The Deal Economy Chicago 2018

Sep. 24, 2018
8:30 am - 5:00 pm

About This Event

As deal volume increased over the past year, uncertainty weighed on deal dollar values. The middle market remained one of the most active segments for deal activity, and we continued to see larger firms tapping into the middle market, as well as large strategics continuing to add new technologies and systems to their legacy businesses. What was the outlook for the middle market, and could it sustain enough transactional activity through 2018?

The Deal Economy Chicago featured a roster of senior executives, influential dealmakers and investors for a full day of discussion and forecasting with a focus on deals and transactions in the middle market.

Speakers

Brian Modoff
Executive Vice President of Strategy and M&A, Qualcomm Incorporated

Brian Modoff is the Executive Vice President of Strategy and M&A at Qualcomm Incorporated.

Adam Blumenthal
Founder and Managing Partner, Blue Wolf Capital Partners
Christopher Brothers
Managing Partner, Solace Capital Partners
Patrick Burns
Senior Vice President, Strategy, Dover Corporation
Brad Charchut
Managing Director, Credit, Bain Capital Credit, LP
Lawrence Chu
Partner, Goodwin Procter
Carey Davidson
Managing Director - Head of Capital Markets, Monroe Capital LLC
Dan Galante
Managing Director, BRG
Stephen Gill
Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets, Vinson & Elkins
Mark Habner
CEO and Co-Founder, BeckWay Group
Laurie Hays
Executive Vice President, Edelman
Matthew Heinz
Senior Managing Director, Co-Practice Leader, Aon Transaction Solutions
Michael Hollander
Principal, GTCR
Nichole Jordan
National Managing Partner, Markets, Clients & Industry, Grant Thornton
Kevin Miller
Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
John Mims
Vice President, Corporate Development, Echo Global Logistics, Inc.
Chad Neale
Managing Director, ACA Aponix
Mark Nicholson
Vice President, Corporate Development, Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc.
Andrew Nunes
Partner, Fasken
PJ Patel
Co-CEO and Senior Managing Director, VRC
J. Daniel Plants
Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Voce Capital Managementau
David Robbins
Managing Director, Head of Credit Strategies, Monomoy Capital Partners
David Schnadig
Managing Partner, Cortec Group
Natalia Sokolova
Managing Partner, Sokol Family Office
Kurt Summers
Treasurer, City of Chicago
Ted White
Co-Founder and Managing Director, Legion Partners
Elizabeth Williams
Senior Vice President Strategy and Corporate Development, Tenneco Inc.
Scott S. Winter
Managing Director, Innisfree M&A Incorporated
Dylan Wolin
Vice President, Strategy & Acquisitions, AAR Corp.
Suzanne Yoon
Founder and Managing Partner, Kinzie Capital Partners

Agenda

8:30am – 9:00am
Registration and Networking Breakfast
9:00am – 9:05am
Opening Remarks
9:05am – 9:50am
Middle Market Overview: The View from Below a Billion Dollars

The middle market remains one of the most active segments for deal activity, and we continue to see larger firms tapping into the middle market. Private equity firms have more capital than ever to deploy and macro-economic conditions continue to point to sustained growth in the industry. What can dealmakers expect as we head into 2019?

Moderator: Dan Galante, Managing Director, Berkeley Research Group

Panelist: Christopher Brothers, Managing Partner, Solace Capital Partners

Panelist: Brad Charchut, Managing Director, Credit, Bain Capital Credit, LP

Panelist: Carey Davidson, Managing Director – Head of Capital Markets, Monroe Capital LLC

Panelist: David Robbins, Managing Director, Head of Credit Strategies, Monomoy Capital Partners

9:50am – 10:35am
Examining the Tech Explosion in the M&A Market

Dealmaking in the technology sector continues to include more transactions for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and the Internet of Things (IoT). FinTech and blockchain continue to attract significant interest from investors and large strategics. It’s becoming difficult to differentiate between tech and non-tech companies, many of which are continuing to add tech to their portfolio and are innovating through acquisition. Will Tech M&A continue to dominate the current dealmaking environment?

Moderator: Lawrence Chu, Partner, Goodwin Procter

Panelist: Patrick Burns, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Dover Corporation

Panelist: Michael Hollander, Principal, GTCR

Panelist: Chad Neale, Managing Director, ACA Aponix

Panelist: Natalia Sokolova, Managing Partner, Sokol Family Office

Panelist: Andrew Nunes, Partner, Fasken

10:35am – 11:00am
Networking Break
11:00am – 11:25am
Spotlight Session: Using Technology to Gain a Competitive Advantage in M&A

Speaker: Nichole Jordan, National Managing Partner, Markets, Clients & Industry, Grant Thornton

11:25am – 12:15pm
Shareholder Activism: It’s Not Just a Large-Cap Issue

We hear about it in the headlines when a shareholder activist targets a large-cap company, but small and mid-cap companies may actually be at greater risk for activist campaigns. Activist funds can acquire significant positions in the stock with a smaller investment, and mid-cap companies are often not prepared to properly defend an activist campaign. Their corporate strategy may not be sound, their corporate governance may be flawed and they may not engage effectively with their shareholders. What should all companies be doing proactively so that they are prepared when they get the call from an activist investor.

Moderator: Ronald Orol, Senior Editor, The Deal

Panelist: Stephen Gill, Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets, Vinson & Elkins

Panelist: Laurie Hays, Executive Vice President, Edelman

Panelist: J. Daniel Plants, Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Voce Capital Management

Panelist: Ted White, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Legion Partners

Panelist: Scott S. Winter, Managing Director, Innisfree M&A Incorporated

12:15pm – 1:30pm
Networking Luncheon and Q&A with The Deal

Moderator: David Callaway, CEO, TheStreet, Inc.

Panelist: Anders Keitz, Financial Writer

Panelist: David Marcus, Senior Reporter

Panelist: Ronald Orol, Senior Editor

1:30pm – 2:15pm
Private Equity in the Middle Market: Thinking Small to Grow Big

With high levels of capital to deploy, fund managers are under pressure to put this capital to work as LPs continue to look at alternative investments, private credit funds, direct investing and co-investing opportunities. Though the middle market has traditionally been mostly occupied by middle market firms, larger private equity firms continue to tap into the middle market with either mid-cap specific funds or some sort of allocation from a large cap fund. How private equity firms of all sizes approaching their strategy in the middle market?

Moderator: Mark Habner, Chief Executive Officer, Beckway Group

Panelist: Adam Blumenthal, Founder and Managing Partner, Blue Wolf Capital Partners

Panelist: Kevin Miller, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

Panelist: Mark Nicholson, Vice President, Corporate Development, Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc.

Panelist: David Schnadig, Managing Partner, Cortec Group

Panelist: Suzanne Yoon, Founder and Managing Partner, Kinzie Capital Partners

2:15pm- 2:45pm
Keynote Interview with Brian Modoff from Qualcomm Incorporated

David Callaway, CEO, TheStreet, Inc., interviews Brian Modoff, Executive Vice President of Strategy and M&A, Qualcomm Incorporated.

2:45pm – 3:10pm
Keynote Interview with Treasurer Kurt Summers

David Marcus, Senior Reporter, The Deal interviews Kurt Summers, Treasurer, City of Chicago.

3:10pm – 3:55pm
Winning Strategies for Corporate Dealmakers

What trends do corporate dealmakers see in the transactions they’re undertaking, in terms of financial and operating strategy? What are the most promising opportunities and the biggest challenges they anticipate in 2019 and how do they expect, respectively, to exploit and overcome them? Panelists also discuss the competition in the market between private equity firms and strategic corporate buyers.

Moderator: David Marcus, Senior Reporter, The Deal

Panelist: Matthew Heinz, Senior Managing Director, Co-Practice Leader, Aon Transaction Solutions

Panelist: John Mims, Vice President, Corporate Development, Echo Global Logistics, Inc.

Panelist: PJ Patel, Co-CEO and Senior Managing Director, VRC

Panelist: Elizabeth Williams, Senior Vice President Strategy and Corporate Development, Tenneco Inc.

Panelist: Dylan Wolin, Vice President, Strategy & Acquisitions, AAR Corp.

3:55pm – 4:00pm
Closing Remarks
4:00pm – 5:00pm
Cocktail Reception

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