ACG Atlanta presents: Founder Friendly Capital – Where to Find It and How to Structure the Deal

Scott Ellyson is the CEO and co-founder of East West Manufacturing (EW), a global engineering and manufacturing services company focused on the realization of products, from design through distribution. With over 30 years of experience in global manufacturing and distribution, Scott has been instrumental in driving the company’s impressive growth and innovation.  East West Manufacturing went from start up to now over $500 million in annual revenue. 

East West’s first foray into private equity funding included a minority recapitalization that was chosen as a Deal of Year award winner by ACG Atlanta.  With private equity backing, Scott has negotiated and integrated a dozen M&A acquisitions of services and products companies, folding them into the East West organization. 

In recognition of his leadership, Scott was named an Ernst & Young Southeast Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020.

Scott’s early career includes consulting for PwC’s Global Supply Chain Logistics group.  He co-founded an electronics manufacturing company in Hong Kong.  This led to a relationship with DiversiTech Corporation where he joined as Vice President of Offshore Manufacturing.  However, Scott remained passionate about building his own business. In 2001, he spun off DiversiTech’s offshore division and co-founded East West Manufacturing as a joint venture with DiversiTech and two other DiversiTech officers.

Eric, a former Berkshire Hathaway CFO, advises founder-owned businesses preparing to exit, maximizing deal: value, flexibility & certainty. He has more than 25 years of executive leadership and M&A experience, including a sale to Berkshire Hathaway. Eric received his degree from Florida State University where he is currently a guest lecturer in the College of Entrepreneurship. As a sought-after public speaker, Eric regularly shares his ownership transitions expertise with audiences across the nation. When Eric is not out and about with people, he loves spending time with his family. He enjoys bass fishing, relaxing on the Florida Panhandle beaches and helping young professionals take their next step.

Alex serves as Managing Partner of Heritage Growth Partners, a private family investment firm focused on making non-control equity investments in private companies. Alex founded Heritage Growth in 2014 with the goal of creating true partnerships with entrepreneur-owners, built on long-term thinking, shared values and mutual alignment of interests. He brings over 30 years of private equity, investment banking, commercial lending and family business experience to Heritage Growth, and has completed over 70 M&A and financing transactions valued in excess of $7 billion. Throughout his career, Alex has served as a trusted advisor to a variety of private and public companies, including a number offounder and family-owned businesses.

At Heritage Growth, he focuses on identifying and investing in private companies, leading structuring and diligence, and advising and serving management teams in achieving their growth objectives. Previously, Alex was a Managing Director and Partner at TM Capital Corp., a boutique investment bank, with offices in New York, Boston and Atlanta. He joined TM in 2001 and co-founded the firm’s Atlanta office and served as Chief Operating Officer between 2009-2013 and as a Senior Advisor between 2013-2014. Prior to TM Capital, Alex worked in the Consumer, Financial Institutions and Real Estate/Structured Products Groups at Prudential Securities Investment Banking in New York and Atlanta between 1994-2001 and began his career in Commercial Lending at Bank of America.

Alex earned his MBA with honors from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and graduated from the University of Tampa, where he was a recipient of the President’s Scholarship. He is a Board Member at Mission: Hope, a Charter Member of the Atlanta chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) and a former Advisory Board Member for the Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa. Alex and his wife Anne have two children and are active members of St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Roswell, GA. Alex enjoys art, travel and home improvement projects.

Alec takes a business-minded approach to advising private equity funds, along with both private and public companies, in connection with various equity and debt investments, acquisitions and divestitures, and other general corporate and financing transactions.

He represents private equity funds of all sizes, from those with billions of dollars under management to smaller deal-by-deal funds, as well as family offices and other alternative investment funds. These representations typically cover the full life cycle of investment activities, beginning with the initial acquisition and/or equity investment and continuing with ongoing general corporate work for the portfolio company, add-on acquisitions, and the eventual exit. While many of these equity investments are control deals, he regularly represents private equity funds in minority co-investments.

In addition to his private equity work, a significant portion of Alec's practice consists of representing public and private companies in M&A transactions ranging from small but critical deals for emerging companies or family owned businesses to multibillion-dollar public company transactions. He also serves as outside general counsel to a number of portfolio companies and other private companies, helping clients navigate a wide range of needs involving corporate governance, employment issues, incentive compensation arrangements, and day-to-day business disputes.

Alec's industry experience is broad and includes extensive transactional experience in the energy, telecom, technology, manufacturing, and health care spaces. He has also represented a number of franchised businesses, with a particular emphasis on the automotive services sector.

Brent Harris, CPC, is the Managing Director for the Accountants One team with over 25 years of experience recruiting and placing accounting professionals in the Atlanta market.

As Managing Director, Brent is responsible for Corporate Operations, Client Sales Management, and Candidate Sales Management. His commitment to the Accountants One mission and values, leadership qualities, and strong recruiting expertise allow him to thrive in his role.

For the first part of his career at Accountants One, Brent was a Senior Recruiter and Atlanta Team Lead. He finished as our Top Producer eight years in total. He excels at helping companies identify and hire people that match their specific company culture and goals.

He became a member of the Georgia Association of Personnel Services (GAPS) Million Dollar Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility and was asked to lead an Advanced Training course for GAPS. Before joining Accountants One, Brent managed two offices for a national search and staffing firm after they purchased the company he helped build to be one of Atlanta's top recruiting agencies. 

He has distinguished himself by his personal production numbers while also coaching and developing his recruiting team. Brent specializes in financial and accounting placement with a focus on CFO, Controller, and Accounting Manager roles. Brent has extensive experience in helping build an entire accounting department from A/P Clerks to CFO.  Brent works extensively with private equity firms and their portfolio companies as they grow through acquisition.