ACG San Diego: The Intersection of Vehicle Technology and M&A: Current Opportunities for Deal Flow in the Automotive Industry

Rick Schwartz is co-founder and CEO & Managing Partner of Schwartz Advisors LLC, an M&A advisory and management consulting firm focused on the automotive industry.  For the past decade, Rick has advised private equity firms, boards of directors and management teams on M&A opportunities and strategic growth initiatives.   Rick works with institutional investors and automotive companies on upcoming trends in technology and appropriate strategies to take advantage of a dynamic landscape for M&A activity in the automotive industry.  Before founding Schwartz Advisors, Rick held senior management positions at Nestle, Macy’s and the Upper Deck Company.  Rick received an MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, and a B.A. in International Relations from USC.

Panelist

Derek Kaufman is a Managing Partner at Schwartz Advisors, LLC, providing M&A support and company growth advisory services in the auto and heavy-duty aftermarket industries.  He is also President of C3 Network, which he founded in 1997 to provide sales and market positioning support for companies selling into the transportation market.  For 44 years, Derek has worked in the Transportation Industry with positions ranging from VP Marketing and Product Planning for Freightliner Trucks, Senior VP of Sales, Marketing and Customer Support for Hino Trucks, President of Diesel Technology (subsidiary of Penske Corporation), VP of Administration for Smart USA, and CEO of Mission Motors Company. He also serves as a director on six corporate boards and is a regular conference speaker on the emerging technologies that are affecting automotive and commercial vehicle service providers.