ACG Atlanta: Market Update + Outlook: The Current Deal Environment, Cash Flow Strategies, Legal Implications, and Go-to-Market Considerations

Panelist Neale Fisher has spent the past ten years at Croft & Bender advising middle market businesses in a variety of industries on mergers, acquisitions and capital raising.   Prior to joining Croft & Bender in 2010, Mr. Fisher was a Vice President in the Corporate Finance Department at William Blair & Company, where he advised clients on mergers, acquisitions and public offerings. During the summer of 2005, Mr. Fisher was an Associate in Merrill Lynch's Investment Banking division where he focused on merger and acquisition transactions. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Fisher was a Senior Manager in the Strategic Planning and Business Development division of American Express, focused on both the credit card and financial services business units. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Fisher was a Consultant with Mitchell Madison Group, where he focused on strategy implementation for clients in a variety of industries. 

As a Partner of C&B Capital, the private equity affiliate of Croft & Bender, Mr. Fisher also has experience on the principal investing side of the business.

Mr. Fisher received an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Economics, cum laude, from Georgetown University.

Panelist Ryan Hammack is a Relationship Manager for PNC's Commercial Banking Group. Ryan is responsible for providing business insight and banking solutions to Commercial companies and Not-For-Profit organizations ranging from $5 million to $100 million in revenue within Metro Atlanta and Greater Georgia. Ryan advises his clients on appropriate capital structure alternatives, strategic options, liquidity positions, cash flow efficiency, and PNC’s treasury management platform. 

Ryan has been active in the financial services industry since 2006. Prior to joining PNC, Ryan served as the primary client point-of-contact for a Regions Securities, LLC in the Large Corporate and Middle Market segments in the Atlanta Market for 6-years and as a corporate underwriter for 2-years prior to that.

Ryan has a FINRA Series 79 license (Investment Banking Representative) and his FINRA Series 63 license (Uniform Securities Agent).  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from University of Georgia (Business Administration in International Business). He also has a Master of Business Administration Degree from Emory University, Goizueta Business School.  

Ryan is affiliated with the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), YMCA of Metro Atlanta (Member), and Metro Atlanta and Georgia Chamber of Commerce (Member). Ryan is a YMCA Youth Soccer Coach, and a competitor in the Triathlon and Marathon races.

Panelist Giny Mullins joined Linx in 2006 and has over fifteen years of experience investing in and advising private middle‐market companies. Before joining Linx, she worked as an Associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group and Financial Sponsors Coverage Group of Robert W. Baird’s Investment Banking Division, where she analyzed transactions in a broad range of industries. Ms. Mullins also previously worked in the Debt Portfolio Acquisitions Group of Orix Financial Services and for the middle‐market commercial lending group of American National Bank. 

EDUCATION

M.B.A. with honors from Goizueta Business School at Emory University; B.A. in Economics from DePauw University, where she graduated magna cum laude.

BOARD AFFILIATIONS

Ms. Mullins is currently Chairman of the Board of Reconstruction Experts, Carolina Precision Technologies, Sagent, and Transglobal Services and is a member of the Board of Gullett & Associates. She was previously Chairman of Tidewater Equipment and a member of the board of Cimarron Energy and Elite Express.

Panelist Nicholas C. Rueter represents domestic and international clients in a variety of corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital and private equity transactions, emerging company issues, fund formations, private placements and franchise law.

In addition to his transactional work, Nick routinely serves as a general business and legal advisor to his clients, counseling on matters such as corporate governance, executive compensation, employment disputes, regulatory compliance and commercial contracts, coordinating, where appropriate, with other attorneys within the firm. 

Accolades

2014 Georgia Trend Legal Elite, Corporate Law
Super Lawyers Rising Star, M&A 2017-2019

Moderator Josh Thomas, CPA, CFA, is a Partner in Moore Colson’s Transaction Services Practice. Josh works closely with business owners, CEOs, CFOs, private equity funds and investors.

A CPA with over 15 years of accounting and transaction services experience, Josh has assisted both financial and strategic clients in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, and performed financial due diligence for over 150 potential acquisitions with revenues ranging from $4 million to over $3 billion. Although the majority of his work has been buy-side financial due diligence, Josh has significant sell-side experience including delivering full-scope sell-side diligence reports (subsequently provided to potential investors (lenders), preparing carve-out financial statements, evaluating stand-alone costs, as well as performing other sell-side support assistance. Josh has broad industry experience which includes: manufacturing, distribution, construction, software, services, and retail. Additionally, Josh has worked on numerous cross border transactions in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Brazil.

Prior to joining Moore Colson in 2016, Josh was Director of Merger & Acquisition Services at another middle market firm in Atlanta. Prior to that, Josh worked for KPMG, LLP as a member of the Transaction Services group from May 2007 through March 2011.

In 2018, Josh was a recipient of the Emerging Leaders Award by M&A Advisor, a premier global network of M&A, Turnaround, and Finance professionals, in recognition of his achievements and notable contributions to the industry and community.

EDUCATION

University of North Carolina (Masters of Accounting); Vanderbilt University (B.A. Economics)