Founders often focus on the multiple and headline valuation when planning an exit, but the structure of the deal ultimately determines how much cash they keep when the dust settles. This session explains why transaction structure matters as much as price, and how elements like rolled equity, earn-outs, and seller notes can materially change risk, timing, and after-tax proceeds. We’ll also examine the impact of taxes in deal structure, helping founders understand how different choices at the negotiating table translate into real outcomes after closing.
Private equity firms and strategic buyers continue to pursue consolidation opportunities across the manufacturing sector. This roundtable will explore where the next wave of roll-up strategies is emerging and how buyers are identifying attractive platforms and add-on targets. We’ll discuss themes shaping deal activity—from HALO (Heavy Assets, Low Obsolescence) sectors and reshoring tailwinds to automation-driven productivity gains and niche manufacturing fragmentation. The conversation will focus on practical buy-side perspectives: where capital is being deployed, how buyers are structuring roll-ups, and what makes a platform scalable through acquisition.
This session, conducted jointly by an investment banking professional and an M&A attorney, discusses how owners can maximize value and reduce deal risk in an owner-led sale through proactive exit planning and early identification of diligence issues that can lead to unwanted surprises.
Many manufacturing businesses perform well operationally, yet stall in a transaction because the company isn’t structurally ready to sell. This discussion will focus on the human and operational realities that shape deal outcomes long before valuation begins. We’ll examine critical factors that can impact your deal value and certainty of closing, such as founder dependence, leadership bench strength, customer concentration, revenue mix, growth strategy, financial reporting / systems strength and knowable unknowns, through the lens of what buyers are truly underwriting. Rather than focusing on EBITDA expansion, this discussion centers on transferability, credibility, and ability to maintain deal momentum. If you plan to explore a transaction in the next two to five years, this session will help you identify the obstacles that could limit your options—and the steps to remove them.
EBITDA may be the headline number, but seasoned buyers know it rarely tells the full story—especially in manufacturing. In this buy-side roundtable, we’ll dig into how to analyze a target’s earnings quality and where to probe deeper before you trust the “adjusted” story. Participants will compare practical ways to challenge assumptions around add-backs, working capital, capex needs, labor and productivity, pricing/mix, and customer or program concentration—plus manufacturing-specific landmines like inventory costing and inventory reserves, where small accounting choices can materially change reported margins. You’ll leave with a more disciplined approach to underwriting value creation.
Many manufacturers focus on boosting EBITDA ahead of a sale—only to discover late in the process that a handful of avoidable issues can quietly drag down valuation and deal certainty. In this sell-side roundtable, we’ll unpack seven common “value killers” that buyers penalize most, from an unclear growth story and hard-to-defend concentration to shallow leadership depth, weak operational systems, underdeveloped financial reporting, and overreliance on the owner. The goal is practical: help you spot the risks that most often diminish value or salability—and identify what to fix early so you can go to market with a stronger, more defensible business.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
