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| 7.45 - 8.30 a.m. |
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Registration and Networking Continental Breakfast |
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| 8.30 – 8.45 a.m. |
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Welcome Address |
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| 8.45 – 9.30 a.m. |
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Is Private Equity's Golden Era Over? How will M&A change if it is?
The worsening credit crunch has dealmakers taking stock and preparing for a turn in the business cycle. Will leveraged buyouts be on hold for the rest of the year? To what extent will strategic buyers come to the forefront? If the days of cheap and easy LBO financing are gone, will sponsors push into distressed debt, minority stakes and equity-only deals?
Moderator:
John Morris, Assistant Managing Editor, The Deal LLC
Panelists:
Henry D'Alessandro, Vice Chairman, Leveraged & Acquisition Finance North America, Morgan Stanley
Kim Davis, Managing Director, Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC
James Epstein, Partner, Pepper Hamilton LLP |
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| 9.30– 10.30 a.m. |
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ESOP Acquisitions: Doing it the Sam Zell Way
The buzz about Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)-structured deals is growing after Sam Zell's buyout move of the Tribune Co. Tax-exempt ESOP deals are winning favor as middle markets aggressively hunt for new financing techniques. Many ESOPs are now using plans to structure acquisitions of other companies, a very new development. In this panel, we discuss the risks and upsides of ESOP deals and the terms savvy dealmakers angle for.
Moderator:
Corey Rosen, Executive Director, National Center for Employee Ownership
Panelists:
David Ackerman, Partner, Morgan Lewis
Merri Ash, Vice President, First Bankers Trust Services Inc.
Elyse Bluth, Managing Director, Duff & Phelps
Mary Sullivan Josephs, Managing Director, LaSalle Corporate Finance
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| 10.30– 11.00 a.m. |
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Networking Break |
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| 11.00– 11.45 a.m. |
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The CDO/CLO Collapse: How can you profit from the credit squeeze?
Now that the appetite for Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO)/Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO) structures has all but vanished, where will there be opportunities to profit? Who is stepping in to buy heavily discounted structured securities? In this session, we will discuss and debate the fate of CDO/CLO structures, and the potential to take advantage of crisis.
Moderator:
Jay Kim, Partner, Ropes & Gray
Panelists:
Arturo Cifuentes, Managing Director, RW Pressprich & Co.
Randy Schwimmer, Head, Capital Markets, Churchill Financial
Dr. Joseph R .Mason, Associate Professor, Drexel University |
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| 11.45– 12.30 p.m. |
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Credit Crunch: Is the middle market better placed?
With mega-deals hitting financing walls, the middle market is bracing for fallout. As lenders tighten the screws, how are mid-market companies and sponsors affected? To what extent are mid-market lenders exposed to covenant-lite agreements and other potential risks? Will the fact that less mid-market is syndicated insulate mid-market companies from the problems of larger companies? What will a debt crisis mean for companies needing refinancing?
Moderator: David Carey, Senior Writer, The Deal LLC
Panelists:
J. Bradley Boericke, Partner, Pepper Hamilton LLP
Thompson Dean, Co-Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer, Avista Capital Partners
Robert Willens, CPA, Tax & Accounting, Managing Director, Lehman Brothers Inc.
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| 12.30– 2.00 p.m. |
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Networking Lunch and Keynote Interview with
Bruce Carnegie-Brown, Managing Partner, 3i Quoted Private Equity and David Carey, Senior Writer, The Deal |
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| 2.00– 2.45 p.m. |
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Ironing Out the SPACs Wrinkles
They're back. The Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) is continuing with some 30 going public this year. Among other benefits, SPACs vehicles allow private equity firms to sell portfolio firms without taking them public.
Moderator:
Tom Hartman, Partner, Foley & Lardner, LLP
Panelists:
Christopher Chase, Managing Director, CRT Capital
David Nussbaum, Chairman, Early Bird Capital
Tina Pappas, Managing Director, Morgan Joseph & Co.
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| 2.45– 3.45 p.m. |
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Real Estate as a Leverage Tool: Still a viable strategy?
Clever financial engineering with real estate assets has become a cornerstone. A number of transactions, including NRDC Equity Partner's buyout of Lord & Taylor, rely on leveraging real estate or quick arbitrage moves. Hedge funds and shareholder activists have been aggresively pushing strategic acquirers to play their real estate cards. Massive sums of capital have been raised for real estate investment. Can the leveraged lending markets still hold their own? What's the forecast? Is there still time to leverage real estate assets?
Moderator:
Benjamin Harris, Managing Director, Head of Domestic Investments, WP Carey & Co.
Panelists:
Gregg Chiota, Managing Director, Real Estate, Fortress Investment Group
Paul Halpern, Partner and General Counsel, Chrysalis Capital Partners
Stuart F. Koenig, Partner and Chief Financial Officer, Apollo Real Estate Advisors
Robert Micera, Senior Vice President, National Head of Net Lease Investments, First Industrial Realty Trust |
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| 3.45 – 4.30 p.m. |
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Buying into Trouble: Distressed acquirers at the gate
After biding their time, are distressed control and debt investors finally getting some action? With heaps of outstanding debt due for refinancing, will some companies become prey to private equity firms or vultures? Which sectors are likely to provide the best distressed pickings? To what factors do distressed investors need to pay special attention in 2008?
Panelists:
Tanja Aalto, Director, Financial Restructuring, Houlihan Lokey
Deirdre Martini, Managing Director & Senior Restructuring Advisor, CIT
Anders Maxwell, Managing Director, Peter J. Solomon Company
Salvatore A. Barbatano, Partner, Foley & Lardner, LLP
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| 4.30– 6.00 p.m. |
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Cocktail Reception |
* The Deal LLC reserves the right to alter the agenda of The Deal's Innovative Deal Financing Conference and/or substitute speakers without advance notice.
This agenda remains the sole property of The Deal LLC, and may not be used to market or promote any other conference. Any such unauthorized distribution represents theft of property for which The Deal LLC will pursue any and all appropriate legal remedies.
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