ACG Atlanta presents: The New Normal in Private Equity – A 2027 M&A Outlook

The New Normal in Private Equity A 2027 M&A Outlook.png

Event Details

When:

November 11, 2026 7:30 AM - 9 AM EST

Where:

Location Name

Buckhead Club

Location Address

3344 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30326
United States

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Overview

Body

The private equity landscape is changing. As firms look for new opportunities to deploy capital and generate returns, many are moving further down-market and pursuing businesses at revenue levels that historically may not have attracted institutional private equity.

Join us for an insightful breakfast discussion exploring The New Normal in Private Equity and what it could mean for business owners, investors, advisors, and the M&A market heading into 2027.

Doug Tatum will open the program examining why private equity firms are moving further down-market, the forces driving this shift, and how it is changing the opportunity set for both investors and business owners.

Following, Doug will lead a fireside chat with Tim Templeton of Trivest Partners and Steve Hunter of Ascent Advisory Partners to discuss the 2027 private equity and M&A outlook from both the investor and investment banking perspectives.

The conversation will explore the factors likely to shape deal activity in 2027, including valuations, financing conditions, buyer and seller expectations, the availability of capital, and the implications of private equity's continued movement into the lower middle marketfor deal flow.

Whether you are a business owner considering a future transaction, a private equity investor, or an advisor working with privately held companies, this discussion will provide a timely look at where the M&A market may be headed—and where new opportunities may emerge.

Join ACG Atlanta and Accountants One for a forward-looking conversation about private equity, M&A and what to expect in 2027.

Agenda:

7:30 AM: Check-in and Networking, Breakfast Served
8:00 AM: Panel Begins
8:45 AM: Question and Answer session
9:00 AM: Event Concludes

Pricing:

Members | $55
Member Guests | $70
- Must be registered by an ACG member.
Non-Members/Guests | $85
24-Hour/Walk-In | $95

Please email ACGAtlanta@acg.org if you have any questions!

A 3% payment processing fee will be added to credit and debit card transactions. This fee covers nonrefundable costs charged by our payment processor and does not represent surplus for ACG.

Speakers

Steve Hunter

Ascent Advisory Partners

Managing Director

Steve brings more than three decades of investment banking experience to Ascent, having advised on more than 100 merger and acquisition transactions for business owners and private equity firms over his career. At Ascent, he provides senior-level counsel to founder-owned and family businesses navigating complex middle-market liquidity events.

Prior to joining Ascent, Steve served as Managing Director at Capstone Partners and previously served as Managing Director and Head of Financial Sponsor Coverage at TM Capital. Earlier in his career, he opened the Atlanta office and led sponsor coverage for Green Holcomb Fisher through its acquisition by BMO Capital Markets in 2016. He began his corporate finance career at The Robinson-Humphrey Company. Steve is widely recognized across the middle market for his extensive sponsor relationships and hands-on, senior-led transaction execution.

Steve serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).

Doug Tatum

Newport Board Group

Chairman

Doug serves as Chairman for Newport Board Group, a national partnership of former senior
executives who advise emerging middle market company founders and assist them to
strategically assess their company’s growth strategies and positioning in the Capital Markets.

He is a Faculty Member at the Florida State University Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship
and serves as the Advisory Board Chairman for the Business Dynamics Research Consortium, a
national research institute housed at the University of Wisconsin - Extension.

Doug served as the Global Chairman of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), a global
not-for-profit organization with 58 Chapters and 14,000 members in the US and internationally,
representing middle market private capital investors, intermediaries, and the middle market deal
community. He was awarded ACG's Lifetime Achievement Award - recognizing his extensive
research on Private Equity and his dedication to ACG and the middle market community in the
U.S. and around the world.

Doug is a recognized expert on Private Equity, the capital markets and the entrepreneurial
growth economy. He has testified before the U.S. Congress about the financing challenges
growing companies face and about U.S. tax policy. Doug speaks extensively to business groups
throughout the world, presenting the research and frameworks included in his book No Man’s
Land: Where Growing Companies Fail. The book has received four national Best Business
Book awards and has been translated into several languages. The book was included in the
updated edition of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten.
Doug’s insights about rapid growth companies, private equity and the capital markets have been
cited in hundreds of media outlets including Inc. Magazine, The Financial Times and the New
York Times online.

As Chairman and CEO of Tatum LLC, Doug built and ultimatly sold a highly respected national
professional service firm, leading it from its entrepreneurial phase to 30 offices and over 1000
professionals.

Tim Templeton

Trivest Partners

Advisor for Business Development

Tim Templeton is an Advisor for Business Development with Trivest
Partners, the oldest private equity firm based in the Southeast. He has more
than 25 years of experience sourcing and evaluating strategic growth,
investment, and ownership transition opportunities.

Tim takes a relationship-driven approach to business development, working
directly with business owners and their professional advisors to identify
opportunities and explore long-term capital partnerships. His experience in
the lower middle market has given him a practical understanding of the
priorities of founder and family-owned businesses and the importance of
finding the right partner for their next stage of growth.

Prior to joining Trivest full time, Tim served as an advisor to the Florida
Governor and Cabinet, managed several statewide political campaigns in
Florida, and led business development for a large Southeastern
construction company, helping triple the company’s revenue during his
tenure.

Moderated by: Brent Harris

Accountants One

Managing Director

Brent Harris is Managing Director of Accountants One and has more than 30 years of
experience in accounting and finance recruiting. Throughout his career, he has advised
companies ranging from entrepreneurial and middle-market businesses to large
organizations on building the financial leadership teams needed to support growth and
change.

A significant focus of Brent’s work is within the private equity community, partnering
with PE firms, operating partners, portfolio company executives and their advisors on
accounting and finance talent needs throughout the investment lifecycle. His experience
includes helping portfolio companies strengthen their teams following an acquisition,
integrate add-on acquisitions, upgrade financial reporting and systems, navigate periods
of rapid growth and prepare for future transactions and exits.

Brent and the Accountants One team provide both permanent search and
interim/fractional solutions, with particular expertise in CFO, Controller and senior
accounting and finance leadership roles. His extensive work with private equity-backed
companies has given him a practical understanding of the pace, expectations and
evolving talent requirements of the PE environment.

During his career, Brent has been recognized as a top producer and leader. He was
inducted into the Georgia Association of Personnel Service’s Million Dollar Hall of Fame
in his first year of eligibility. In addition to leading the Accountants One recruiting team,
Brent is an active participant in Atlanta’s business and M&A community.

Hosted by: ACG

Chapter

Atlanta