Louisville Business Executive Alex Reed Named to ACG Kentucky Board of Directors

LOUISVILLE - The Association for Corporate Growth’s Kentucky chapter has expanded its 2025 board of directors and announced additional corporate support for its mission as an M&A dealmaking resource to serve professionals who invest in, own and advise growing companies.

Image

Alex Reed, a successful business leader and entrepreneur involved in building dynamic brands and technologies, has joined the ACG Kentucky board as a director with a focus on expanding membership and chapter outreach.

Reed helped Big Ass Fans achieve a half-billion-dollar exit, and later co-founded Truman’s, direct-to-consumer business with patented cleaning technology. Among other professional milestones, he worked with and joined the board of Vsimple, a high-growth, venture-backed tech company focused on improving and automating digital business operations. Most recently, Reed joined CRG Automation as its first Chief Commercial Officer and plans to pursue aggressive growth in industrial automation with consideration for both organic strategies and M&A. The company has earned an impressive reputation in the region, winning several national and local business and technology awards in recent years.

“I’m honored to work with the board and look forward to helping energize the organization and its work to spawn corporate middle market growth,” said Reed, a 2009 graduate of the University of Kentucky.

John Thurman, ACG Kentucky president and Louisville market president of Truist Bank, added: “We are ecstatic to have Alex on our board and share his perspectives on how our chapter serves our members and associates and to further expand our leadership within the M&A community.” He also recognized retired Frost Brown Todd attorney Bill Strench for his long service to ACG Kentucky.

New Gold and Silver Sponsor Partners

In addition to Reed’s appointment, ACG Kentucky announced Valuation Research Corporation (VRC), Frost Brown Todd (FBT) and LBMC as new or expanded chapter supporters for 2025.

VRC, a Gold-level ACG Kentucky partner, is a full-service, independent, global valuation firm focusing exclusively on valuations and advisory services. Through its U.S.-based team of 300+ and an international network of nearly 1,500 valuation professionals, the company provides core services including financial opinions with respect to valuation, solvency, capital adequacy and fairness in connection with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, financings and financial and tax reporting matters.

Silver Partner LBMC, one of the Southeast’s largest accounting and business consulting firms, provides audit, tax, advisory, technology, human resources, and wealth advisory services for businesses and individuals to more than 11,000 clients. LBMC has more than 900 team members, and offices in Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Charlotte. Its primary client groups include privately-owned and private-equity-backed middle market companies in the healthcare, manufacturing and distribution, real estate, and technology spaces.

Said Bill Meyer, LBMC Shareholder and Kentucky Market Leader:

“After Strothman and Company merged with LBMC, I rejoined ACG Kentucky and have been impressed by the quality of the meeting content and strong turnout. At LBMC, we collaborate closely with private equity firms on due diligence, transaction advisory, and tax planning. Our team in Tennessee has seen significant success through ACG involvement, and I’m optimistic we will experience similar benefits from engaging with the Kentucky chapter.”

Silver Partner Frost Brown Todd is a national law firm with more than 600 lawyers located in key markets across the United States, serving a diverse client base ranging from leading multinationals to small, entrepreneurial companies, leveraging technical, industry and legal knowledge and hands-on experience through its many practices. FBT’s Louisville office has been a long-time supporter of ACG Kentucky and sponsor of the annual ACG Kentucky Deal of the Year Awards, an event honoring companies and management teams responsible for the region’s most impactful M&A deals.

These companies join MiddleGround Capital, Corporate Finance Associates, Weller Equity, Truist, Dentons Bingham Greenebaum, Cherry Bekaert and Forvis Mazars (Gold Level Partners); Todd Asset Management, Old National Bank, and Vaco (Silver Level Partners); and the University of Louisville College of Business (Educational Partner).

In addition to Reed, the ACG Kentucky board is comprised of the following finance and business professionals (click on names for further background):

John Thurman, President, Truist Bank (ACG President)

Brad Smith, Partner, Cherry Bekaert (Treasurer)

Terry McWilliams, President, Mozaic Investor Relations, Inc. (Chapter Executive)

Matt Berrian, Assurance Director, Forvis Mazars

Ken Berryman, Managing Partner, Weller Equity Partners

Vernon Foster, Senior Executive Director, Assistant Dean, College of Business, University of

Louisville

Darrin McCauley, Senior Vice President, Old National Bank

Graham Sparks, Associate, MiddleGround Capital

Matt Saltzman, President, Pallas Partners

John Sweeney, Managing Director, Slane Hill Capital

Dennis Wells, Managing Director, Corporate Finance Associates Worldwide

Jack White, Partner, Todd Asset Management

About ACG Kentucky

ACG Kentucky is one of 61 worldwide chapters of the Association for Corporate Growth. Founded in 1954, ACG is the premier M&A dealmaking organization with a global network of more than 13,000 members and middle market professionals who invest in, own and advise growing companies.

The Kentucky chapter (www.acg.org/kentucky) serves dealmakers, support professionals anf corporate leaders with programs, panels and events that educate and facilitate networking and business development. It also recognizes high-impact M&A deals through the ACG Kentucky Deal of the Year Awards event and stages an annual Executive Golf Outing benefiting a local charity.

Contact

Terry McWilliams | Chapter Executive, ACG Kentucky | acgkentucky@acg.org

Web: www.acg.org/kentucky; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acg-kentucky/