April 2017 Conference & Networking Event

Executive Testimonials

Craig Aszkler

CEO & President

CSA Consulting

Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to come to this event?

A: Hi my name is Craig Aszkler and I’m a President/CEO. I’ve had a P&L responsibility up to $80 million in both private and private equity companies in the past. This is my second BlackmoreConnects conference and I find the conferences invaluable for executives that are looking to acquire or have an equity stake in companies. The Blackmore process is very methodical and systematic and will lead you through precise steps to be successful in both the conference and creating deal sourcing opportunities by using your network and also other resources. So I think it’s essential and it’s a quick way to get up to speed in both understanding the private equity world as well as meeting mid-market private equity firms. I don’t think there’s another venue where you can have such a cost-effective investment and meet as many firms in one place, in one day, as at a BlackmoreConnects conference.

Q: A lot of executives, they’re not only, they’re looking at this also as a pathway to board positions, operating partner roles, C-Level roles, can you address that?

A: Yes. I think that, again, the people that are coming to the conference from the private equity firms are key decision makers so not only are they evaluating deal opportunities, or deal flow that you’re bringing in, but they’re always on the lookout for good talent and this is one of the ways they can quickly vet a pool of candidates to add to a firm that they might have a need. So again, they have the ability to get good face time, and good networking with both peer executives as well as private equity firms.

Q: What services did BlackmoreConnects provide to get you ready for these conferences?

A: Again, there’s a wide variety of preparatory materials that are available on the web, however, and in addition to that, as the conference gets close, there are webinars as well as examples of materials available so that you can see how other executives have presented the material as well as coaching by members of Blackmore management to prepare you to get ready for the conference.

John Baibak

Sales Manager

Flowserve

Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to become a Gold Member with the BlackmoreConnects Association?

A: My name is John Baibak, I’m a general manager with Flowserve Corp. Anyways, I’m a Gold Member with BlackmoreConnects, this is my fourth conference, and each conference I come to I am expanding my deal funnel. And what’s been great is actually after the last one I had private equity groups contact another private equity group, that said, “Hey you this is XXX, I met this guy in your sector.” So it’s expanding out from there. After each conference, I’ve had multiple meetings going on so it’s been, each meeting has been successful.

Q: So you know, besides just trying to get a deal done, because you know the market, you’re also open to board positions, operating partner roles, how do those conversations go? Why would an executive utilize the BlackmoreConnects organization to lead to other C-Level opportunities? What are the benefits here?

A: Well, the educational aspect of BlackmoreConnects and Blackmore, giving you the aspect of how to write up your deal thesis, how to get into specifics and tailor it towards different private equity groups. You know when I first came into private equity I thought, one group is the same. I’ve got one private equity guy, ok great, lets go and see what I can do. No, you’ve got to have multiple private equity groups backing you up to go after these owners, because the owners will be finicky, each one will have their own concerns, rightfully so, and the private equity groups can come and tailor a solution for them, so you need to get more than one private equity group to back you up.

Q: We say 100 to 200 if you just want to land a role. You’ve got to build your conversations right. So if I’m an executive you know, why does a deal thesis matter, I just want a job?

A: I’m not looking for a job, I’m looking for an opportunity, an investment opportunity.

Q: But for executives who are. How does BlackmoreConnects serve that need?

A: They are looking for the next opportunity. They help you translate your ideas and put them into a document that private equity understand and can translate your ideas concisely and help you out that way. And then educates you on the next steps, how to approach the owners, how do you approach the different private equity groups, so it gives you the whole, from the beginning to the end, of education on how to deal with these deals.

Mike Campagna, VP of Operations

Precision Thermoplastics Components, Inc.

Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose the BlackmoreConnects Association?

A: My name is Mike Campagna. This is my second attendance to a BlackmoreConnects event. I'm back to continue to increase my funnel of deal options as well as meet

other private equity firms that I could possibly use to invest in my deal thesis. I continue to come back because I’m learning more and more every time I come even if

you want to pick up three or four new things. It's well worth it. I'm a Gold Member and so far…

Q: Why be a Gold Member?

A: It's been very valuable to be a Gold Member to have access to everything that BlackmoreConnects has, including their database and a lot of other assistance and

support. They assist with personal coaching and many other activities helping… helping me work through locating target companies as well.

Q: Why, you know if executives looking to get a some kind of C-level role, how does BlackmoreConnects membership play a role?

A: I think the process that BlackmoreConnects has put together to teach executives how to properly and effectively work with private equity is what will give you the best

chance of landing an opportunity with a private equity firm.

Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

A: Hi my name is Ray Carballada, I am a media and advertising executive. I most recently scaled a small $2 million dollar crewing company into a large, relatively

large media conglomerate almost $35 million dollars. It was owned by three people and I decided I wanted to move on do something myself. I spent the first year that I

left consulting, but also I am networking with private equity and going to private equity events which, like ACG and Opus and others. And because I have done a lot of

business development, it was easy for me, relatively easy for me to get the second meeting and meet with people and things like that, which I know is not easy for a lot

of people.

But I can tell you that they’re very interested in having a conversation, very interested in my background but most of those organizations already have people working

in them or people that they know of they can trust and use further companies or for organizations like that. But you know when I heard of BlackmoreConnects and

heard what was going on there I thought I should give that a try and I have been impressed here and I have met more people in a short amount of time in at a much

less cost than doing in the other way and also doing the deal thesis as far as what’s in my head and things like that, not only am I seeing some interest when it comes

to those but also it made me do some things that I normally wouldn’t have done, which is meet with some people who I wouldn’t have taken the steps that I had taken

before coming to this meeting, which has proven very valuable in my conversations right here.

Q: How does the BlackmoreConnects Association prepare you compared with others?

A: It makes you look at things very differently, it makes you look from the perspective of who you try to reach, which is private equity firms, it’s really about figuring out

what they want and can you position yourself and are you relevant to them somehow. I was able to get these meetings very quickly with some peer companies that I

was interested in because of my track record, they know me, and were very interested in at least having a conversation with me, whether they would be interested in

doing something with me or not and actually, no matter what happens, it was a great networking lesson for me. It validated some things I had some thoughts I had as

far as things work and also maybe think differently about some things which I think are important. In the private equity world it’s a really, you have to understand what you trying to do and it really helps to do that.

Ray Carballada, President & CEO

Theory Consulting

Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

A: Hi I am Mitch Fadel and I have spent most of my career working with cash and credit constraint consumers primarily through rent-to-own side and pawn. I was with Rent-a - Center for a number of years, spent

15 years as a president and chief operating officer, I know that cash and credit constraint consumer and then pawn. I was the president of EZ Pawn out of Austin, Texas where I live now, really love serving the cash

and credit constraint consumer and I think there is a great play in the pawn business for an acquisition strategy where I partner with a PE firm and we buy some stores and do some add-ons and really can add

value to this highly fragmented business. The pawn business is extremely fragmented and over 10,000 stores nationwide and only about 1,500 are public companies, so again, highly fragmented. There are some

regional chains to go out there and take a look at and you can add a lot of value to the highly fragmented business may be become what I would call a ‘sub-consolidator’ and you can build up and do some add-ons

and build up, you know, and we get to 75 stores we will be the third largest company in the country because It is so fragmented and then you really have a value to those public companies where they can do one

acquisition and grow that fast.

Q: What have you….. why would an executive like yourself or any other executive want to attend the conference and become a member of BlackmoreConnects? What are you learning?

A: Well I learned a couple of things. I have been in the corporate world my whole career and interestingly…. the whole putting together an investment thesis through the BlackmoreConnects process was a great

process for me. You would think after being a C-Suite executive for years, “Ohhh I throw a thesis together.” Well, I didn’t know how to throw a thesis together so I think that was very helpful and being in the actual

conference what I have seen so far during the day its been tremendous one-on-one with dozens of PE firms. I don’t know how long it would take me to talk to a dozen PE firms.

Q: How long would it take and how much would it cost to get an in-person meeting if you went about it on your own?

A: I bought a plane ticket from Austin, Texas to Chicago and here I am meeting a dozen PE firms, so It would have cost thousands of dollars and it would have taken an awful long time. I guess the best answer to

that is I have only being doing this for about three months and here I am we are at the beginning of April three months later I have got the thesis that you have helped me with and that you other deal partners have

helped me with and proud enough of the thesis to send the thesis to anybody in the country and here I am meeting with a dozen PE firms today and that is 90 days later. Not only do I have a thesis done, but

actually have the meetings and people giving me some feedback on it, you know. interesting thing about the PE firms I guess I knew but it’s coming clear now and you know you talk to PE firms and…that it’s the

greatest idea I have ever heard but it won’t work for our firm but it’s a great idea you know because they have raised money from private investors and saying we are going to invest in this business and it might not

be a specialty finance business like pawn so you know they might love the story but it might not be right for them but the good news is that most of the people I talked to today, it is right for them and only couple of

them is not right for them but I sure do appreciate their feedback.

Q: If you were to tell the executives to list out your top 10 reasons of how it’s worth it and what you get by attending a BlackmoreConnects conference, what would that list look like?

A: 10 to 12 PE firm meetings in a day, there were three panel discussions today that I learned a lot from. Now granted, when you have been an executive as long as I have and you hear things, its a refresher and

that’s okay, we all need refreshers. I found it very interesting to listen to them and I thought I would get bored but I wasn’t bored the whole day and things move quickly along those panels. That’s the other thing

and you have attended a lot of conferences and you know you get bored easily but not here each panel discussion was 45 mins and you move to the next one. The meetings with PE firms were 15 minutes because

what you are determining really is there reason for you to talk further and if you go with 30 minute meetings or 45 minute meetings what about that one I had and it doesn’t make sense for the PE firm what are you

going to do then, so the process, the speed meeting I think works well. I like that I am kind of a person who loses interest very easily. I kind of like how fast the things move in and doesn’t seem like we have been

doing this the whole day as things moved by quickly. So the top 10 reasons definitely the opportunity to meet with these PE firms. You know the interesting thing too is you can get a meeting with a PE firm and fly

to New York or Chicago or fly to LA and meet with the PE firms after you spent the night at the hotel and 5 mins later you get there and they tell you ‘we won’t invest in the pawn business’ or ‘we won’t invest in the

specialty retail’. I just didn’t have meetings with the PE firms, it means that the PE firms have already read the thesis and decided it was worth talking to me and not wasting time that way, and if there was one or

two firms you didn’t have meetings with that’s okay. We are not wasting time so you know you might get a meeting in New York just because you knew someone there who got you 10 minutes with a business development person, but then you really just wasted your time and not to mention money.

Mitch FadelExperienced C-level Executive

Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

A: Hi my name is Larry Hagen, I’m an apparel retail and medical uniform executive. I’ve been coming to the last four BlackmoreConnects events. The reason I come here is

because every event I’ve learned something and/or established a relationship that’s become important to me. And it’s certainly worth the investment or has been or obviously

I wouldn’t spend the money. I came to the event today, I met with five or six new private equity people. The benefits you get by meeting them, first of all, it’s face to face, you

get 15 minutes to tell them who you are, find out who they are, see if there’s a fit, and a lot of times when you meet them face to face, they will actively help you even if you’re

not necessarily a fit for their kind of business.

Q: That is really true, what are some examples of that?

A: An example today, I met with a private equity company that really doesn’t invest in the industries that I have worked in and am looking for, but has just introduced me to

another firm that he used to work for that does invest in this particular industry. He sent them an email and I just got a response on it. You can’t do these things on your own.

You can spend your life trying to meet with one or two private equity companies. There’s no event like this to my knowledge in the country. Maybe in the world, I don’t know. But for me, it’s been financially successful or honestly I wouldn’t be here.

Larry Hagen

CEO/President

JOINT BASE INTERNATIONAL, LTD.

Wayne Hanna, President & CEO Manufacturing Operations

Cotta Transmission, LLC

Q: Could you please tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to participate?

A: Wayne Hanna, I’ve been the CEO of four different private equity-backed companies in the past. I came to BlackmoreConnects not completely certain what was going to happen. I met a lot of private equity

guys who matched very well with my background and who were interested in what I had to do and what I had done in the past. The thing that I found most interesting is that the investment thesis provides you

with an avenue for talking to them in their terms. But I think importantly, it gives them some view about how you think about things.

Q: You heard that over and over on the panels, correct?

A: That’s probably where, in my case, since I’m prohibited from competing in my particular industry, I was able to show them that I can take those same ideas and move them to an industry that is similar but not

the same. And use that as a way of giving them an example of an investment thesis that I do believe will work and is viable but isn’t exactly in my area of expertise. So I think it had a dual purpose in my case,

introducing me to guys that I didn’t know, and also letting them see that I can translate direct knowledge into somewhat indirect knowledge.

Q: And what becomes available now, what becomes possible in terms of board positions, operating partner roles, and other types of roles as a result of that?

A: The meetings that I had, everybody who did manufacturing businesses has asked to speak with me again. And one of the guys who didn’t do manufacturing businesses has said that he’s going to recommend

me to a couple people that he knows that do. So I think the exposure has been probably more than I expected to get, definitely.

Q: Ok so what were you expecting?

A: I thought maybe if I got one meeting out of it I would be doing well.

Q: And instead you got?

A: I think I have five follow-up meetings.

Q: And how many meetings did you have today?

A: I had nine I think.

Q: So if you had to try to get those 8 or 9 meetings on your own, what amount of time and money would it have cost to accomplish these kinds of in-person meetings?

A: I think you’re easily talking weeks and possibly thousands of dollars. Most of these guys are not local to Chicago. As I say the big thing is that the likelihood that you would be able to a) Identify them, b) get

their attention because most of the guys talk about the fact that they get hundreds of resumes, and even if you were smart enough to put together your own thesis, and pitch it to them, I don’t know without the

introduction how much credibility you would have. I think you’re vetting candidates,

Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to participate?

A: Hi I’m Darcy Mauro and I’m attending my first BlackmoreConnects conference. I am a 30-year experienced executive. I’m running a company now that does about $50M in

revenue. I am interested and came to the conference today to learn more about private equity and learn about the differences and the different companies, what they’re looking

for, in a deal thesis, what’s of interest to them, and really how I can be better prepared and learn so that I can have more articulate conversations as I’m looking to pursue

business opportunities.

Q: A lot of other execs, besides working on their deal thesis and getting interest that way, they’re also very curious in how to land private equity roles. How is the

Blackmore Connects organization helping you understand about board roles, C-Level roles, operating partner roles? How does this conference maybe contribute

to that pathway also?

A: In my experience, I’ve been an operator, I’ve been in deals acquiring a company, but never really with a perspective private equity would be looking for. I think a conference

like this gives you the opportunity to understand the perspective and the voice of private equity and how to present the idea so it has something of relevance to them and

something of interest. If you are looking to get their attention, but your messaging and your presentation is not right it’s just not going to be successful. I think that Blackmore

Connects, through the meetings in advance, the website, webinars, gives you the tools to be able to go through that process so you’re comfortable having a conversation when

you arrive.

Darcy Mauro, President

Sawgrass Technology

Chris Nunez

VP of Research & Development

Grandville Printing

Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to participate?

A: Hi Chris Nunez. I am currently vice president for $60M commercial printing company in Michigan. I raised over $23M of venture capital back in my earlier days 15 years

ago so it’s just time for me to kind of look around. Hooked up with Blackmore, I love what he is doing. I think what he is doing he is compressing the process, compressing

the process of being able to find partners in private equity. It’s a good thing.

Q: Find partners in order to do what, for what outcome?

A: Well yes so in my career, I am ready to go lead a private equity-backed company. I feel I have the experience, I have the background and I am looking to you know, my

next phase, you can’t do that by sending out your resume. You have to build the relationships and I am looking at this you know 6 months 1 year effort. I am doing fine right

now I don’t need a job and I am making plenty of money. I am just looking to advance my career.

Q: What can you tell other execs who are watching this about how does BlackmoreConnects prepare you, do they just tell you to show up? Tell us about the

process and the benefits.

A: Gerald’s team is awesome, they held me accountable to do my homework, keeping me going, you know I have got a lot of other stuff going on but I made the

commitment to come and be a part of this so I have to keep up and they are a really strong team of people who just follow up and guide you through the whole process. It’s

just my first one, I am very impressed.

Q: Would come back for another one?

A: I will be back because I’ve got to keep building my relationships.

Q: What other ways have you looked at in terms of building relationships with private equity in the past?

A: You know when you try to do it yourself you try to email and cold call and I did that early back in 2000’s. This is just way better, I just happen to hit 12 in one day.

James Paetz, fmr Managing Director/Executive VP Global Retail Group

Topcon Europe Positioning, B.V., Topcon Positioning Group

Q: Could you please tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to participate?

A: My name is Jim Paetz. I am a managing director of positioning business in Europe, about 150 million euros of P&L responsibility in the GPS automation of construction

and agriculture equipment. Prior to that I ran a corrugated packaging business and built the corrugated packaging business in California for the produce industry,

primarily with a ground-up greenfield plant, brought it to full operation inside of two years and then moved on to another industry. So, that's who I am. The reason for

being here at the BlackmoreConnects conference is to learn what private equity looks at and what private equity is interested in so that I can look for opportunities in

the packaging business, which is my previous experience where we see some significant opportunities having been consolidated over the last 10 or 15 years. And

under assets that are underperforming that we can take over and create some significant value, so we're looking for investment partners in private equity and this is a

great forum to connect with those kinds of people.

Q: What else, what other benefits for executives? A lot of executives also are running a dual path looking for C-level opportunities, board roles, etc. Why is this

fertile ground?

A: So, these private equity companies have all said in their presentations that they… for all the companies that they acquire they have some operating partner requirements.

Somebody in the business, somebody in the private equity company is asked to provide support to the operation of the business. That's one element. Everyone has

some governance requirements whether it's in the form of a board member or some additional operating partner responsibility. And then thirdly, the opportunity to

network with other executives and build the cadence for the conversations with private equity companies is another benefit of being here.

Q: Do you think it's worth coming again? What would you tell other folks who are on the fence?

A: I would say if you have any ideas about how to take a business that you're familiar with and capitalize on it in a more significant way than you're able to do individually, it's a great place to do it.

Shreesh Tiwari

Hyper-growth Cognitive and AI Leader & Partner - North

America IBM

Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to participate?

A: I am Shreesh Tiwari. I am a P&L leader and business leader. Leading P&Ls from 100 million to 300 million. I have grown them significantly from an EBITDA multiple

perspective. I presently run the artificial intelligence business in the insurance space. I decided to join the BlackmoreConnects conference because I found it very beneficial

to see the perspective of private equity. I worked very closely with Gerald and Nathan and I found that they provide excellent coaching in terms of being able to understand

what PE firms are looking for in terms of deal making.

Q: Not only deal making, but also hiring opportunities, everybody on the panel. they all spoke about how they were all hiring. But if you not getting top of mind,

through the BlackmoreConnects approach…

A: I agree with you. And I found that by being there and joining the conference and appreciating the opportunities in terms of advisory roles and board-level positions.