ACG Detroit | M&A Outlook

Event Details

When:

November 13, 2025 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM EST

Where:

Location Name

Birmingham Community House

Location Address

380 South Bates Street
Birmingham, MI 48009
United States

Add to Calendar

Overview

Body

Join ACG Detroit for an in-depth conversation on the future of middle-market M&A. Our panel of seasoned experts will unpack the shifting deal landscape, from today’s headwinds to tomorrow’s opportunities, and tackle questions for many key dealmakers and business leaders. Questions like:

· What’s different today? Higher-for-longer interest rates, inflation pressure, geopolitical tension, and election-year jitters all add a layer of unpredictability. Are we in a “pause and reset” moment, or building toward a rebound in 2026?

· Capital & Dry Powder Dynamics: LPs wanting better terms or pulling back, GPs sitting on reserves but slowed by valuation gaps, and lenders tightening credit while private credit funds aim to fill the void.

· Banks & Lenders: How are covenants, stricter underwriting, and balance-sheet pressures shaping deal activity? At the same time, how much pressure are banks under to put capital to work?

· Deal Structures & Valuations: With buyer-seller expectations misaligned, earnouts and creative structures are becoming more common.

· Sector Hotspots: Which industries are poised for growth, and which are facing headwinds?

· Business owners and founders: for owners seeking first institutional capital or generational wealth events in the next five years, what factors should they be considering?

· Looking Ahead: Where will capital flows shift, who are the “surprise” active buyers — corporates, family offices, private credit? And how long until deal volumes return to peak levels?

Whether you’re a dealmaker, advisor, capital provider, strategic acquirer, C-Level executive, or business owner, you’ll leave with great insights into the opportunities — and risks — that will affect the M&A market in the coming years.

Members $90 • Non-members $105

Speakers

Robi Mitra

Sturbridge Capital

Managing Director

Robi joined the Sturbridge Capital team in November 2020 as a Managing Director responsible for the firm’s fundraising and business development activities. Additionally, Robi serves on the firm’s investment committee. Prior to Sturbridge Capital, Robi was a Finance Director for Bollinger Motors. In his role, Robi worked closely with the team on corporate strategy, strategic partnerships, finance and raising capital. Prior to joining Bollinger, Robi was Chairman and CEO of K&A Resource Group a collection of human capital management solutions focused on Industry 4.0. He purchased the initial company, K&A Staffing from his father in 2016 and subsequently acquired LME Resource Group in 2017. Prior to his role as an entrepreneur, Robi advised on or participated in more than 75 transactions during his 22 years of family office, private equity, investment banking, and capital markets experience.

Robi established his financing and capital expertise as an investment banker. He was Vice President at Livingstone Partners, a boutique investment bank with offices in Chicago, Dusseldorf, Las Angeles, London, Madrid and Stockholm. Before joining Livingstone, Robi spent more than six years as a middle-market investment banker at W.Y. Campbell & Company in Detroit, Michigan executing global sell-side investment banking assignments for clients in the automotive, industrial and distribution sectors.

In his spare time, Robi has served as a board member and advisory board member to the Tri-Community Coalition, Einstein Educational Ecosystem and Vehicles for Change, respectively. HE currently serves on the Board and Finance Committee of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan. His personal life includes spending time with his significant other, his three children and their very large dog. Robi received his MBA from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and earned a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Kim Easterle Mattes

Aon

Senior Vice President

Kim is a producer at Aon. Prior to joining Aon in 2014, Kim owned a benefits and property & casualty agency since 1996. She has 25 years of commercial experience across Property Casualty and Health. Kim started her career at General Motors in finance and strategic planning. As a strategic relationship leader, Kim's responsibilities include ensuring access to resources and emerging solutions.

Kim earned an MBA degree from University of Detroit and an undergraduate business degree from the University of Michigan. She also attended the Wharton Executive Education Program.

Chas Chandler

Amherst Partners, LLC

Partner

Chas has over 30 years of investment banking experience and completed hundreds of corporate finance transactions including the sale of closely held businesses, divestitures, and long term debt and equity capital formations. His client responsibilities center on leading transactional deal teams to strategically position companies for sale, properly structure the transaction, and negotiate key terms and conditions in order to optimize shareholder value. His experience has extended throughout North America and Europe in a variety of sectors including consumer products, distribution and transportation, food processing, building products, healthcare, telecommunication software, metal fabrication, and plastics.

Prior to joining Amherst Partners, Chas served as a Director of KPMG LLP’s Corporate Finance practice. He was also Senior Vice President at McDonald Securities and a Vice President at The Ohio Company, two regional investment banking firms.

Chas earned his Bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College and received an MBA in Finance from Miami University on full academic scholarship. He is a frequent speaker on merger and acquisition programs on popular topics such as “How to Maximize the Sale of a Business,” “What are the Common Mistakes in Selling a Privately Held Business?” and “How is a Privately Held Business Valued?” Chas’ other activities include serving on the Board of the Association for Corporate Growth, and he is a past Board member of the Detroit Athletic Club.

Kurt Harvey - Moderator

Freshbank Partners

Managing Partner

Kurt has been recognized as one of the most transformative corporate development and finance executives in multi-site retail healthcare for nearly twenty years. He has the unique experience on all-sides of deals inside and out to help entrepreneurial founders that other investment banking advisors don’t have.

Kurt co-founded Freshbank Partners to combine forces with Terese Hunwick and amplify their like-minded client service approach. Kurt joined Caber Hill Advisors to lead M&A deal activity in multi-site retail healthcare industries. He is founder and CEO of H4V Enterprises, where he provides Independent Board advisory and industry expertise and co-invests alongside founders, CEOs, and institutional capital.

Prior, Kurt led growth at GEDC for over 11 years and 3 separate Private Equity recapitalizations, lastly as its CDO. In his time there, GEDC achieved over 500% revenue growth, primarily through the acquisition and successful integration of over 220 practices via nearly 50 transactions ranging from dozens of single site practices to several multi-site groups across 10 states. Prior, Kurt spent over a decade elevating within multiple Big 4 CPA firms.

Kurt serves on the Board of Oakpoint, a DSO, is a Crain’s Detroit Top 40 under 40 alumnus, a CPA in MI and CA, a member of the AICPA, the Chairman and Board Member of ACG Detroit, past president of ACG Detroit, former Chair of ACG Detroit’s Corporate Development Alliance Initiative, an Ironman triathlete, and Chair of the Board of the non-profit Transracial Journeys. Kurt graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree from Albion College in Economics and Management

Hosted by: ACG

Chapter

Detroit