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Committee

Chairman

Fred Koury

Fred Koury

President & CEO

Smart Business Network


Fred co-founded Smart Business Network in 1989 with a single publication in Cleveland, Ohio. In the years since, he has built the company into a leading multimedia and content marketing business providing print and digital marketing services to a national client base.


Host Committee

Ryan Clark

Ryan Clark

CEO

PeopleShare


Ryan is among the most respected leaders in the staffing industry, known for his fierce commitment to providing outstanding customer service and his tenacious pursuit of excellence. His experience includes over twenty years in staffing as well as extensive experience in sales and sales management. Ryan spent seven years working at PDI, the world’s largest contract sales organization supporting the pharmaceutical industry, where he was continuously recognized as a top performer and was promoted several times.

In 2003, Ryan was hired by a major Dallas-based staffing company where he made significant contributions. Within three months, Ryan turned the unprofitable office into one of the most profitable offices in the company. In 2005, Ryan co-founded PeopleShare, a regional staffing firm dedicated to placing candidates in light industrial, administrative and clerical positions. Ryan’s vision was to create a staffing company that provides employees and customers the opportunity to achieve their goals and enhance their overall success. Having the expertise, industry experience, and resources to recruit the best talent for each and every opportunity have been a critical factor in PeopleShare’s success.

Ryan’s determination, drive and talent have propelled PeopleShare into the fastest growing staffing firm in Pennsylvania with 16 locations throughout PA, NJ and DE. Since their first year of eligibility in 2007, PeopleShare has been named “Best Places to Work” by the Philadelphia Business Journal every year and named to the Inc.500/5000 list. In 2015, PeopleShare exceeded $100MM in annual revenue and was acquired by Trivest, a Private Equity firm based in Coral Gables, Florida.

Deborah Fell

Deborah Fell

Managing Partner

Chief Outsiders


Deborah Fell is Managing Partner for Chief Outsiders and brings a background of consistent value creation through sales and marketing plans, people, processes, organizations, tactical ability and measurement visibility. She identifies blocks and gaps, as well as the right fractional sales and/or marketing leader for immediate and enduring success.

 

Patty Graver

Patty Graver

Partner

Third Arch Investments


Patty is a Partner at Third Arch Investments, a Philadelphia-based investment firm making long-term investments in high quality small businesses. She has 15 years of investment, advisory, and portfolio oversight experience dedicated to lower middle market businesses across a variety of industries, including the media, consumer products and manufacturing sectors. Prior Third Arch, Patty was a Principal at Versa Capital Management. She began her career as a financial analyst at Rothschild Inc., where she focused on consumer M&A and restructuring.

Ryan Hurst

Ryan Hurst

Partner

RKL LLP


Over the course of his 15-year career, Ryan Hurst’s areas of expertise have included advising clients on buying and selling businesses, succession planning, conducting valuations for transactions and structures, litigation support for shareholder disputes and strategic alternatives analyses. He earned the Accredited Senior Appraiser designation in 2015.

Nick Irion

Nick Irion

Principal, Head of Business Development and Investor Relations

L2 Capital Partners


Nick is the Head of Business Development and Investor Relations at L2 Capital. Prior to leading these segments, Nick supported all aspects of L2’s investment activities, including sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities, performing due diligence, executing deals, and providing post-investment support for the portfolio companies. Prior to L2, Nick worked on the private equity investment teams at both ABS Capital Partners and Harren Equity Partners.

Lee M. Koury

Lee M. Koury

Managing Partner

Smart Business Network Inc.


Lee is managing partner of Smart Business Network Inc., a national events, media and marketing company founded in 1989, primarily responsible for expanding the company’s Aspire deal-making conference throughout the U.S. He plays a key role in establishing corporate policies and developing long-term strategy and growth plans. Previously, he founded and chaired the Growth Group at national law firm Arter & Hadden LLP (now Tucker, Ellis & West), which focused on working with middle-market and high-growth technology companies. 

John Lee

John Lee

Senior Managing Director

Griffin Financial Group


John Lee manages Griffin’s Commercial, Industrial and Services Group. He has 25 years of experience providing merger and acquisition advisory services, private placements of debt and equity capital, and management buyout advisory services for middle-market companies in a wide range of industries. His experience includes sourcing, initiating and managing numerous investment banking transactions for middle-market business and government services, consumer and industrial manufacturing, distribution and technology companies.

 

Louis Lombardi

Louis Lombardi

SVP, Regional Commercial Executive

Fulton Bank


Lou oversees commercial banking in NJ and Greater Philadelphia. He graduated from Millersville University, has an MBA from Penn State and graduated from the ABA’s Stonier Banking School. He serves on the Board of The Heritage Conservancy and co-chairs the Finance and Investment Committees. He coaches youth sports teams and lives in Newtown, PA, with his wife and four children.

Bob McCormack

Bob McCormack

Managing Partner

Murphy McCormack Capital Advisors


Bob is Managing Partner and Founding Partner of Murphy McCormack Capital Advisors, a boutique investment banking and corporate advisory firm in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. McCormack has more than 32 years of financial services experience, and focuses on providing advisory services related to business sales, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, business valuations, debt and equity financing, and select turnaround projects. He formed Murphy McCormack Capital Advisors in 2005. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sun Bancorp, Inc., a $1 billion financial services holding company with bank branches and affiliates located throughout central Pennsylvania.

Meera Modi

Meera Modi

Member

McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC


Meera R. Modi is a leading M&A attorney and trusted advisor to founders, executives and businesses, navigating them through mergers, acquisitions, sales and other strategic ventures. Meera has created a niche practice of advising founders on strategic exit and liquidity options, whether to strategic buyers or financial buyers such as private equity firms and other institutional investors. In addition, Meera has extensive experience with deals involving representation and warranty insurance, which experience has helped numerous sellers significantly minimize their post-sale transaction liability.

 

Louis Rappaport

Louis Rappaport

Partner, Co-Chair, Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group

Blank Rome LLP


Louis is Co-Chair, Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice at Blank Rome LLP. He concentrates his practice on business and corporate matters, with specific emphasis on mergers and acquisitions for middle-market companies in a wide range of industries. He has over 20 years of experience advising on hundreds of strategic and private equity M&A transactions.

Steven A. Scolari

Steven A. Scolari

Partner

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young


Steven provides practical and strategic legal advice to executives and owners of both private and public businesses in connection with a variety of transactional matters. As co-chair of Stradley Ronon’s Closely Held & Family Owned Businesses practice, Steve’s business succession planning engagements encompass corporate, tax, estate planning and family issues, including complex intergenerational shareholder and voting trust agreements and numerous liquidity transactions.

Brian Sharkey

Brian Sharkey

Director - Transaction Advisory Services

Kreischer Miller


Brian leads Kreischer Miller’s Business Advisory group, which offers an array of services including M&A/transaction advisory, business valuation, transition/exit planning, and ESOP consulting.

Brian is experienced in business valuations, transition planning, due diligence, and merger and acquisition activities. He helps his clients by actively working with them to solve issues, provide recommendations, and offer opportunities for success. Brian’s experience includes working with a variety of privately-held and family-owned businesses such as manufacturers, distributors, professional service companies, and internet-based organizations.

Erica Wilson

Erica Wilson

Partner

Troutman Pepper


Erica’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, where she represents public and private companies, and private equity firms and their portfolio companies, in a variety of domestic and cross-border transactions and in a wide range of industries. She has experience in a broad range of transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, carve-outs, venture financings, joint ventures and other direct investments.

Conference Location

140 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Tel: (215) 563-6500