June 12, 2012 Peer Growth Event Presenter: Robert MacLellan, The Reasons Pacific Coast Restaurants Was So Successful Location: Multnomah Athletic Club
July 26, 2012 BizGrowth Summit Location: Oregon Convention Center
August 8, 2012 Golf Tournament Location: Langdon Farms
September TBD, 2012 Peer Growth Event Location: TBD
October TBD, 2012 An Evening With
November TBD, 2012 CXO Event
November 29, 2012 Holiday / Wine Event Location: Arlington Club / Parkside Room
April 10th Peer Growth Event Recap - Stephen Babson, Endeavour Capital This month’s ACG Portland’s Peer Growth event delved into some powerful issues surrounding Oregon business. Discussion about the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010), opened with discourse that private equity has not acted responsibly. This was followed by a review of companies bought by private equity firms who have presented to ACG Portland in the past, for example, Oregon Steel Mills, McCormick & Schmicks, Enron Capital, and Portland Shipyard.
A new look at results-oriented evaluation of financial ratios, leadership and capitalization structure/capital efficiencies to gauge investment-worthiness ensued. Building upon the benefit of hindsight and the ability to learn from past mistakes, solutions to several scenarios showed proven results when backing a leader in a target market, small markets, and companies who have not been growing but could.
The session then turned to a strategy review of Endeavour Capital, including hard numbers, money invested and qualifying screens. In close, a consideration of the current political climate on a national, state and local level left room for future exchanges on several critical issues.
Five of the top takeaways from the session were:
BUSINESS ENTITIES
ENDEAVOUR CAPITAL
March 13th Peer Growth Event Recap - Sohrab Vossoughi, Ziba If the length and volume of the applause at the conclusion of Tuesday’s (March 13th) ACG Portland Peer Growth event was any indication of the attendees’ appreciation of Ziba’s President Sohrab Vossoughi’s presentation, then it appeared the crowd LOVED it. Vossoughi is a trail blazer in his approach and creativity to design and innovation. His presentation touched on many business philosophies and Ziba’s unique style, including how culture makes Ziba different from its competition ("Culture lasts, companies don’t," said Vossoughi). On the topic of Ziba’s success and sales, Vossoughi emphasized that sales are a bi-product of consistently producing a good product. He also shared multiple compelling examples of past and existing clients, their unique needs, and how "doing the right thing and doing it the right way" is critical to Ziba’s success. ACG Portland thanks Sohrab Vossoughi for his insightful and inspiring words, which clearly resonated with most in attendance. February 15th Peer Growth Event Recap - Frank Foti, Vigor Industrial ACG Portland’s February Peer Growth delivered another compelling and remarkable presentation—this time from Frank Foti, president and CEO of Vigor Industrial. Unless you are in the shipbuilding and industrial marine services arena, you’ve probably never heard of Vigor Industrial. However, after the February 15 presentation at Portland’s World Trade Center Auditorium, ACG Portland members were treated to a memorable overview of the industrial landscape and Foti’s unique—and perhaps unorthodox—approach to business. Manufacturing and industrial jobs are a valuable commodity in America these days, and Foti provided some valuable insights into the importance of hiring within the United States in this capacity. Beyond the overview of Vigor Industrial and the shipbuilding industry, ACG members were given extraordinary access to Foti’s heart-felt business philosophy. Specifically, Foti emphasized on a few occasions the importance of leading from the heart, while bringing your "real self" into the business. That is, Foti advocates to always be yourself at work (and not what others or the industry expects you to be). He claims that being himself took time—and it was "weird" at first—but it finally led him to be more honest and genuine with himself and others. It appeared that the attending ACG Portland members experienced a truly unique "view from the top" during Frank Foti’s presentation—both from a business perspective and a philosophical perspective. A presentation that will be remembered for quite some time.
Steve LaCesa Oak Tree Insurance Jeffrey Eberhard Smith Freed & Eberhard Bob Mahoney Northwest Pipe Company Will Moore Moore Performance Group Brad Gebhard Hi Tec Sports Clent Richardson Huntington Hill Ventures Don Douglas Leveraged Negotiations Mark Birge AKT
ACG Portland is one of 56 chapters with more than 14,000 members in North America and Europe. Founded in 1954, the Association for Corporate Growth is a global association for professionals involved in corporate growth, corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions. Members of ACG are from corporations, private equity, finance, and professional service firms representing Fortune 500, Fortune 1000, FTSE 100, and mid-market companies. Our local Board of Directors is committed to maintaining a balance between corporate and professional service members (3:1 ratio) in the chapter, which currently approximates 150 members.
Throughout the year, our Chapter supports programs where business executives and resource experts share their experience and knowledge. The information provided and the relationships developed are invaluable in fostering corporate growth. These events and several social gatherings during the year provide our members and guests unparalleled networking opportunities.
For additional information on membership or programs please contact the appropriate Board member or our chapter administrator, Karen Siegle, or see About ACG Portland.
Karen Siegle, Executive Director PO Box 4272 Portland, Oregon 97208-4272 (503) 768-4299 Email: acgportland@acg.org