ACG CIN: The SPAC-tacular State of IPOs

Rob has garnered a reputation as a leading advisor to growth-minded companies, venture capital funds, family offices, government entities, research institutions, and sports franchises. Rob partners with his clients to develop and implement the appropriate strategies to achieve their organizational goals; whether it be growth, efficiency, or risk mitigation. In doing so, he leads mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, securities offerings, and other strategic initiatives. In addition, Rob assists his clients with fund formation, IP commercialization and tech transfer, and on developing programs to manage recurrent litigation.

Most recently, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted has named Rob to the executive committee of InnovateOhio, a new state government innovation initiative where Rob Chairs the Ohio IP Promise workgroup. Civically, Rob is currently the Board Chair of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, a 125-year old institution, and serves on the executive committees of the Dan Beard Council (Boy Scouts of America) and the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Cincinnati. He is also on the board of MORTAR Cincinnati and Main Street Ventures, which are creating opportunities to build communities through entrepreneurship.

Rob received his bachelor's degree from Duke University and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. While an undergraduate, he completed comparative law course work at New College, Oxford University. He earned his J.D. from Washington University School of Law, and during his last term of law school, he clerked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Rob grew up in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Japan and Belgium.

Steven is the National Capital Markets leader in our Technical Accounting Consulting practice. He has over 25 years’ experience guiding private companies of all sizes with their capital market transactions. Throughout his career, he has supported clients with IPO’s, SPACs, mergers and acquisitions, and divestures. This has included delivering a variety of services, such as SPAC technical accounting assistance, business and IT process and controls improvement solutions, financial reporting and governance advisory services and financial audits to private businesses of all sizes anticipating a capital market transaction. Prior to joining RSM, he was a partner with a Big Four firm working there for more than 20 years.

Art advises boards of directors and senior management of public companies on corporate governance and securities matters, including internal and governmental investigations, accounting restatements, FCPA and other anti-corruption matters, major business combinations, and compliance with SEC and stock exchange requirements. His practice also involves corporate finance transactions, including public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, and counseling companies in connection with general corporate and transactional matters. Art is listed in Best Lawyers in America under the securities regulation category. Art is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he teaches Securities Regulation and Advanced Corporations.

Art joined Taft as a partner in our Cincinnati office after 11 years of practice at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York. He earned his undergraduate degree in American history and literature from Harvard University in 1993. He then attended the Columbia University School of Law, where he earned a J.D. in 1997. Art was a senior editor of the Columbia Law Review and was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.