Session B

Post-Close is When the Real Work Begins

Presented By: CIBC / Louis Plung & Company

Closing day may feel like the finish line—but for many dealmakers, it’s just the start of the real adventure. In this candid conversation, executives and advisors share behind-the-scenes “post-close war stories,” from unexpected senior management shakeups and international complications to financial surprises—and even an FBI raid. Panelists will unpack what went wrong, what went right, and how better planning could have prevented the chaos. Attendees will walk away with practical insights on how to anticipate integration pitfalls, manage risk across borders and balance sheets, and ensure that what happens after the deal creates lasting value, not lasting headaches.

Moderator:

Beth Bershok
Chief Marketing Officer
Louis Plung & Company

Beth serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at Louis Plung & Company (LPC), a CPA firm that’s been serving clients in Pittsburgh for over 100 years. She joined the firm in October 2021 to develop marketing strategy, firm branding, strategic growth planning, staff development and pipeline management.

Panelists:

Thomas Bakaitus
Partner
Louis Plung & Company

Thomas Bakaitus, Jr. is a CPA, MST and is a partner with Louis Plung & Company. Tom has over 30 years of Tax and M&A experience, where he uses his expertise for tax-based transactional planning & analysis. His contributions in the financial due diligence process are on both the sell-side & buy-side. In the acquisition process, Tom also plays a key role in entity structuring.

Stan Celich
Owner, Chairman & CEO
Drafto Corp

Scott Evans
Co-Founder & MP
Guardian Capital Partners

Mr. Evans is a founding partner of Guardian and leads new investment acquisitions, manages portfolio companies, and manages Guardian Capital Partners’ strategy and team operations. He has been with Guardian for seventeen years. While serving on the board of numerous portfolio companies, Mr. Evans is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and Chairman of Havis, Precision Roll Solutions, Upper Echelon Products, LINX, Heatscape, and Raptor Power Systems.

Prior to Guardian, Mr. Evans had an extensive professional career in private equity, operations management, and corporate finance. He was a Vice President with Cerberus Capital Management L.P. leading due diligence and execution of transactions, facilitating ownership transition plans, and monitoring and assisting with post-transaction business planning. Earlier in his career, Mr. Evans was a Vice President with TenX Capital Management, a middle market private equity firm. Prior to TenX, Mr. Evans was with Crowe, Chizek, and Company LLP and with Deloitte Consulting LLP, as a Senior Manager in their M&A and Corporate Recovery practice.

Mr. Evans earned his MBA from Northwestern J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and his BS in economics from Miami University (Oxford, OH).

Jim Nickel
Pennsylvania Region Head
CIBC Bank USA

Jim Nickel is Managing Director and Head of the Pennsylvania Region for CIBC US in Pittsburgh. Over his 30-year banking career, Jim has focused on providing relationship-driven commercial banking services to middle market companies. He joined CIBC in 2017 through the acquisition of The PrivateBank, the Chicago-based bank he joined in 2014 to spearhead the founding of a Pittsburgh office. Prior to that, he was with TriState Capital Bank and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. He began his career with PNC in Pittsburgh. A native of Pittsburgh, Jim has a finance degree from Bucknell University and a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Post-Close is When the Real Work Begins

Conference Location

Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown