Many business owners were not able to sell their companies before the start of the Great Recession, which greatly slowed the pace of the mergers and acquisition marketplace.
With the improving economy, the M&A market window has re-opened. Although commercial lending can be difficult to obtain, greater numbers of private and public buyers are increasingly purchasing competitors, suppliers and other related companies.
As the economy continues to improve, as many believe it will, so will opportunities for business owners seeking to grow through a strategic acquisition or to craft an exit strategy to sell their companies. In this spirit, BizTimes Media will present its "M&A Forum: Buy? Sell? Hold?" on Wednesday, May 19, from 7:30-11:30 a.m. at The Pfister Hotel, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee.
The keynote speaker will be Mark Herndon, president of Dallas-based Parkwood Advisors LLC, a financial services firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions, investment banking and private equity financing. Herndon is co-author of "The Complete Guide to Mergers and Acquisitions: Process Tools to Support M&A Integration at Every Level."
Several breakout sessions will follow Herndon's keynote presentation. The breakout sessions will be designed to help business owners and their advisors develop plans and strategies for an acquisition, prepare a company for an eventual sale or craft strategies to invest a windfall realized once a business sale is complete.
The cost to attend the event is $75 per person and $600 for a table of eight. For information or to reserve a spot, visit www.biztimes.com/site/m-a-forum.
