Navigating the Buy-Side in Today’s Market: Strategies for Smarter Acquisitions
Presented By: Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig / First National Bank
Whether you’re pursuing platform acquisitions or tuck-ins, the current environment demands a disciplined, creative approach. This session explores how experienced acquirers are identifying the right targets, structuring deals, navigating diligence challenges, and closing transactions that create long-term value. Panelists will share real-world strategies for balancing risk and speed, aligning leadership teams, and accelerating integration—especially in complex or regulated sectors such as government contracting, where precision and execution are critical.
Moderator:
Senior Vice President
First National Bank of Pennsylvania
Criss Kennedy, SVP, is a Team Leader of Commercial Banking with First National Bank’s Mid-Atlantic region, having joined in 2022. She has more 30 years of in the mid-Atlantic region and holds MBA from Western Illinois University. She serves in the Professional Services Council, NOVA Chamber of Commerce and holds board positions with Senwah Foundation, KDHC, and the UMD Advisory Council.
Panelists:
Partner
Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig
Wright Lewis is a Partner at Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig, a mid-sized business boutique law firm with a nationwide practice. Wright's practice is focused on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and providing outside general counsel for matters arising throughout the business life cycle, including entity formation, governance, restructuring, contracts, equity compensation, and succession planning.
Director
HITT Holding Corp
Alex oversees the subsidiaries of the HITT Holding Corporation and runs the Investment Committee and the Capital Allocation process for the organization.
Founder, President & CEO
OneZero Solutions
Al Sowers is the founder, President, and CEO of OneZero Solutions, LLC, a nationally recognized, veteran-owned cybersecurity firm.
A 2008 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Al served aboard the Cutter HAMILTON and later in the Coast Guard’s C4IT and Cyber Command units. He earned an M.S. in Network Engineering from Virginia Tech, focusing on security and cryptography.
Following medical retirement in 2017, Al founded OneZero to continue serving federal and military agencies. Today, the company employs over 175 professionals and has nearly doubled its revenue since 2022 to over $35 million in 2024. OneZero has achieved industry recognition including multiple placements on the Inc. 5000 and Vet100 lists, and is known for its innovation, technical excellence, and commitment to veteran empowerment.
Al served on the Board of Directors for the National Veteran Small Business Coalition (2022–2025) and remains active in veteran advocacy. He is passionate about sports, philanthropy, and empowering veterans—personally raising over $50,000 for sarcoma research and leading OneZero’s charitable contributions exceeding $100,000 in 2024. Al lives in Alexandria, VA, with his wife KC and their children.