June 12-14, 2024 | Las Vegas, NV
Western States
M&A and Business Symposium
Symposium Schedule
Wednesday, June 12
Concurrent Let’s Get Down to Business Workshops
Opening Reception
Thursday & Friday, June 13-14
Symposium Sessions & Networking
Location
Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Agenda
Concurrent Let’s Get Down to Business Workshops
Kick off your Symposium experience with one of our five, to-the-point, best-practice driven workshops designed to help you and your business get to where you want to be. Each workshop wraps up with a handy set of “next steps” for you to take back to your firm.
WORKSHOP 1
Business Valuation 101 and beyond
Learn how (and how not) to value your firm and why your M&A valuation will always be higher than your internal valuation.
Your Let’s Get Down to Business coach:
Nate Wentworth, Senior Consultant, Morrissey Goodale
Workshop 1 agenda >
WORKSHOP 2
Strategy: Take time to work ON your business and not just IN your business
Choose this workshop to learn (a) how to craft a plan to take your firm to the next level, and (b) the best practices to make your strategic plan a reality.
Your Let’s Get Down to Business coaches:
Tricia Washington, Vice President, Morrissey Goodale
Sarah Thornhill, Consultant, Morrissey Goodale
Workshop 2 agenda >
WORKSHOP 3
AI for the AE CEO: Making AI a competitive advantage for your firm
When you choose this workshop you’ll learn how to deploy AI and machine learning at your firm for increased profits.
Your Let’s Get Down to Business coaches:
Brendon Cussio, Principal, Morrissey Goodale
Gary McClure, Senior Consultant, Thrivence
Workshop 3 agenda >
WORKSHOP 4
Private Equity: What’s it all about and is it right for you?
Private Equity is changing the face of the industry, and the fortunes of many firms. Choose this workshop to demystify Private Equity and figure out if it makes sense for your firm.
Your Let’s Get Down to Business coach:
Nick Belitz, Principal, Morrissey Goodale
Workshop 4 agenda >
WORKSHOP 5
Ownership Transition: Simple not easy
This is the workshop for firm leaders who want to (a) understand how to transfer ownership internally, and (b) the sequence of steps and activities required to pass the baton to the next generation.
Your Let’s Get Down to Business coach:
Allie Tepper, Principal Advisor, Morrissey Goodale
Workshop 5 agenda >
Opening Reception
Margaux Room at Wynn Las Vegas
(located off the Sunset Promenade in the Wynn meeting space)
Networking never felt so good. Mingle with Symposium attendees, speakers and sponsors. Make new connections and get reacquainted with others as you enjoy an open bar and hors d’oeuvres before heading out into the night to enjoy everything that Las Vegas has to offer.
Agenda
Breakfast
Margaux 2
Start your day with breakfast and making valuable connections with industry executives and investors.
Opening Remarks
Lafleur
Mick Morrissey, Managing Principal, Morrissey Goodale
State of the Industry
Lafleur
This powerful opening session brings together the results of Deltek’s just released 45th Clarity Survey of AE and Environmental Firms (the most comprehensive financial and business survey of the industry), with proprietary Morrissey Goodale data and intelligence to paint a picture of how the industry is performing now in real-time. It’s a great way for you to benchmark your firm’s performance.
PRESENTERS:
Nick Belitz, Principal, Morrissey Goodale
Megan Miller, CPSM, Director, Product Marketing, Deltek
Morrissey Goodale’s Excellence in Acquisitive Growth Awards Series Presentation
Networking Break
Margaux Foyer
Future of the Industry ENR 500 CEO Panel
Lafleur
CEOs from four of the industry’s leading firms share their perspectives on where the industry is headed and debate the opportunities and risks that they see in the future.
PANELISTS:
Darin P. Anderson, Chairman & CEO, Salas O’Brien (ENR #39)
M. Gayle Packer, President & CEO, Terracon (ENR #18)
Steve Thompson, Chairman, Veenstra & Kimm (ENR #453)
(Additional panelists to be announced)
MODERATORS:
Karen Erger, Senior Vice President & Director of Practice Risk Management, Lockton
Sarah Thornhill, Consultant, Morrissey Goodale
Lunch
Margaux 2
Take lunch while continuing your power networking with AE industry executives, investors and experts.
Buyers Best Practices Panel
Lafleur
Panelists in this panel discussion come together to share the best practices that make them some of the best acquirers in the industry and describe how they are viewing the market in 2024.
PANELISTS:
Rebecca Ashton, Chief Operating Officer, Verdantas (ENR #113)
Paul Greywall, President & CEO, Trinity Consultants
David Richter, Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer, Atwell (ENR #71)
MODERATOR:
Lisa Elster, Consultant, Morrissey Goodale
Networking Break
Margaux Foyer
Sellers Best Practices Panel
Lafleur
Selling or recapitalizing your firm is one of the most important decisions that you can make. And you want to do it right. And you really only want to do it once. This panel discussion brings together CEOs from both the Western U.S. and nationally who have recently sold their firms to share their stories and answer your questions about what it takes to successfully sell or recapitalize your firm.
PANELISTS:
Cortney Brand, President & CEO – LRE Water
Dylan Crawford, PLS, President, O’Dell Engineering, a Westwood Company
Allen Ramsey, PE, Regional President, RaganSmith
MODERATOR:
Nate Wentworth, Senior Consultant, Morrissey Goodale
Networking Break
Margaux Foyer
Behind the Scenes: How one of the industry’s most impactful acquisitions came together
Lafleur
In March of this year, Salas O’Brien (ENR #39) announced that Nashville’s I.C. Thomasson Associates (ICT) (ENR #276) had joined the company, creating a combined presence of more than 80 North American offices with over 2,800 team members. Going forward, the combination allows both firms to be better positioned at the forefront of the healthcare, institutional, industrial, power generation, advanced manufacturing, and renewable sectors. Salas O’Brien and ICT share a unified vision for the future, including expanded employee-ownership and growth opportunities for team members.
In this interactive and informative panel discussion, Brendon Cussio takes you inside one of the biggest deals of 2024. You’ll hear the perspectives of the principals from Salas O’Brien and ICT about how everything came together over several months for a remarkable marriage of these two highly-successful firms.
PANELISTS:
Shane Kirby, P.E., President, I.C. Thomasson Associates
Grant Reindl, CFO, Salas O’Brien
Nathan Rust, VP Corporate Development, Salas O’Brien
John Wimberley, P.E., CEO, Chairman, I.C. Thomasson Associates
MODERATOR:
Brendon Cussio, Principal, Morrissey Goodale
Networking Reception
Margaux 1
Continue your networking and discussions as you enjoy an open bar and hors d’oeuvres.
Agenda
Networking Breakfast
Margaux 2
Start your day with breakfast and making valuable connections with industry executives and investors.
The 1000 Club
Lafleur
This panel brings together deal advisors and experts who between them have advised on over 1000 transactions to share their observations on the market, the emerging trends and terms they are seeing in deals in 2024, and their advice for buyers and sellers now.
PANELISTS:
George E. Christodoulo, Partner, Lawson & Weitzen, LLP
Brendon Cussio, Principal, Morrissey Goodale
David M. Sullivan, Partner, PKF O’Connor Davies
MODERATOR:
Katharine Van Leer, Consultant, Morrissey Goodale
Networking Break
Margaux Foyer
M&A Trends and Valuations
Lafleur
In this moderated discussion, Nick Belitz and Jon Escobar of Morrissey Goodale share their observations on the M&A market in 2024 and reveal where valuations are now (and where they’re headed).
PANELISTS:
Nick Belitz, Principal, Morrissey Goodale
Jon Escobar, Principal, Morrissey Goodale
MODERATOR
Sarah Thornhill, Consultant, Morrissey Goodale
Closing remarks
Confidential consulting sessions with the Morrissey Goodale team
Schedule time with one of the Morrissey Goodale team to confidentially discuss your business, strategy, M&A, ownership transition, business exit, or innovation questions.
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Your registration fee includes the business workshops and opening cocktail reception on June 12, the full day of events, materials and reception on June 13, and breakfast and half day sessions on June 14.
Engineering Registered Continuing Education Program
Earn 9 Professional Development Hours
Morrissey Goodale has met the standards and requirements of the Registered Continuing Education Program. Credit earned on completion of this program will be reported to RCEP. Certificates of Completion will be issued to all participants. Complaints regarding registered providers may be sent to RCEP at www.RCEP.net