ACG Chicago Catalyst Award

Event Details

When:

September 16, 2026 4:30 PM - 7 PM CDT

Where:

Location Address

Town Hall
One North State Street
Chicago, IL 60202
United States

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Overview

Body

Join ACG Chicago for the inaugural presentation of the ACG Chicago Catalyst Award, recognizing an individual whose leadership, vision, and lasting contributions have advanced Chicago's middle-market dealmaking community.

Building on the legacy of ACG Chicago's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Catalyst Award continues a tradition of recognizing exceptional leaders, with 22 honorees celebrated since 2002. This year's honoree, Justin Ishbia, Founder and Managing Partner of Shore Capital Partners, has built one of the nation's leading private equity firms through a disciplined approach to investing in lower middle-market companies and helping them grow into stronger, more successful businesses. Under his leadership, Shore has become one of the most active private equity firms in the world while earning a reputation for exceptional performance.

The evening will feature an intimate fireside chat with Justin, moderated by John Bintz, Managing Director at VRC, exploring Justin's career, his perspective on the evolving M&A landscape, and the lessons he has learned building one of the industry's most successful firms. Following the conversation, guests are invited to enjoy a cocktail reception and networking with Chicago's middle-market dealmaking community.

Speakers

Justin Ishbia

Shore Capital Partners

Managing Partner

Justin is the Founder and Managing Partner of one of the nation’s best performing private equity firms, Shore Capital Partners (“Shore”). Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Justin and the team have grown Shore from 4 to approximately 225 team members managing over $17 billion in Regulatory Assets Under Management across more than 84 platforms representing 1,300+ acquired companies.

Shore has helped lower middle market companies grow bigger, stronger, and faster through thoughtful investments in people, process, and systems. Shore’s portfolio companies now span across over 2,000 locations representing more than 43,000 employees. Shore has been recognized each of the last six years as one of Inc. Magazine’s Top Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firms. Shore is also the most active private equity firm in the world by deal volume according to PitchBook while continuing to achieve return profiles that rank Shore among the top 1% of private equity firms.

Outside of the office, Mr. Ishbia is a member of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust, the Board of Directors Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, and a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization. He serves as an alternate governor of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association, the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association and Major League Soccer's Nashville SC. He also is a Minority Owner of the Chicago White Sox.

Justin received his Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School, a Certificate of Law and Business from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management and a B.A. in Accounting from Michigan State University. He lives in Chicago with his wife Kristen, four children and two yellow labs.