Current Trends in Global M&A During the Pandemic

As we know now, 2020 year was a very different year in business as the COVID-19 pandemic even now continues to impact all of us.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is not an exception, and in December we connected with top experts to hear their thoughts on new trends for buying/selling businesses based on current and predicted future conditions.

Listen and watch at Global Chamber® HERE.

Speakers

• **Christopher Klug - Partner at **BurgherGray LLP
• Sandra Honegan-Pounder **- Partner at **BurgherGray LLP
• Scott Bushkie - Founder and President at Cornerstone Business Services

Agenda:

0:00 Welcome by Doug Bruhnke - CEO of Global Chamber

... with Susan Gitenstein Assadi - Global Chamber New York City

0:05 Presentations

0:40 Q&A Session

Speaker Bios:

**Christopher Klug - **Partner at BurgherGray LLP

Chris practices in all areas of domestic and international taxation, cross-border transactions, and domestic and international estate planning. He has extensive experience working with companies with domestic and international income tax planning, including inbound and outbound mergers and acquisitions and other transactional tax matters. As a former tax professor, Chris has a strong background in corporate, partnership, and individual taxation. Chris has a Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University College of Law and a Master of Laws in Taxation with a Certificate in Estate Planning from Georgetown University Law Center.

Sandra Honegan-Pounder is a Partner at BurgherGray with approximately 20 years of experience representing clients in various corporate and commercial transactional matters. Her principal practice areas are private equity, mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, capital markets and finance and general corporate and commercial transactions. She regularly advises clients in connection with negotiation and execution of strategic transactions including, mergers, stock and asset acquisitions and dispositions, securities offerings, tax-exempt financings, tender offers, debt private placements, real estate finance, angel investing, structured finance and securitizations, commercial lending transactions and leveraged financing transactions. Sandra has represented acquirers, targets, sponsors, issuers, lenders, borrowers, investment advisors, investors, including public and private companies, commercial banks and domestic and multinational corporations. Sandra received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her B.S., cum laude, Anthropology, Biology and Chemistry, Lehman College (CUNY). She is admitted to the Bar of the States of New York and New Jersey.

Scott Bushkie - Founder and President of Cornerstone Business Services. Scott Bushkie is the founder and president of Cornerstone Business Services. With more than 20 years in the M&A industry, Scott is a recognized leader in the field, providing exit strategies, sell- and buy-side transitions, along with valuation services in the lower middle market. Over the years, Scott has successfully executed hundreds of transactions, domestically and internationally, working with private equity firms, family offices, and strategic buyers, both public and private. Scott has the trust and respect of CPA and financial advisor alliances, investment banks, and other professional service firms around the M&A marketplace. He is a sought-after expert on the M&A market and has been quoted by the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Associated Press. He writes for regional business papers, including a monthly syndicated column for Gannett. As a keynote speaker, he has engaged audiences from national organizations to local trade groups and international delegations, with a key focus on helping professional advisors and their clients prepare for future business transitions. Scott is the founder and past chair of the Wisconsin chapter of Midwest Business Brokers & Intermediaries (MBBI) association and also the past chair of the International Business Broker Association (IBBA), the largest association for business brokers and M&A professionals worldwide. In 2014, Scott became the youngest person ever awarded the IBBA prestigious fellow designation. The lifetime award recognizes industry expertise and significant contributions to the profession. In 2017, Scott was named a fellow of the M&A Source, once again the youngest recipient in the organization’s history. Among other industry accolades, Scott received the IBBA Closing of the Year award and the Chairman’s Circle Award for 2017. He’s been recognized with the MBBI Outstanding Leadership Award and Member of the Year and as the Wisconsin SBA Emerging Small Business Person of the Year. In 2018, Scott launched the Cornerstone International Alliance, providing member firms with enhanced buyer reach, access to industry experts, resources, and structured best practice sharing. Operating with the philosophy that success breeds success, the alliance helps top tier lower middle market M&A firms create more value for their clients. Scott holds the Mergers & Acquisitions Master Intermediary (M&AMI) designation. He is a Certified Business Intermediary and a registered representative of the broker dealer StillPoint Capital with the Series 62 & 63 securities licenses.

Moderator: Doug Bruhnke - Founder/CEO of Global Chamber®. Doug is a global entrepreneur dedicated to helping members of Global Chamber® successfully reach new markets across 525 metros - everywhere! He is a two-time expat with Dupont in Tokyo and Singapore with 33+ years of global business experience in nearly all countries and segments. Doug is also regional advisor for U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and a member of Arizona District Export Council, British American Business Council of Northern California and more. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Utah and an EMBA from Michigan State University, and is co-inventor on 5 patents. Doug was born in Mt. Kisco, New York and now is based in Scottsdale, Arizona and Palo Alto, California. Hear the Global Chamber® story here.