ACGLA Food & Beverage Event - Feb. 21, 2018 Wed. Cal Club

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Food & Beverage Panel Feb 21, 2018

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When:

February 21, 2018 5 PM - 8 PM PST

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On-line registration for this event is now closed. You may register at the door for an additional 20 dollars. We look forward to seeing you tonight at the Cal Club, starting at 5 pm.
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Crowe Horwath: Jeff Tillman and Aaron Kirkbride attending

Assessing Mergers and Acquisitions in the Food and Beverage Industry (Webinar Recording) November 2017 - by Crowe Horwath Event Sponsor 

     Crowe Horwath LLP is one of the largest public accounting firms in the United States, providing audit services to public and private entities while also helping clients reach their goals with tax, advisory, risk, and performance services. Built on a vision of deep industry specialization, Crowe is a leader serving several industries including Financial Services, Food & Agriculture and Private Equity. Recognized six times by Fortune as a ‘Best Place to Work’, Crowe is committed to a progressive work environment that leverages the diversity of all its professionals.

Green Hasson Janks: 

     Green Hasson Janks works as a business advocate for our clients – providing personalized service and building long-term relationships to help position our clients for the future. The transaction advisory and consulting practice at Green Hasson Janks provides an independent, unvarnished perspective and acts as a strategic advisor to our clients. Founded in 1953, Green Hasson Janks is a Los Angeles-based accounting firm that specializes in food and beverage, entertainment and media, health and wellness and nonprofit companies. Ranked as a top-20 largest accounting firm on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Book of Lists, the Firm has 14 partners and approximately 130 staff members that serve over 3,000 clients. Also named a 2016 “Best Places to Work” by the Los Angeles Business Journal (the eighth winning year since 2008), Green Hasson Janks provides an environment where talented and career-minded individuals can grow personally and professionally. 

Glaser Weil: 

    Glaser Weil, headquartered in Los Angeles, is one of the country’s premier full-service law firms. From start-ups to large global corporations to high-profile individuals, Glaser Weil represents an international roster of diverse, selective clients with an unprecedented level of dedication and commitment.  

FocalPoint: Duane Stullich and Bob Woolway attending

Founded in 2002 by Nishen Radia and Duane Stullich, FocalPoint is a leading independent investment bank focused on effectuating transactions for middle-market companies. The firm has grown quickly since inception, capitalizing on strategic differentiators to create compelling value propositions for clients. The firm has dedicated industry teams working across six key verticals to provide a broad range of first-in-class services to clients.

FocalPoint is a member of the International Association of Investment Bankers (IAIB), a group of established boutique investment banks from around the world whose primary focus is advising middle market and emerging growth companies. (NEW)

Greenberg Glusker: Joel Weinstein attending

     For nearly 60 years, Greenberg Glusker has held a unique position in Los Angeles as a full-service law firm, with particular expertise in bankruptcy/insolvency, corporate, employment, entertainment, environmental, intellectual property, litigation, private client services, real estate, and taxation. Committed to providing a wide range of services, Greenberg Glusker combines the personal attention of a boutique firm with the strength and breadth of services customarily found in a multi-office, international firm.

KPMG: Charity Manley, Shelley Cole, Andy Kierney, Sami Salam, Shirin Berjis

   KPMG International is a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax, and advisory services. We operate in 155 countries and have more than 174,000 professionals, including 9,000 partners, working in member firms around the world. Our purpose is to turn knowledge into value for the benefit of our clients, our people, and the capital markets. Our member firms aim to provide clients with a globally consistent set of multidisciplinary financial and accounting services based on deep industry knowledge. Our experienced professionals have the industry knowledge and access to our firm’s global resources necessary to provide the quality service our clients deserve. In addition to delivering audit and tax services, our teams provide a broad spectrum of assistance in such specialized areas as Internal Audit Services, Transaction Services, Corporate Finance, CFO Advisory, and Information Risk Management.

CSuite Financial Partners - Arthur Cohen - Founder and National Managing Partner,  Jeff Durbin  -  Partner, Kelly Anderson - Partner,  Rob Dennison - Managing Partner Private Equity,   Scott Smith - Partner ,   Mitch Browne - Partner, Randy Weaver - Partner,  Betsy Anderson - Partner,  Elaine Bogart - Partner

  The language of successful business is finance.  Count on CSuite Financial Partners to help you with all your financial management needs.  CSuite Financial Partners is a national, financial executive services firm providing full range of financial management services to companies in various industries, regardless of size, throughout the United States. Our Partners are executive-level CPAs and MBAs who possess on average twenty-five years of senior-level strategic and operational experience.  Their backgrounds include Fortune 100, 500 and Fortune 1000 experience in various industries on a national and global level.  We work in close partnership with our clients to fulfill a full range of financial needs including specific growth plans and mergers and acquisitions with the flexibility to engage our CFOs and financial professionals on an interim, project or search basis.


Hosted by: ACG
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Los Angeles
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Moderator – Charity Manley, Partner, KPMG

 Charity is an Audit partner in the LA office where she focuses on serving large food and beverage companies and retailers. She leads a cross-functional team of industry focused professionals as the Southern California Consumer Markets and Retail Audit Leader and is closely linked to the KPMG National Consumer Markets and Retail network. Charity has over 16 years of experience working with large public and private international companies under both US GAAP and IFRS. She has a deep understanding of common challenges, opportunities, strategies and structures facing food and beverage companies and restaurants. Her clients have included Nestle, PepsiCo, Forever 21, Deckers Outdoor Corporation and The Wonderful Company.

 

Mark Catania, Founder and Managing Director, RDL Capital Investments

Mark Catania is Managing Partner and founder of RDL Capital Investments, a private investment firm focused on control and influencing positions in small- to micro-cap companies and real estate properties in the United States and Canada. Franchised brands in the restaurant industry are a core investment strategy, including the roll-up of the largest Papa John’s Pizza franchise, comprising 60+ locations, in the Western United States.

Mark has over 20 years of principal investing, operating and investment banking experience, and has participated and advised on more than 50 transactions with aggregate deal volume in excess of $26 billion. Prior to RDL, Mark founded several start-up companies and held positions at Duff & Phelps, Chanin Capital Partners and The Catalyst Capital Group. Mark started his career at DLJ / Credit Suisse First Boston in Los Angeles and graduated with an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

 

Adam Fleischman, Founder and CEO of Umami Burger and Co-Founder of 800 Degrees

Adam is a self-taught food innovator and entrepreneur. He is widely regarded as an influential tastemaker and culinary personality (including appearances as a judge on Iron Chef). In 2009, he founded Umami Burger (and soon afterward, the Umami Restaurant Group), and co-founded 800 Degrees Pizza, also multi-unit innovative concepts. Now, he is putting his tastemaker abilities to use, creating and sourcing the next wave of culinary brands. Fleischman was featured on Fast Company’s list of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” and National Restaurant News’ “Power List: The 50 most powerful people in food service.”

 

Joe Tesoriero, CFO of BarFresh, former CFO of Dole Foods

Joseph S. Tesoriero (“Joe”) is an independent director of Smart & Final Stores, Inc., (NYSE: SFS), a position held since July of 2014. He is Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Smart & Final, headquartered in Commerce, California, is a value oriented food and everyday staples retailer, operating 316 grocery and foodservice stores in the northwestern United States under the “Smart & Final”, “Smart & Final Extra!”, and “Cash & Carry Smart Foodservice” banners, with an additional 15 stores in Mexico operated through a joint venture.

Joe also serves as Chief Financial Officer of Barfresh Food Group, Inc. (OTC: BRFH), a position held since May of 2015. The company is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Barfresh is a developer, manufacturer and distributor of ready-to-blend beverages, including smoothies, shakes, and frappes, primarily for restaurant chains and the foodservice industry.

Joe was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dole Food Company, Inc., a producer, marketer and distributor of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and packaged foods products from February 2010 until April 2013, and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from August 2004 until February 2010, and Vice President of Tax from September 2002 until August 2004. After leaving Dole, Joe was engaged as a financial advisor for Dole Asia Holdings, Ltd. Pte, a Singapore based wholly owned subsidiary of Itochu Corporation of Japan, from April to October 2013.

Joe was Senior Vice President of Tax of Global Crossing (1998-2002), Vice President of Tax of Coleman Camping Equipment (1997-1998), International Tax Attorney with Revlon Cosmetics (1989-1991), and Tax Attorney with IBM (1980-1988). Joe began his career in 1978 as a Tax Associate with Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte), in their New York City office. Joe holds a B.S. in Accounting from Villanova University, a J.D. from New York Law School, and an LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University. He has been a member of the New York State Bar since 1978. Joe and his wife Jacqueline have three sons, and reside in Pacific Palisades, California.

 

Adam Wieden, Director, Lazard

Adam Wieden is a Director and a senior member of the Food group at Lazard Middle Market. Mr. Wieden has more than 13 years of investment banking experience advising public and private companies on a range of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, financings, corporate divestitures, fairness opinions, and strategic advisory assignments. Mr. Wieden’s food experience spans across a broad spectrum of food sectors (e.g., better-for-you, protein, bakery, snacks, prepared foods, pet, medical foods), market channels (branded, private label, foodservice, and contract manufacturing), and temperature states (frozen, refrigerated, and shelf-stable). Some of his recent award-winning transactions include advising Del Real on its sale to Palladium Equity Partners (2017 M&A Advisor “Consumer Staples Deal of the Year; Over $100MM”), advising Highline Produce on its sale to Fyffes (2016 M&A Advisor “Consumer Staples Deal of the Year”), and advising Kansas City Board of Trade on its sale to CME Group (2013 M&A Advisor “Financial Services Deal of the Year; Up to $200MM”). Lazard Middle Market’s food practice was started in the late 1990s and remains one of the few practices in the middle market dedicated exclusively to food.

Mr. Wieden graduated cum laude from Kansas State University with Bachelor of Science degrees in finance and management information systems.

 

Steve Singer

Founder & CEO - FODY Food Co.

Helping millions of people eat and enjoy food again – and live happy & fulfilling lives.

   Steven J Singer, a “serial entrepreneur” is an 18-year veteran in the natural food industry.   Steven was the Co-Founder of Glutino Foods, a leader in the gluten-free food industry.  He helped lead that Company to over 70 million in sales, 100+ employees, 2 manufacturing facilities, and many partnerships worldwide.  Steven also orchestrated a strategic manufacturing partnership with General Mill’s Baking Division (Betty Crocker).  Glutino was eventually acquired by Boulder Brands in 2011 and then by Pinnacle Foods in 2016 and continues to be a dominant player in the gluten-free industry.  

   In 2016, Steven founded FODY Food Co., North America’s first certified low FODMAP food company.  The products are geared towards the millions of people with irritable bowel syndrome.   In just over 12 months, FODY launched 18 products across the USA, Canada, and recently launched in Europe.  Steven also consults natural food & beverage businesses on how to deal with the many challenges they face and is proud to sit on the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board.

   Steven lives in Montreal, Canada with his wife and three children.  He is a graduate of McGill University.  When he is not building businesses, Steven is very big into sports – both actively and as a fan!