Corporate growth, business development and those who bring them to life. This is ACG Atlanta. MONTHLY NEWSLETTER The President’s Letter Vol. 2 • Issue 6 • March 2009 Dear ACG Atlanta members: Photo Next month’s theme of stimulating growth in a shrinking world seems appropriate to embrace as our economic paradigm shifts and the world becomes flatter. Recent economic uncertainty has caused each of us to get back to basics, both at our own places of business, and also at the Atlanta Chapter of ACG. It seems appropriate that this year’s Board embraced initiatives to focus on our members and our community at ACG. We will begin to introduce material and programs focused on growing your leadership talent pool. Don’t miss this month’s featured guest, Connie Glaser, whose article on women and leadership provides us with insight on how using non-traditional talents can help our organizations grow. Local to Atlanta, Connie is a best-selling national author and speaker, and is considered a leading expert on gender diversity. Branding efforts continue by members reaching out to various consulates and chambers in the international community, enabling us to provide new programs for those focused on international growth and expansion. In addition to our March session, summarized by Maria Saporta herein, plan on attending our 2nd International event on April 16, jointly sponsored with M&A International, titled “Growing Opportunities in a Shrinking World”. Held at the Ritz Carlton of Buckhead, our April dinner meeting follows and will feature Tom Bell of Cousins’ Properties who will share how his real estate development company has embraced sustainability to work for them. To further complement our international theme, Tom Rosseland, who is an attorney by day and Swedish American Chamber President by night, is featured this month to introduce you to an ACG member who interacts daily with the international business community. With a passion for international growth, Tom is often found at international chamber gatherings and at ACG Atlanta’s meetings. Look for how ACG members are giving back to the community with our Community Service Award, provided this year to Cool Girls, the upcoming Youth Entrepreneur Award and our continuing involvement with Junior Achievement of Georgia. Stay tuned for opportunities to get involved in our community through ACG! Furthered by our objectives to drive content focused on organic and M&A growth, we have provided new program and newsletter content that contributes to help current and prospective businesses grow. Enjoy this month’s articles and our events, as we continue to provide thought leadership as the leading authority in corporate growth. Very truly yours, Katherine Morris Tax Partner, BDO Seidman, LLP President, ACG Atlanta [email protected] Calendar of Events.................. 2 Board of Directors................... 2 New Members.......................... 2 Maria Saporta’s Column......... 3 Thought Leadership................ 4 Community Service Award..... 4 Chamber News........................ 5 Member Profile........................ 6 ACG Cup News........................ 6 Announcements...................... 7 Programs Update.................... 8 Editor Quinn Hudson 678 904 2290 [email protected] Contact ACG Atlanta Margie Poole - Executive Director 1631 Phoenix Blvd. Suite 4 College Park, GA 30349 Phone: 770 991 2170 Fax: 866 534 6438 [email protected] Calendar of Events Board of Directors March 19, 2009: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. • Villa Christina Monthly Dinner Meeting Cypress Communications, Mr. Stephen Schilling, CEO April 16, 2009: 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. • Ritz Carlton Buckhead Growing Opportunities in a Shrinking World Sponsored by: M&A International & ACG Atlanta Speaker: Mr. Pete Correll, Chairman, Atlanta Equity and Chairman Emeritus, Georgia-Pacific Corp.; Panel Discussions; Beers Around the World Reception April 16, 2009: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. • Ritz Carlton Buckhead Monthly Dinner Meeting Speaker: Thomas D. Bell, Jr.; Chairman and CEO, Cousins Properties Incorporated Sponsored by: McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP May 5, 2009: 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. • Maggiano’s in Buckhead ACG Academy Breakfast Women’s Leadership Panel – Challenges Faced & Overcome Sponsored by: Alston & Bird May 12-14, 2009: Wynn Las Vegas ACG InterGrowth 2009 May 19, 2009: 12:00 p.m. • Country Club of the South Golf Tournament May 21, 2009: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. • Villa Christina Monthly Dinner Meeting Going Public and Making Acquisitions in a Challenging Economy, MedAssets, Speaker: John Bardis, CEO, MedAssets June 4, 2009: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Beer Tasting and Program Year Closing Reception Executive Vice President Allen Taylor Bank of America Vice President of Programs Dom Mazzone Mazzone & Associates, Inc. Vice President of Sponsorships David Duke FD Capital Advisors Vice President of Corporate Member Affairs Stephen McGaw AT&T Vice President of Membership Affairs Alex Mammen TM Capital Corp Vice President of Awards Kathy Harris Noro-Moseley Partners Vice President of Communications Quinn Hudson Hudson|Crane Group Vice President of Strategic Planning Joseph Longosz Golub Capital Treasurer Bishop Leatherbury Tatum LLC Secretary Wayne Bradley McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP Immediate Past President Ed Fisher SouthPointe Ventures, LLC New Members Zuri Briscoe - Navigation Capital Partners Jason Coffman - Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP David Corbett - Resources Global Scott Gold - BNY Mezzanine Partners, LP Eric Hoffman - Hoffman Media, LLC Cindy Lubitz - InTalent Consulting Brian Meadows - Ballard Spahr President Katherine Morris BDO Seidman, LLP Yelena Portman - Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP G. Scott Rafshoon - McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP John Ray - BNY Mellon Bob Reid - Protos, Inc. Rebecca Sergay - Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP John Southern - Care South Home Health Services Directors Dan Bauer CardioMEMS, Inc. Greg Cinnamon Kilpatrick Stockton LLP Rob Coble KPMG LLP Ezra Field Roark Capital Group Winston Gillum Harbert Management Corporation Nancy Halwig UPS Capital Corporation Call for Volunteers If you are interested in getting more involved in ACG, please reach out to Dan Bauer by calling 404-734-5867 with your interests or ideas. We are always thankful for more involvement from our members. – Dan Bauer, CardioMEMS ACG Atlanta Board Member Ransom James Arcapita Richard Kopelman Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP Andy Mason VRA Partners, LLC Teri McMahon Alston & Bird LLP Ira Moreland SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Capital Connection Chair Todd Wade Bryan Cave Powell Goldstein 2 ACG Atlanta Newsletter • March 2009 Maria Saporta’s Column International Opportunities for Growth: Lessons to Learn It’s hard to believe that an American company could create a lucrative business by selling T-shirts overseas. But that’s exactly what Alternative Apparel, a high-end manufacturer of fashion-setting T-shirts, has been able to do. The company developed a “nice following in Hollywood” as a favorite among celebrities, and then it realized the T-shirts had international appeal overseas in markets like Japan, according to Evan Toporek, chief operating officer for Alternative Apparel. “It has not been as challenging as I thought it would be,” Toporek said during a panel discussion at ACG’s March Academy breakfast sponsored by Kilpatrick Stockton. Toporek said it was easier than he thought because English is the global language of business. Still, it’s important for U.S. companies to have local partners in international markets. “We took the approach that a distributor would be the best way to go,” Toporek said. Alternative Apparel gives distributors a chance to prove themselves before entering into a longer term relationship. No matter what, Toporek said companies need to protect themselves when they do business internationally. They need to secure trademarks, protect their intellectual property to avoid counterfeiting and build a unique brand with the consumer. Global challenges do exist. Gareth Clarke used to work with a company that sold condoms and surgical gloves internationally. The brand of condoms was Durex, for durability, reliability and excellence. But the condom business suffered because the Durex name didn’t work in all markets. In Mexico, Durex meant socks; and in Australia, it was a kind of brandy, Clarke said. “Global branding is a big deal,” said Clarke, who today is a senior advisor for Focus, an investment banking firm. From Clarke’s point of view, the two most logical export markets for Georgia companies are Canada and Mexico. Those nations already are the United States’ two largest trading partners, and they are geographically close. “You need to think through a global strategy, and you need to have a template for international expansion,” Clarke said. “Do your research first in a market.” Figure out the competitive risks, the political risk and where there are unmet needs in the market, he added. Even companies that are not interested in going international still need to be aware of global competitors because they may be entering the United States. “International companies are eyeing your market,” Clarke said. Global Payments, which provides behind the scenes services for financial institutions, has entered into a host of international markets — from Canada to Russia, according to Jeff Baker, senior vice president of corporate development and strategy. “We went global because there are tremendous opportunities in these countries,” Baker said. But even in Canada, the market most similar to the United States, companies need to be aware of differences. Although Canadians speak English, there also is a French-speaking population which can’t be overlooked when doing business in Canada. “That was one of the pitfalls Global Payments fell into,” Baker said. “We fixed that shortly after we entered the market. People want to be serviced in their own language.” Global Payments also has learned other international lessons. In emerging markets, it’s even more critical to have local partners. But 50/50 joint ventures don’t work. “Somebody has to be steering the ship,” Baker said. “We always require a 51 percent ownership interest.” Companies interested in exporting their products or soliciting work overseas have ample resources they can tap to help them prepare. For example, both the state’s economic development department and the Metro Atlanta Chamber organize several trade missions each year, and they invite local executives along who are interested in developing relationships in foreign markets. The state also has dozens of foreign consulates and trade offices as well bilateral chambers of commerce. Heidi Green, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said 8,000 Georgia companies are exporters. The department’s trade division will help companies with 100 employees or less “find new areas to export their goods.” Local companies also can go on trade and investment trips, said Hans Gant, senior vice president of economic development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Gant said the chamber has taken design firms, architects and other professionals on trips where they’ve been able to make contacts that have led to business ventures in markets as diverse as China and India. Alternative Apparel has demonstrated financial opportunities do exist when entering international markets. As Toporek said: “The world is truly flat.” Maria Saporta, one of Atlanta’s outstanding journalists and observers of local businesses, will be writing a monthly story for the ACG Newsletter. She was with the Atlanta JournalConstitution for 27 years as a reporter and business columnist. maria currently is writing a weekly column on Atlanta’s business community for the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce both have experts on staff who can help local firms discover international opportunities. ACG Atlanta Newsletter • March 2009 3 Thought Leadership GenderTalk Works: Cracking the Gender Communications Code By Connie Glaser We recently had an opportunity to speak with Connie about her latest book GenderTalk Works: Seven Steps for Cracking the Gender Code at Work, in which she takes a look at communication differences between men and women. Q: What is the main difference between the way men and women talk? A: Men tend to use conversation as a means to assert their opinion and negotiate status. Conversation is a medium for giving advice, directions and information. They tend to use short sentences and be very direct. For men, conversation is often perceived as a game of one-upmanship... shoot, score, win. For women, communication tends to be a more collaborative, giveand-take exchange. They use conversation to establish rapport and connection, the subject of the conversation often being secondary to building the relationship. Women tend to use language to communicate feelings, as well as convey information. Q: You state in your book that women tend to use more qualifiers in their speech, i.e., “I might be wrong about this, but ...” or “I think.” Explain the problems with this type of talk in the workplace. A: In the female culture, women often try to avoid coming across as too direct or boastful. Consequently, they tend to use qualifiers that play down their authority or status. Men will take these qualifiers literally and if a woman says, “This may be a stupid question, but ...,” they’ll assume a stupid question is coming right up. Q: Another point you make in the book is that men can’t take a hint. What are the potential problems with this trait? A: As women’s language tends to be more indirect, a woman might say, “It’s really hot in here,” which translates into “Turn down the thermostat.” Women tend to be more intuitive and typically understand the intent of the statement. Men tend to be more literal, and less likely to read between the lines. They probably think she’s just complaining about the room temperature. Q: How would you describe the different approach in communication styles between men and women? A: The language patterns of men and women are strikingly different. Women subscribe to the “fairness” doctrine (“I speak, then it’s your turn”). Men subscribe to the “if you’ve got something to say, say it now” theory. Men can benefit by curbing their verbal enthusiasm and hearing a woman out. Women need to stand their ground and finish what they’re saying without allowing themselves to be interrupted. Here are some ways both men and women can improve communication in the workplace. For men: • Avoid monopolizing conversations. Hear women out. Ask for their input. Keep interruptions to a minimum. • Give credit for a job well done. As many women are reluctant to boast or take credit for their good work, they appreciate recognition, particularly in front of others. • Invest time in building rapport. Relationships are important, and a few minutes of small talk can reap big benefits. For women: • Cut to the chase. Speak in bulleted points and sound decisive. • Eliminate self-effacing phrases and avoid qualifiers that may weaken your speech. • Don’t expect men to be mind readers. If you want or need something, ask for it. And don’t dilute comments or criticisms. Be direct, as men expect this and appreciate it. About the Author Connie Glaser is the country’s leading expert on gender communications and women’s leadership. A nationally syndicated columnist, her best-selling books have been translated into over a dozen languages. A dynamic keynote speaker at business and corporate events, she may be reached at www.connieglaser.com Cool Girls Wins the 2009 Community Service Award! One of ACG Atlanta’s initiatives to build a community for our members is to create ways for us to give back to the Atlanta community. By providing civic leadership through educational scholarships, volunteer opportunities and member-directed initiatives aimed at improving Atlanta’s social and community development, ACG believes we help strengthen the business community on which we all depend. To support that effort, ACG Atlanta developed a Community Service Committee, led by Rob Coble of KPMG, Ed Fisher of SouthPointe Ventures and Mike Bloom of Mazzone & Associates. For three years, we have provided a $5,000 grant to a local non-profit organization nominated by our membership that makes a significant educational and civic contribution to improve Atlanta’s business competitiveness and commercial attractiveness. In the last four years, our grants have assisted 1) the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children, 2) the ACG Chapter in Louisiana who were victims of Hurricane Katrina; 3) the Samaritan House of Atlanta, and 4) Reach for Excellence. After extensive research and diligence on the Atlanta area non-profit organizations nominated by our members, the Community Service Committee selected Cool Girls, Inc., nominated by fellow ACG member Nathan Lewis, to receive the 2009 ACG Atlanta grant of $5,000. Accepting the award this year is Cynthia Moreland, the CEO of Cool Girls. Cool Girls, Inc. (www.coolgirls.org) was founded in 1988 as an early intervention after school program dedicated to the empowerment of low-income girls. For more than 19 years, the organization has supported low income girls with its after school programs, field trips, summer camps and volunteer mentors. Cool Girls is in 11 Atlanta Public and DeKalb County schools. Cool Girls is a comprehensive approach to assisting girls in low-income communities become self assured and to break cycles of poverty, teen pregnancy, racism and sexism. The organization offers girls grades 3rd through 8th access to each of the program components that directly enriches the community by decreasing the number of teen pregnancies, providing meaningful opportunities to engage diverse 4 ACG Atlanta Newsletter • March 2009 populations and exposing low-income girls to a broad range of academic, enrichment and cultural experiences. Cool Girls continues to serve high school students through its Girls Leadership Forum, its Cool Sisters mentoring program as well as its academic scholarship program to assist college bound girls. The Cool Girls program includes: • Cool Girls Club is a weekly after school program comprised of academic support and life skills development. • Cool Scholars provides academic support to girls in all core subject areas. Cool Girls staff and volunteer tutors work with girls to provide after school homework help. • Cool Tech gives girls consistent exposure to technology and increases their familiarity and comfort using computers in everyday life. This program bridges the digital divide for girls who may not have access to computers in their home. • Cool Sisters is a one-to-one mentoring program. Female volunteers are matched with girls to provide role modeling, friendship and personal support. After one year of successful participation in Cool Girls programs, girls earn a mentor. Prospective mentors are required to commit one year to their cool girl, on average Cool Sisters relationships are sustained for six years. (report provided by Rob Coble, the Southeast Partner-inCharge of KPMG’s Transaction Services.) The ACG Cup Atlanta CityWide Competition – April 4th! By Stuart Johnson, Bryan Cave Powell Goldstein LLP ([email protected]) Designed to enable local chapters to forge closer relationships with leading business schools, the ACG Cup competitions introduce future business leaders to ACG and serve to deepen relationships with the business community. As part of ACG Atlanta’s community service initiative, ACG’s national business case study competition was initiated in Atlanta in January 2008. Three local business schools Georgia Tech, The University of Georgia, and the Guizueta School at Emory University - joined 70 other schools throughout the country and hosted ACG Cup competitions. Each of these schools recruited student teams to engage in a real-world investment banking case study. Participating teams reviewed a fact pattern and made a presentation to judges, who filled the role of executives of ‘Holdco’ on Holdco’s strategic options. The winning teams from Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, and Emory will meet again on April 4th at the Emory’s Guizueta School, and one of those teams will be crowned the 2009 Atlanta ACG Cup winner. Stay tuned… Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce News 2009 Economic Development 2009 Marketing Activities Schedule Economic Developmen t Marketing Acti vities Sch edule Name of Activity Location Date GLOBAL COMMERCE Brazil TBD India TBD Europe (Germany, UK, France, Netherlands) TBD Marketing Mission to China China March 28- April 8 Swedish-American Chamber e-Days Savannah, GA April 20 -22 SEUS Canada Conference Canada July Marketing Trip to South Africa Capetown Feb 9 - 20 SEUS Japan Japan Oct 19- 20 Logicon 2009 Atlanta, GA January 26 - 28 RILA (Retail Industry Leaders Association) Dallas, TX February 8 - 11 WERC Conference Atlanta, GA April 26 - 29 Eyefortransport USA 3PL Summit Atlanta, GA June 22 -24 Air Freight Asia Hong Kong Sept 7 - 10 Council of Supply Chain Management Annual Conference Chicago, IL Sept 20 -23 Air Cargo Americas Miami, FL Nov 4 - 6 Marketing Trip Boston, MA Jan 20 - 23 2009 Fam Tour #1 Atlanta, GA Jan 25 - 29 Florida Venture Forum Naples, FL February 3 - 5 SEMDA Venture Forum Atlanta, GA February 10 -11 2009 Fam Tour #2 Atlanta, GA Feb 22 - 26 Southeast Venture Conference Atlanta, GA March 11 -12 Marketing Trip Austin, TX April 7 - 9 VC Roadshow Atlanta, GA April BIO 2009 Atlanta, GA May 17 - 20 Marketing Trip Los Angeles/San Diego June 30 – July 2 Southern Capital Conference Greensboro, GA Sept Venture Atlanta Atlanta, GA October Mid-Atlantic Bio Investor Conference Washington Nov 4 - 6 Southern Bio Forum Raleigh, NC Dec 3 - 5 Marketing Trip St. Paul, MN Dec 15 - 17 LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY OTHER Boston TBD New York TBD Chicago TBD San Francisco TBD Washington, DC TBD International Consumers Electronics Show (CES) Las Vegas, NV Jan 8 - 11 CBRE World Congress Orlando, FL Feb 3 - 4 World of Concrete 2009 Las Vegas, NV Feb 3 - 5 Grubb & Ellis Conference Las Vegas, NV Feb 18 - 19 Red Carpet Tour Atlanta, GA April 8 - 11 ULI Spring Council Atlanta, GA April 22 - 24 CoreNet Global Summit Dallas, TX April 26 - 28 IAMC Conference, Spring 2009 Forum Asheville, NC May 2 - 6 IAMC Conference, Fall 2009 Forum Minneapolis, MN Sept 19 - 23 ACI – PGA FedEx Cup East Lake – Atlanta, GA Sept 21 - 27 CoreNet Fall Summit Las Vegas, NV Oct 12 - 14 World Wide Food Conference Chicago, IL Oct 28 - 31 Area Development Consultants Forum Ft. Lauderdale, FL Dec 5 - 8 ACG Atlanta Newsletter • March 2009 5 Member Profile Thomas Rosseland Shareholder and Principal of Bodker, Ramsey, Andrews, Winograd & Wildstein, P.C. Current responsibilities: Tom has been providing legal services to entrepreneurs, business owners and corporations for over 20 years. His specific practice areas include recapitalization of distressed businesses and renegotiation of debts as well as bankruptcy issues related to those businesses, business litigation, negotiation of employment and severance agreements on behalf of employees and employers, handling of trade secret disputes relating to misappropriation of confidential business information by former employees, contract drafting and negotiations, and advisory services to overseas businesses establishing operations in the United States. Tom is the Chairman of the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Chapter (SACC-Georgia). What would you be doing if you were not in your current job? Since Tom really enjoys the challenges that his career provides, if he were not in his current job, he would find himself helping businesses with troubleshooting and problem resolution, in whatever capacity that would occur. What do you get out of being an ACG member? Tom has been a member of ACG for over 2 years. ACG provides Tom the opportunity to interact with high quality business professionals from various industries throughout the Atlanta area and beyond, giving him a better insight into the current economic climate. Where do you get most of your business leads? Tom receives most of his referrals from existing clients, financial professionals, business consultants and C-Level executives. How is the economy impacting your sector of the market and what do you see? The value proposition of a small to mid-size firm like BRAWW is increased due to our modest staffing requirements for handling client matters. Furthermore, a lot of Tom’s skills for addressing financial issues for distressed businesses, dealing with employment law and contract negotiations and enforcement issues, and his understanding of the needs of business owners from overseas are highly relevant in the current business climate. Personal information: Tom has been married to his wife Donna for 17 years. They have two sons Brent 14 and Matthew 11. On the weekend, you will probably find Tom at the St. Andrew Rowing Club, or perhaps on the road watching his older son participate in a regatta, or in the stands at one of his younger son’s soccer matches. Hobbies: Jet skiing, hiking, automobiles and reading. Recent book read: “Moral Intelligence: Enhancing Business Performance & Leadership Success” by Doug Lennick and Fred Kiel, an engaging and timely discussion of how leadership, integrity and success are inextricably intertwined at both the personal as well as at the organizational level. Best advice received: Someone once told Tom that “you can develop great relationships with people by really listening well and becoming involved in matters of interest to them.” Other items of interest: Before joining BRAWW, Tom was corporate counsel for Exxon Corporation (now ExxonMobil) in Houston. Tom’s experience as in-house counsel for a global corporation has provided him with a unique sensitivity to the needs of business clients and their in-house counsel. Tom has been named a Georgia Super Lawyer by Atlanta Magazine for 2007, 2008 and 2009. He has also been named in the “Legal Elite” by Georgia Trend Magazine for 2009 for the area of Bankruptcy and Creditor’s Rights. Finally, as Chairman of the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Chapter, Tom cordially invites you to the next International Business Matchmaking event and conference that they are hosting in Savannah April 19-22, 2009. For more information please visit www.sacc-edays.org/savannah. Announcements... Ed Fisher is named to the ACG Global Board. That makes four Atlanta members who are Global Board Members – Ed, Stuart Johnson, Doug Tatum and Mark Jones. Please join me in congratulating Ed on this professional milestone. Stuart Johnson is named ACG Global InterGrowth Chair for 2010. DealWire – Need a volunteer to help capture information on recent deals. This is a new opportunity to get involved with ACG Atlanta. Member Profile – Use an opportunity to have ACG Atlanta write a profile on you in one of our upcoming monthly newsletters. Thought Leadership – Write an original article on a current topic in the M&A community and submit it for consideration by the editor. ACG InterGrowth expects a large crowd of over 2,000 dealmakers in the M&A community at the annual conference in Las Vegas on May 12 – 14 at the fabulous Wynn. Go to www.acg.org for more information and to register. ACG Atlanta has launched a new website at www.acg.org/atlanta/ – Check it out! 6 ACG Atlanta Newsletter • March 2009 Growing Opportunities in a Shrinking World Following a successful start to ACG’s new international program with the March 2 Academy Breakfast, “International Opportunities for Growth,” the next in the series will be a joint event with M&A International during their 2009 conference being held in Atlanta from April 16 – 19th, 2009. M&A International (www.mergers.net) offers the unparalleled resources of over 550 professionals in 41 M&A advisory and investment banking firms operating in 38 countries. Their fall 2008 conference, held in Milan, attracted over 350 M&A professionals from industry, private equity and investment banks. If you are looking to make or to expand your connections in the international space, this meeting represents a “must attend”, unique opportunity. ACG Atlanta and M&A International are pleased to present “Growing Opportunities in a Shrinking World,” an unparalleled event bringing together global merger and acquisition advisors, and members of the private equity and corporate communities to discuss cross-border M&A trends and opportunities in international markets. The keynote speaker is Pete Correll, Chairman of Atlanta Equity and Chairman-Emeritus of Georgia Pacific. Group Panel topics include global interest in US acquisitions, developing and executing an international acquisition strategy, avoiding common mistakes in cross-border M&A, and investing in emerging markets. Immediately following the formal conference, please join us for “Beers From Around the World,” a networking event featuring the world’s finest beers representing all the major brewing capitals. ACG Atlanta members will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with M&A International advisors over a pint or two. The evening will conclude with a dinner, which will also serve as our Chapter’s April dinner meeting, and will include a presentation by Thomas D. Bell, Jr., Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer for Cousins Properties Incorporated. Members are encouraged to book early for what is sure to be a very popular event. Thursday, April 16, 2009 · The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead 2:00pm - 6:00pm: Conference 6:00pm - 9:00pm: Reception and Dinner Register online: www.mergers.net/atlanta This unparalleled event brings together global M&A advisors and members of the private equity and corporate communities to discuss cross border M&A trends and opportunities for growth in international markets. Panel Sessions include: • Invading Our Shores – Global Interest in US Acquisitions Featured Speakers A.D. “Pete” Correll Chairman, Atlanta Equity Group • Thinking Globally – Developing and Executing an International Acquisition Strategy • Landmines – Common Mistakes in Cross Border M&A • Beyond China – Investing in Emerging Markets Organized by: Thomas D. Bell, Jr. Chairman and CEO, Cousins Properties Incorporated Gareth Clarke & Alex Mammen on behalf of: ACG Atlanta’s International Committee Sponsors: Announcements... continued ACG Atlanta Announces New Job Bank – ACG Atlanta is pleased to announce a new benefit for its membership. The ACG Atlanta Job Bank will provide members seeking their next great opportunity a means to place their resumes into a repository. Executive Search Firms and potential employers will have access to the Job Bank and its portfolio of resumes. We believe this service will allow the membership greater access to opportunities that exist in the marketplace; and in addition, provide executive search professionals and potential employers’ easy access to the resumes of our very talented members. We are using Google and its group functionality capabilities as the technology platform for the Job Bank. Access is easy and quick for ACG members and executive search professionals. It only takes a couple of minutes to upload your resume: • Access the ACG Atlanta web site and follow the link to the Job Bank. • If you have a Google account, sign in. Otherwise, apply for Google Group membership. • Follow instructions to enter the site; and follow instructions for uploading your resume. Executive Search professionals will follow the same instructions to enter the site. Their access will be approved by the ACG office. Detailed instructions regarding the use of the Job Bank and posting of resumes are posted on the ACG Atlanta web site. We believe the Job Bank will be a great benefit for our members. Give us your feedback. We want to know how we are serving you. If you have any questions, please contact ACG Atlanta member, Jim Toopes @ 404.418.4672 or [email protected] Please visit http://groups.google.com/group/acg-atlantajobbank ACG Atlanta Newsletter • March 2009 7 Programs Update 2009 Atlanta ACG Capital Connection February 11, 2009 - 905 in attendance “No Man’s Land Where Growing Companies Fail” Book Signing and Speaking Engagement February 19, 2009 - 126 in attendance ACG Atlanta Academy Breakfast International Opportunities for Growth March 3, 2009 - 117 in attendance 8 ACG Atlanta Newsletter • March 2009
© Copyright 2024