ACG 101 Jan 29th 2025 Consumer Products & Apparel Panel

Mark is a Partner at the firm, and he is Chair of the Consumer Products practice group.

Mark specializes in representing consumer product companies in corporate, commercial, intellectual property, finance, transactional, merger and acquisition, insolvency, e-commerce, and sourcing matters. For over 30 years, Mark has been steeped in the apparel and textile space, building relationships with the leading players, and leveraging his experience to guide apparel, textile, and other consumer product clients during start ups, capital transactions, mergers, and acquisitions. Mark has the requisite unique, industry-specific experience to assist clients with navigating the best paths to success.

As President of the Asset-based Lending (ABL) division at eCapital, Brian Cuttic brings over 35 years of experience to his role, focusing on delivering results with the speed and certainty both he and eCapital have become synonymous with.

Respected within the industry for his ability to think creatively and strategically for his clients, Brian skillfully combines his background in both the traditional and alternative lending with his own entrepreneurial experience. This results in a unique and beneficial perspective when applied to eCapital’s diverse portfolio of commercial clients.

Prior to eCapital, Brian has held executive-level positions at organizations such as Bank of America, First Capital, Veritas Financial Partners, and Synovus Bank. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Emily Hikade is the Founder and CEO of Petite Plume, a luxury sleepwear and home company. In 2024, Emily was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year. Also in 2024, Petite Plume was included in the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S.

Prior to launching Petite Plume, Emily spent over fifteen years under cover in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), focusing on Counterterrorism. Serving mostly in austere conditions, Emily was on the frontlines of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. After a near plane crash during a mission, Emily made the decision to seek out a significant career change.

In 2015, while still living and working abroad, she bootstrapped and launched Petite Plume. Without prior retail experience, Emily built Petite Plume from the ground up and eventually evolved the business into a luxury sleepwear brand for the entire family to now a full lifestyle brand that includes home, bedding and linens. Today Petite Plume is available in nearly 500 stores nationwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus and is beloved by the Royal Family, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Hart, and so many more. In 2023, Esquire declared Petite Plume "The Best Damn PJs on the Planet."

Petite Plume is currently 100% founder-owned and has been profitable since launch. Emily’s specialty is self-defense and she has trained in Krav Maga and Muay Thai kickboxing, skills which she has used minimally since starting Petite Plume.

--2024: Winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the Midwest
--2024: Petite Plume is named Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the U.S.
--2023: Named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 200 Female Founders
--2023: Esquire defines Petite Plume the "The Best Damn PJ's on the Planet"

Petite Plume has been featured in media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, VOGUE, Forbes, Esquire, The Today Show, GQ, People and many more.

I am a data-driven & human-centric business leader obsessed with exponentially growing companies by developing and implementing innovative strategies. I am fulfilled by positively impacting someone's life, business, or mission, and give 110% of myself to everything I do professionally and personally.

Trever Acers is the Managing Director and Founder of Objective, Investment Banking & Valuation, and co-leads the firm’s Consumer Practice. He specializes in advising middle-market consumer companies on mergers and acquisitions as a dedicated sell-side advisor, ensuring alignment with the objectives of business owners.

Under his leadership, Objective’s experienced professionals have collectively completed over 500 M&A advisory engagements and conducted thousands of business valuations. Trever has personally advised on more than 25 sell-side transactions in the past five years, including notable consumer deals such as the acquisition of Kindred Bravely by private equity firm TZP Group, Controller Gear by strategic acquirer Razer, and Tula by Ergobaby.

A prominent figure in Southern California’s M&A market, Trever is actively involved with ACG, Tech San Diego, and Entrepreneurs' Organization. He frequently shares his insights on middle-market business trends, including a recent appearance on the podcast Ecomm Breakthrough on the episode:"How Private Equity is Changing the Game for E-Commerce Valuations."

Bryan Welker is the Head of Marketing & Growth at L-Nutra, Inc.. His efforts have put the Health & Wellness consumer products company on track to hit $100 million in sales in the short term. With over 15 years of experience scaling consumer brands for acquisition, he specializes in marketing, business development, and operations.

Previously, Bryan directed growth marketing for several private equity-backed brands such as Moonshot Brands, a consumer products acquisition company backed by Y-combinator and over $100m in funding. Earlier in his career he co-founded Biomarker Labs, where he developed platforms enabling users to decode how lifestyle choices impact health. His expertise in Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) growth includes funnel acquisition, paid media management, and KPI-driven optimization, making him highly skilled at scaling businesses sustainably.

An educator and practitioner, Bryan has participated as a guest lecturer for Wharton’s Advanced Digital Marketing and Growth Strategy program, where he taught and guided students in their capstone projects. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly. A California native, Bryan is passionate about the intersection of business, technology, and wellness, driving his mission to create impactful consumer experiences.