ACG Atlanta presents: Preparing for the Future: Grow or Sell?

Panelist Alan Castillo has more than 20 years of experience executing mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and strategic partnerships. He brings deep expertise in pre and post-close strategic and operational diligence, planning, implementation and optimization. He has a wealth of experience helping corporate and private equity clients on buy-side and sell-side transactions to realize transaction value and synergies. He has provided leadership on transactions ranging in size from $50M to $10B. He has worked across multiple industries with heavy emphasis in Technology, Healthcare, and Consumer Products.

Alan brings extensive experience in leading integration, carve-out, joint venture, and stand-up projects. He has worked with numerous notable clients on complex transactions, including Microsoft, GE, Affirm, Siemens, McAfee, SuccessFactors (SAP), Lenovo, TPG, CenterGate Capital, Baxter, Health Net, MedImpact, DaimlerChrysler, Del Monte Pacific, Avery Dennison, DreamWorks Animation, Rio Tinto, and ExxonMobil. 

Prior to joining BDO, Alan was a Partner/Principal in Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services practice. He was a leader in the Operational Transaction Services group and helped clients address the strategic and operational aspects of transactions (e.g., integrations, carve-outs, joint ventures).

Alan earned his BA in Economics and Business from UCLA and his MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business.

Panelist Mr. Fournier retired as an operating executive in 2016 and has been an active investor and board advisor since. He is currently Chairman of Celios Corporation. In 2015 he sold AHC Media (an “old school” newsletter business) to Bertlesmann Publishing, purchased from Thompson Media just 4 years before. In that time he and his team transformed the business into the leading provider of “online” Continuing Medical Education and information to the medical industry.

With over thirty years senior management experience in the high technology, IT and online publishing industries, David has successfully managed organizations from startups to mature companies with over 400 employees. As CEO and senior manager for start-up technology and online publishing companies, he helped raise over 80 million dollars in funding and equity, leading four to acquisition, and another to a successful IPO. He has an extensive background in sales and marketing management and a proven record of accomplishment that earned him and the companies’ accolades including:

• Two time winner of INC 500 Fastest Growing Companies

• Two time winner of Deloitte Technology Fast 500 and Fast 50 Award

As CEO of MSS (Mortgage Success Source) Mr. Fournier lead a roll up of companies providing training, information, marketing technology and services to the loan origination market. He served as CEO of Seventh Wave Technology, a Systems Management Software company where he applied a strategic cross-functional approach to management, repositioning the company and its business model, thereby surviving the IT services downturn, maximizing the value of the company’s proprietary software offering and licensing it to the IBM Corporation.

His expertise in understanding how to build sustainable businesses with recurring revenue models was key to his success at Peerless Systems Corporation. As Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Field Operations, he helped guide this embedded imaging software company (as its number two officer) from startup to a public company with a market cap of over 250 million dollars. He served as President of Peerless Systems Co. LTD. the company’s Japanese subsidiary (which he established in 1997) and is still a member of its Board of Directors.

Mr. Fournier has worked with numerous startup technology companies in their efforts to raise venture capital, develop business plans and create product positioning. He was a frequent speaker on the technology and software industry in Southern California, also serving on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Software Council for six years and as Interim Executive Director for one year. He was an active member of the Tech Coast Venture Network. Additionally, Mr. Fournier holds (and has held) Board positions with multiple privately held software and technology companies.

Mr. Fournier is an energetic and charismatic leader whose vision and passion are infectious to those around him. He is a decisive, assured executive when making difficult decisions and acting upon them. He believes each individual in the organization must have a clear understanding and focus on what it takes for the company to be successful and understand their role in achieving that success.

Panelist Keith Meyers joined KBW in 2016 and is Head of the FinTech & Financial Services investment banking practice. Previously, he was a Managing Director at Raymond James, covering FinTech and specialty finance companies. Prior to that, he served as Head of Financial Services and Transaction Processing investment banking at Morgan Keegan & Company. Keith’s industry experience includes M&A, and raising both debt & equity capital. He received an undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis with a dual major in finance and accounting and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Panelist Michael Roher serves as a Senior Partner of BlueArc Capital Partners, the firm’s private equity group, as well as BlueArc Mezzanine Partners, the firm’s mezzanine lending strategy. With over 35 years of private equity investing experience, Mr. Roher has been directly involved in the successful execution of a variety of acquisitions, divestitures, and equity and debt financings aggregating over $11 billion in value. Prior to merging his firm with BlueArc Capital Partners, he founded and operated for fourteen years Roher Capital Group, a private equity and merchant banking firm.  Before Roher Capital Group, he was the President and Founder of Center Street Capital Partners, a $110 million private equity firm affiliated with the Stephens family office. Prior to founding Center Street, he served as Director of Fixed Income Corporate Finance for Stephens Inc., one of the largest privately owned investment banks in the U.S., where he worked principally with closely held and family-owned companies originating, structuring, and raising private equity and debt capital. He also advised on mergers and acquisitions and originated new acquisition opportunities for the multi-billion dollar Stephens family office. Before joining Stephens Inc., he served as Vice President in the investment banking group of Citigroup and worked at Salomon Brothers Inc. in New York as an Associate in the Corporate Finance Department. He is a graduate of New York University (BS in Finance) and the NYU Stern School of Business (MBA). He is a member of the Board of Directors of Brunswick Bowling Products, Choice Adhesives, and Mountain Valley Spring Water.

BlueArc Capital Partners is the private equity division of BlueArc Capital LLC, an Atlanta-based, multi-strategy alternative investment firm that structures and manages customized alternative investment strategies for family offices, wealth advisory firms, and institutions.  Since 2005, we have successfully invested and advised on more than $2 Billion through our four core alternative investment groups which focus on private credit, private equity, real estate, and hedge fund strategies.  Within these divisions, we offer both in-house fund strategies as well as niche fund-of-fund vehicles to meet various objectives within the alternative asset class for our investors. 

Panelist Whitney Woodward is Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer at Aaron’s with oversight of Talent Acquisition, Onboarding, Team Member Relations, Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, Talent Development & Learning, Diversity & Inclusion, and General Human Resources, and is focused on serving the more than 9000 team members that fuel the Aaron’s business every day.

Aaron’s provides their customers with fair and favorable rent-to-own and purchase options for essential products including furniture, appliances, electronics and a variety of other products and accessories through its 1300+ Company-operated and franchised stores in 47 states and Canada. On April 1, 2022, Aaron’s also closed on the acquisition of BrandsMart, a leading appliance and consumer electronics retailer in the southeastern United States, welcoming new stores and an additional 1500 team members into the Aaron’s family of companies.

Prior to joining Aaron’s in February 2021, Whitney served in numerous HR roles, including Vice President of Human Resources, at RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc., a leading convenience store retailer with more than 650 company operated and franchise locations and more than 9,000 employees. Whitney earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and her juris doctor degree from Georgia State University College of Law.

Moderator Brad Knight has more than 18 years of experience leading and delivering internal audit, enterprise risk management, governance, and compliance engagements to Fortune 500 and middle-market companies. Prior to joining BDO, he worked at Brambles Ltd., where he oversaw and directed the organization’s global enterprise risk management programs. Prior to Brambles, Brad worked with a Big Four firm and a large regional firm where he focused in the areas of internal audit and risk.

Brad leads BDO’s Risk Advisory Services in Atlanta and the Southeast. He possesses experience in a variety of industries including private equity, retail, manufacturing,
healthcare, supply chain, and technology. He has been deeply involved in identifying and delivering governance, risk and compliance solutions to clients, including all aspects of SOX implementation and compliance, business process documentation, enterprise risk assessments, internal audit co-sourcing, internal controls assessments, and SOC reporting.

Brad is a licensed CPA in the state of Georgia and maintains a Certification in Risk Management Assurance from the Institute of Internal Auditors. He received his BS in Accounting and Masters in Accounting from the University of Tennessee.