7:30 - 8:20am - Registration/Continental Breakfast
8:20am - Welcome - Opening Remarks - Walter L. Lipski, CBI, M&AMI Capital Advice, LLC
8:30 - 9:15am
Developing a Corporate Acquisition Strategy
This panel will discuss the key elements involved in developing an acquisition initiative that will meet corporate growth objectives. The speakers will share their thoughts on fine-tuning an acquisition strategy that will increase the probability of creating shareholder value.
Moderator:
Walter L. Lipski, CBI, M&AMI, Capital Advice, LLC
Panelists:
Mark Bomberger, Citizen's Bank
Rob Firestone, CBI, M&AMI, Bluestem Resources Affiliate Group
George A. Petrulis, CBI, M&AMI, Kensington Services
9:15 - 10:00am
Executing the Acquisition Strategy
Finding attractive “right-fit” buying opportunities is a challenge. This panel will discuss a variety of issues, including developing the acquisition team, finding potential companies to acquire, conducting an effective search campaign, screening candidates and analyzing the causes of the high failure rate of acquisition efforts. The speakers will also discuss common problems they have encountered and the solutions they have used.
Moderator:
George A. Petrulis, CBI, M&AMI, Kensington Services
Panelists:
Kirk B. Griswold, Argosy Partners
Edward J. DiDonato, Fox Rothschild
Dan Hall, CBI, CMEA, Alamo Corporate Group
10:00 - 10:15am - Break
10:15 - 11:00am
Acquisition Valuation Issues – How Much To Pay?
This panel will discuss issues dealing with the pricing of the acquisition target.
The speakers will share their opinions on key value drivers, quantifying and justifying synergistic acquisition value, practical valuation techniques, best sources for valuation statistics for sold companies and other informative points of interest that will assist in preventing overpaying for a company.
Moderator:
Rob Firestone, CBI, M&AMI, Bluestem Resources Affiliate Group
Panelists:
Mario Vicari, Kreischer Miller
Frank McGrane, Citizen's Bank
James R. Haefele, Haefele, Flanagan
Adam Curtin, Milestone Partners
11:00 - 12:00pm
Legal Issues Involved In Buying a Company
This most informative panel is made up experienced M&A attorneys that are actively involved in acquisition transactions. The speakers will present various legal issues that are typically encountered by buyers of companies. Among the topics presented will include; ways of structuring the transaction, drafting an effective Letter of Intent (LOI), issues dealing with representations and warranties, employment/consulting and non-compete agreements, and a variety of other deal related issues that can become subjects of spirited negotiations between the parties. In addition, the group will share their thoughts on how buyers can best utilize the use of an M&A attorney in a transaction.
Moderator:
Walter L. Lipski, CBI, M&AMI, Capital Advice, LLC
Panelists:
Nick Gugliuzza, American Capital Strategies
Brian Katz, Pepper Hamilton
John Pauciulo, White & Williams
Mark Roderick, Flaster/Greenberg
12:00 - 1:30pm - Lunch Sponsored by M&A Soruce
1:30 – 2:15pm
Managing the Due Diligence Process
The panel will discuss pertinent aspects of M&A due diligence challenges. The speakers will present ideas on managing this process, effectively analyzing the financial information, legal issues involved, quickly spotting “deal” killers and a variety of other buyer pitfalls and traps.
Moderator:
George A. Petrulis, CBI, M&AMI, Kensington Services
Panelists:
William Rymer, Kreischer Miller
Steve Abrams, Pepper Hamilton
James A. Rogers, Haefele, Flanagan
Bruce McDonald, Johnson, Kendall & Johnson, Inc.
2:15 - 3:15pm
Financing The “Deal” – The Options Available
This knowledgeable panel of Bankers and M&A professionals will discuss the various options available for financing the acquisition. The speakers will share their ideas on various debt and equity solutions. Particular attention will focus on finding the appropriate debt and equity sources, dealing with bankers and private equity sources, using mezzanine funds as part of the financing structure, choosing a financial partner, and other relevant information that will enhance the probability of financing the deal.
Moderator:
Dan Hall, CBI, CMEA, Alamo Corporate Group
Panelists:
Chris Carey, American Capital Strategies
Carmen Pilone, Citizen's Bank
Dave Mills, M&T Bank
Laura Latulippe, Merrill Lynch
3:15 - 3:30pm - Break
3:30-4:15pm
How to Partner with Private Equity Groups
Current market conditions indicate that there are tremendous amount of private equity capital that is available for investment in privately owned companies. A significant portion of those funds are controlled by Private Equity Groups (PEG). The focus of this panel is to discuss why a company that is interested in seeking acquisitions may want to consider a PEG as a financial partner for this type of initiative.
Moderator:
Dan Hall, CBI, CMEA, Alamo Corporate Group
Panelists:
Sean Eagle, American Capital Strategies
Bruce Fenton, Pepper Hamilton
Michael Mentzel, White & Williams
Milt Cohen, White Peak Capital
4:15 - 5:00pm
Making the Acquisition Successful – A Summary of Pre and Post Closing Issues
The speakers will provide an enlightening discussion on what it takes to close the “deal” and the important steps required to integrate the acquisition into the buyer’s operation. The presentation will spotlight the key elements in effectively managing the deal making process, business and cultural challenges, dealing with post-closing management, “do’s and don’ts” in the first 100 days, and various other practical information that will assist in making the acquisition successful.
Moderator:
Rob Firestone, CBI, M&AMI, Bluestem Resources Affiliated Group
Panelists:
Christopher Meshginpoosh, Kreischer Miller
Geoff Veale, Milestone Partners
Donald R. Braun, Bernsteing Global Wealth Management
5:00 – 6:00 p.m
Cocktail Party - Sponsored by Estate Strategies, Inc.