ACG NJ Breakfast Meeting | November 19, 2024

A. Jabbar Abdi is a Managing Partner of Sidereal Capital Group, a boutique private equity investment firm which focuses exclusively on family-owned or founder-run lower middle-market companies operating within well-defined niches within the manufacturing and industrial services sectors. He is experienced in all aspects of the investment process and has broad sector experience, including value-added manufacturing and business services. He has represented Sidereal on the board of directors of UC Coatings, Flexo Transparent, Palmetto Adhesives and Peachey Hardwood Flooring.

Prior to co-founding Sidereal, Jabbar was a Managing Director at Cordova, Smart, & Williams, LLC (“CSW”), a middle-market private equity firm where he was a key member of the investment team. Jabbar joined CSW from GE Capital where he held various positions. As a Vice President in GE Capital’s Merchant Banking Unit, Jabbar was responsible for originating and underwriting debt and equity financings for leveraged buyouts in the middle market. Jabbar also worked in GE Capital's Private Equity Unit, GE Equity, where he executed and managed early- and late-stage equity investments in a variety of industries. Prior to his tenure at GE Capital, Jabbar was a management consultant with First Manhattan Consulting Group and began his career with Furman Selz, a New York-based investment bank.

Jabbar earned an A.B. from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on the Advisory Board of ACG New Jersey and is the Chair of the Board of Trustees for MEND NJ, a hunger relief network in Essex County, NJ, made up of over 40 food pantries and community partners.

Curt Lang has been the Group Manager of the Central New Jersey Middle Market Commercial Banking team of M&T Bank for the past eleven years.  As an expansion region for M&T Bank with its acquisition of Hudson City Savings Bank the New Jersey commercial portfolio has been one of the fastest growing portfolios at M&T over the past eleven years.  The M&T team provides full-service relationship banking solutions to a broad spectrum of clients, including private equity sponsored entities, closely held operating companies, and not for profit organizations.  Curt has spent his entire banking career focused on the middle market segment and has worked in several geographies including Huntsville, Alabama, Baltimore, Maryland, Central Pennsylvania, and Central New Jersey. 

Prior to founding DBD Partners, Mr. Zogovic was the CEO of ONEtoONE Corporate Finance USA, an international investment bank headquartered in Europe focused on servicing the lower middle market. Mr. Zogovic launched the US division of ONEtoONE and grew it to become the bank's most profitable branch in under four years. Before joining ONEtoONE, Mr. Zogovic was the President and CEO of GSP Corp., one of the largest sales and marketing organizations in Mexico and Central America. Mr. Zogovic grew this company from a small, local business into an international company with over 10,000 employees. Before Moving to the USA, Mr. Zogovic co-founded and managed a financial services business in Mexico.

Mr. Zogovic is an advisor to several businesses as well as non-profit organizations. He is an active member of the Young Presidents' Organization and a Founding Member of the NY Liberty Chapter, where he served as Treasurer; he is also the former Learning Officer of the Organization's Global Financial Services Network. Mr. Zogovic is the Secretary of the Board for the USA – Mexico Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Zogovic gives back through HBS Community Partners. Mr. Zogovic is an ultra-endurance athlete, completing 5 Ironman races, several triathlons, and ultramarathons. He is also an avid ski mountaineer and big mountain skier. Mr. Zogovic studied at Universidad Iberoamericana and Harvard Business School.