POD Meetings

The acronym "POD" stands for Professionals Opening Doors. PODs were developed as a way to help ACG SF members better leverage their membership. A POD is a smaller networking group created with the sole purpose of helping members develop relationships and refer business. How PODs work is simple: One or two members sponsor the POD, 8 to 10 other members join, and these members meet on a regular basis to build relationships, trade industry intelligence, and share new business leads. As participants find value and build relationships, they split off into their own PODs to continue the flow of business and leverage an ever increasing number of potential referral partners. Most PODs stay intact for several years in order to build greater depth & breadth with each member.

The most successful PODs meet frequently and regularly with the specific intent and purpose of transacting business, sharing leads and leveraging each other’s contacts and business expertise.

The role of ACG SF is to provide the introductions, structure and tools for members that wish to create or join a POD.
 

Current Listing of PODs (please contact the POD Lead to join):
 

CDO/Strategic Buyer POD: Ryan Kuhn
E: rkuhn@kuhncap.com
Open to corporate development officers (CDOs) or other corporate executives who participate in their company’s strategic planning, initiate M&A transactions, and support post-close target integration.
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Data Privacy/Date Governance POD: Kevin Harrison
E: k4harrison@gmail.com
Data Governance is a key step in becoming a truly Data Informed enterprise. Good data Governance ensures the data used is reliable, valid, complete, timely, available to those with a  legitimate need for and authority to access it; while also, protecting confidentiality, security and reducing redundant data collection and storage. This POD will discuss different approaches to Data Governance, and discuss the use of Tools, Processes and People to achieve maximum ROI based on an enterprise's maturity level.

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FinTech POD: Leigh Wasson
E: leigh.wasson@bnymellon.com

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Food & Beverage POD: Sam Dibble
E: sam.dibble@bakerbotts.com
This POD is for company founders, capital sources, industry experts and M&A service providers with expertise in the F&B industry. Members will discuss and share knowledge as to industry trends, challenges and product innovations.

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Healthcare/Human Capital POD: Candace Morton
E: candace.morton@insperity.com
Focuses on the employee experience: From employee data, cultural integration and change management, don’t forget the human side of the merger. Helping carve-outs, spinoffs and wholly owned subsidiaries manage the government compliance, benefits and employee relations side of the M&A equation in both the U.S and Internationally.

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International POD: Gary Chang / Steven Minchen
E: gary.chang@gmail.com / doitsteve@yahoo.com 
Focuses on the International Business relationships in our M&A Community. Members with organizations or clients that do business overseas will most benefit from this POD, and find it to be a great resource.

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Legal POD: Frank Wisehart
E: Frank.Wisehart@bakertilly.com

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Ownership Transition POD: Jon Rubens / Terry Hill
E: rubens@mosconelaw.com / THill@bpmcpa.com
A decade of quantitative easing and $Trillions of investable capital have supercharged the environment for Ownership Transitions. If you are a professional with functional expertise in helping shareholders and their companies through sell-side M&A, corporate carve-outs, and public company readiness, we would like to consider you to join the ACG San Francisco Ownership Transition POD.

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Private Equity POD: Ian Berman
E: Ian.Berman@rsmus.com
Members focused on servicing PE firms and their portfolios, with a goal to share market intelligence, what each Member is seeing in their market & trends, as well as sharing ideas and opportunities.

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Venture Capital POD: Rich McDerby / Christina Bui
E: rmcderby@manatt.com / cbui@kranz.consulting
Focuses on venture capital, angel investors, and emerging growth companies that are backed by VCs.

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Women in Business (WIB) POD: Maya Mancuso
E: maya.mancuso@twobirds.com
Intended to create opportunities for our ACGWomen to network, engage and develop both personally and professionally, in an environment that offers opportunities for inclusion, business development and career growth.

For more information about PODs, or if you are interested in starting your own, please contact: