Paths to Success: Selling a Business and Avoiding Inherent Pitfalls

Tatjana is an M&A partner at Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC and focuses on middle market acquisition and disposition transactions across a range of industries including healthcare, manufacturing, food and beverage, and technology. To date, Tatjana has advised clients in M&A transactions valued at over $20 billion in the aggregate. She is a frequent speaker on M&A topics and serves as a Chair of the American Bar Association’s “Private Target Deal Points Study,” which has been widely recognized as the gold standard for market metrics of key negotiated legal issues in M&A agreements.

Mr. Chandler has over 37 years experience in the financial and information technology arena. Prior to joining Radio Systems in 2004 he was the CFO for Luwa, Inc in Winston Salem, NC., which is a specialty mechanical contractor operating in the air engineering field serving pharmaceuticals, waste clean-up contractors and the semi-conductor industry. Prior to joining Luwa, Inc., Mr. Chandler was the CFO for a sister company, Zellweger Uster, Inc. in Knoxville, TN. Zellweger Uster, Inc. is the world’s leader in providing quality control instrumentation to the textile industry.

Mr. Chandler has a BS in Business Administration with a major in accounting and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and a member of TSCPA He currently is the President of the Historical Tennessee Theatre, and a board member of the Bijou Theater. He is a past board member of the Knoxville Chamber, Girl Scouts and the Knoxville Chapter of Financial Executives International.

Chris is a native of East Tennessee and is married to Rachel Zizka. He has three children, Kelcie, Derek and Brooke, one dog, Cinders, and one cat, Doodle. He enjoys spending time on the lake and attending UT football games. Go Vols!

Grant joined Council Capital in 2009 and is the firm’s Managing General Partner. He has focused entirely on private equity investing in the healthcare services and healthcare IT sectors since 2001. Prior to joining Council, Grant worked with two other private equity firms, The Aurora Funds and First Analysis Corporation. He began his career with Accenture helping companies grow and integrate acquisitions.
Grant is currently on the Board of Council portfolio companies eMids, EspriGas, and Experience Wellness Centers.

Rob serves as managing director and head of Investment Banking. He is responsible for supporting the strategic direction of Investment Banking and is a member of the Capital Markets senior leadership team. Under his leadership, investment banking has grown to be one of the leading advisors to middle market companies providing specialized advice for mergers & acquisitions, capital raising and strategic alternatives transactions. Since 2016 he has helped triple the size of the group which now comprises over 100 bankers across five strategic industry verticals. Rob joined the Bank in 2010 and has over 25 years of experience in investment banking and the financial services industry. Prior to joining Fifth Third, Rob’s previous firm experience included over 10 years with J.P. Morgan’s technology and mid-corporate investment bank. Rob also was a banker at Jefferies, Robinson Humphrey and Bowles Hollowell Conner. Through his career he has helped advise on over $15 billion in debt and equity financings and over $3.5 billion in M&A volume. When Rob is not helping clients, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children enjoying the lake, hiking, fly fishing, cooking, among other activities. Locally he supports at-risk youth programs including past board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Rob earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and later graduated with a Master in Business Administration from the Darden Graduate School of Business.