Summer 2022 Wrap-Up: ACG Events

Attendees sampled superlative wines, networked with 40 table sponsors, and enjoyed the company of their colleagues in the ACG Orange County community. Private equity firms from Illinois, Tennessee, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Washington and Texas joined local California firms in pouring wine and discussing deals with lenders, corporate executives and an array of professional service providers. Investment banks and private equity firms participated in an ACG DealSource program prior to the evening’s activities.

The favorite wine of the night, based on attendees’ votes, was poured by Hardesty, a provider of executive talent solutions. The firm served 2004 and 2007 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignons from Magnum bottles. ACG Orange County’s 20th annual tasting event will be held on Jan. 12, 2023, again at the Ritz-Carlton.

ACG ATLANTA

ACG Atlanta hosted its annual M&A South Conference on Feb. 7-9 at the Hotel Avalon & Conference Center. The event presents the opportunity for top private equity and mezzanine capital providers to meet with intermediaries, corporate development officers, accountants, lawyers, senior lenders and other dealmakers. This year’s program included an opening keynote conversation with Marc Gorlin, founder and CEO of Roadie, and Brian Dykes, senior vice president of Global Capital Markets at UPS. The two spoke about UPS’s acquisition of Roadie and offered insight into the future of logistics.

ACG NEW YORK

In late March, ACG New York hosted its annual Women of Leadership Summit at the plush Second NYC event space in midtown Manhattan. Now in its ninth year, the event drew almost 200 international female leaders from multitier fund managers, institutional LPs, investment banks, single family offices and strategic acquirers. They gathered for pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings, discussions around varied topics, and the customary wine (and tequila) tasting. Even bonafide royalty was present: Tessy Antony de Nassau, the former princess of Luxembourg and a social entrepreneur, was among the event’s speakers.

This year’s theme was “what got us here won’t get us there.” The summit focused on how to lead through change and think creatively to drive value. Speakers from Apollo, Barclays, Nuveen, Goldman Sachs and other firms reflected the senior-level audience.

TEXAS ACG CAPITAL CONNECTION

ACG’s Texas chapters welcomed over 1,100 attendees to the 18th Annual Texas ACG Capital Connection on March 23-24 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Dallas. More than 100 private equity firms and over 40 investment banks attended, setting records for the event. This year was the first to sell out of event sponsorships.

Conference-goers scheduled more than 2,200 meetings and heard from industry experts during the event’s program. The sold-out kickoff luncheon featured a panel titled “Succeeding in the Deal World,” which included speakers Gretchen Seay of Clearsight Advisors; Michelle Eidson of Crest Rock Partners; Catherine Monson of Propelled Brands; Inobat Karras of Interlock Partners; and Tiffany Hagge, formerly of BDT Partners. Two content tracks rounded out the program: “A Peek Behind the Curtain—The Deal that Brought the PGA of America to Texas” and “Getting Inside the Mind of Your Client Without Losing Yours.”

ACG DENVER

Attendees were thrilled to return to the ACG Denver Rocky Mountain Corporate Growth Conference in the Mile High City on March 28-29. The event quickly sold out with more than 500 participants and a record number of capital providers.

In addition to meeting at the event’s ACG DealSource and in the Conversation Lounge, conference participants heard from Dietrich Partners about the 2022 Rocky Mountain corporate outlook. Plus, Ballard Spahr led a fascinating discussion on ESG, and BDO examined the power of the employee. Plante Moran hosted the conference’s dynamic keynote luncheon speaker, Duncan Wardle, the former head of innovation and creativity at Disney, who led a fun, interactive session.

Many conference-goers met each other the Sunday prior to the conference for a Ski POD (Professionals Opening Doors) networking event at the Keystone Ski Resort.

ACG MINNESOTA

ACG Minnesota hosted its 10th annual BOLD Awards Gala on Feb. 22 at the new Fillmore/Live Nation venue in Minneapolis to recognize standout businesses in the state, based on nominations from the ACG community. This year’s winners included Be the Match, Clearfield, Cytotheryx, Free Bikes 4 Kidz, Telo and Tierra Encantada. The BOLD Awards recognize innovation, inspirational moves, bold visions and leaders who have made courageous moves to grow, restructure or enhance their companies. The chapter received more than 120 nominations, from which a panel of judges identified 18 finalists. Category winners were announced at the gala, and the BOLDest of the BOLD is selected by live audience vote at the event. This year’s gala drew record registration and turnout, despite a blizzard. Nominations for the 2023 BOLD Awards will open in the fall.

ACG HEADQUARTERS

ACG hosted its inaugural dealmaker invitational in late February at the Streamsong Resort in Central Florida. Nearly 100 senior-level private equity and investment banking professionals participated in this intimate golf event, which also included a putting contest, dinner reception on the Black Course, bourbon tasting and plenty of networking. During the event, ACG awarded the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award to David Hellier, a partner at Bertram Capital.

UPCOMING ACG EVENTS

• • JULY 13: Annual Women in Corporate Growth Luncheon—ACG 101
  • JULY 14: Northwest Middle Market Growth Conference 2022—ACG Seattle
  • JULY 19: Golf Tournament—ACG Denver
  • JULY 26-28: Summer Dealmaking Conference—ACG New York
  • JULY 28: 11th Annual Wine Tasting—ACG Tampa Bay
  • AUG. 3-5: ACCELERATOR 2022—ACG Boston
  • SEPT. 7-8: Great Lakes Capital Connection—ACG Pittsburgh
  • SEPT. 8: Wine Tasting 2022— ACG Orange County
  • SEPT. 15: ACG Capital Connection: Wine and Craft Beer Tasting—ACG Kansas City
  • SEPT. 15: Golf Tournament—ACG Utah
  • SEPT. 19: 18th Annual Golf Outing—ACG Cleveland
  • SEPT. 27-28: Midwest ACG Capital Connection—ACG Chicago
  • SEPT. 28-29: Virginia Capital Conference— ACG Richmond

For more information on upcoming ACG and ACG chapter events, visit www.ACG.org/events.