ACGSD September: What’s Your Exit Strategy?

Stephen R. LaSala is the Co-Practice Group Leader of Sheppard Mullin's Corporate Practice Group. He is also the former Managing Partner of the San Diego (Del Mar) office and former Team Leader of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions team. Mr. LaSala specializes in mergers and acquisitions and corporate law. He counsels buyers and sellers in M&A transactions on a daily basis. His practice also includes venture capital and private equity financings, joint ventures, corporate governance, equity and executive compensation, and matters relating to the formation and structure of business entities. He represents both small and large companies ranging from start-ups to well established public companies in a variety of industries including life sciences, healthcare, software, energy, clean technology, consumer goods, construction, aerospace and defense, media and e-commerce. He also represents institutional and individual investors in connection with public and private company investments.

Trever F. Acers is Managing Director of Objective Capital Partners. With more than 15 years of acquisition, finance and business management experience, Mr. Acers leads all aspects of Objective Capital Partner’s investment banking activities. Prior to starting Objective Capital Partners, Mr. Acers served as a Director at TGG Capital, Director of The Oxford Investment Group’s Western US private equity group, Managing Partner at Passage Venture Capital Partners, managed the post-acquisition integration and continuing operations of three entities for EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC), and KPMG Consulting (NYSE:BE). Mr. Acers holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 Licenses and is a Registered Representative of BA Securities LLC, Member FINRA SIPC.

Zaheer Dhruv is Managing Director of PierCap Partners. In various functional leadership roles over 15 years, Zaheer has supported multiple private equity and corporate acquisitions. Zaheer has also led technology due diligence and integration efforts that enable strategic acquisitions to realize top and bottom-line synergies. Over the last decade, Zaheer has developed deep experience in the energy marketplace, digital marketing technologies to personalize customer experience, decision science capabilities to inform Best-Next-Action and starting up many entrepreneurial initiatives from within a dynamic, corporate environment. Zaheer holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 Licenses and is a Registered Representative of IIB Corp., Member FINRA SIPC.  

Martin Staubus is Executive Director at the Beyster Institute, Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego.  He advises business leaders on the design and operation of employee stock ownership programs (ESOP’s) to build stronger companies and provide liquidity to owners.  Martin has 30 years of experience in business, having served in varied roles as an attorney, consultant, Labor Department policy advisor, corporate executive and corporate director.  He has served as Associate Director of the ESOP Association in Washington DC, and as a director of the National Center for Employee Ownership. Nationally recognized as an expert on the design and operation of employee stock plans, Martin has written extensively in this field, with work published by Harvard Business School Press, Harvard Business Review, and others.