Taking Chips Off the Table or Funding Growth—Exploring Alternatives for Achieving Liquidity
Presented By: Griffin Financial Group / Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
Owners of middle-market companies typically think “full exit” when they hear the word “liquidity.” But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Join former business owners and managers, an investment banker, and an M&A lawyer as they will explore different liquidity options for your business. Discover the positives and negatives of each while gaining insight on how to evaluate what’s best for you and your business.
Panelists:
CEO
VB Gruppo and Federal Donuts & Chicken
Jeff is the co-founder and COO of VB Gruppo, a multi unit, critically acclaimed restaurant group based in Philadelphia with several locations in Las Vegas as well. In addition, Benjamin serves as CEO and Board Member of Federal Donuts & Chicken, a multi-unit fast casual chain founded by James Beard award winning restaurateurs Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook, that has launched a national growth strategy. Jeff also has provided seed investment in multiple CPG brands and restaurant companies. In addition to food and beverage advisory and investment, Jeff is the accomplished author to of two books: Front of the House: Restaurant Manners, Misbehaviors & Secrets and Extra Innings: A Memoir of Fathers, Fandom and Fate
Partner
Troutman Pepper Locke
James Hipolit advises both buyers and sellers on strategic transactions, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. He takes a leading role in counseling buyers, sellers, and company owners in M&A transactions across a broad range of industries, including technology, manufacturing, food and beverage, health sciences, health care IT, financial services, insurance, home services, transportation, and construction. His clients also rely on him for advice and counsel related to corporate governance, structuring, and corporate finance matters.
CFO
Martz Bus
Ralph is a CPA with over 20 years’ experience as a CFO with family-owned businesses. With those businesses, he has worked with Griffin Financial Group to lead recapitalizations of $40M and $100M. He also sourced $100M in other financings and managed complex credit agreements. As Chief Accounting Officer of a public company, he was a key contributor in the registration and closing of 10 capital markets transactions with an aggregate value of $5B, and the tri-vestiture of a private company into three separate public companies.
He is currently the CFO of Martz Bus, a $60M regional provider of scheduled service, charter, and contracted passenger transportation services.
Prior to joining Martz, Ralph was the Principal of an outsourced CFO services firm from 2017 – 2020. He was CFO of DBI Services, a global provider of transportation infrastructure maintenance, operations, and management solutions with $250M in revenue from 2007 – 2016 and CFO of Benco Dental, the largest independent distributor of dental supplies and equipment with $400M in revenue from 2001 – 2007. Ralph was the Chief Accounting Officer of RCN Corporation , a publicly held provider of telecommunications services with $500M in revenue from 1997 – 2001.
Ralph received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting, summa cum laude, from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, PA.
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.