital raises.

With over 30 years of experience, Ed has served as a partner and practice leader in two regional law firms, tax counsel for a Fortune 100 company, and General Counsel and CEO for a consolidated group of entities. He has also held positions with three national accounting firms, one in which he served as the lead Partner of the Private Equity and Transaction Advisory Services Practice, which give him broad insights when advising clients.

Program produced by XPX New York.

Quality of earnings: why needed, best practices and stories from the experts

Two panelists from leading accounting firms with deep experience in conducting Quality of Earnings work will address the fundamentals of QoE, why it is important for both sellers and buyers, and share some interesting stories derived from their experiences to illustrate what can go right or wrong by those involved.

Our Moderator:

Allan Tepper, Co-Founder - CFO Consulting Partners

Allan Tepper is co-founder of CFO Consulting Partners, a firm of finance professionals providing a suite of diverse, C-level services including fractional & interim CFOs, Controllers, and project-related services to small and midsized public and private companies.

Our Speakers:

Simon Jewkes - Grant Thornton and Withum 

Simon is a Principal in Grant Thornton's Strategy and Transactions practice based in New York focusing on the provision of Quality of Earnings, due diligence services and a full suite of M&A lifecycle solutions.

Bernie Leone from Grant Thornton and Withum

Bernie is Lead of Withum's Entrepreneur Advisory Services Group working with a diverse group of entrepreneurial companies, in a broad range of industries in strategic areas.