ACG Membership Offers Psychic Rewards

The psychic or intangible income I receive from being a member of and serving in leadership roles at ACG is immense. It continues to amaze me how many ways ACG can touch your life professionally and personally. Being associated with the ACG brand is definitely something I’m proud of. When I served on the ACG branding task force a couple of years ago, I was reminded of what a brand is. “A brand is a promise…a pledge of satisfaction and quality. A brand is a unifier of diverse constituents and geographies. A brand is a connection between organization and individual. A brand is a personality unique in values, psychology, and soul. A brand is an experience. It is the sum of every touch point between an organization and its audience.” I believe the ACG brand delivers on its promise infinitely more than the other professional organizations I am affiliated with. ACG has provided me countless opportunities for networking, dealmaking, and professional development in a community that shares my professional interests and values. A great example is the nearly monthly opportunity I have had in Atlanta to discuss growth and economic issues with the CEOs and CDO’s of companies ranging from mid-market firms such as Aaron Rents to multinationals such as Coca-Cola and Home Depot. This type of informal dialogue is an experience unique to the culture of ACG. Sharing what went right and what went wrong with other professionals committed to corporate growth has helped me leverage others’ experiences with my own to accomplish my professional goals. ACG has also empowered me personally. About two years ago, I was in transition as a result of merger-related redundancies. Having spent my career at major banks in senior leadership roles on the corporate lending side of the business, I found the Atlanta market devoid of comparable opportunities due to the multiple mergers that had occurred in the region. Happily my “nonpaying” ACG job was in full swing at the time. I was co-chairing the inaugural ACG Atlanta Capital Connection with Ed Fisher of Southpointe Ventures. Success of that event validated my leadership ability in an arena other than the confines of a large bank. It created credibility that has continued to empower me to grow both in my volunteer ACG career and my day job. Now that I am a managing director at DoveBid, responsible for the origination and management of asset valuation and recovery opportunities, I work extensively with the private equity community, lenders, and intermediaries. Typical projects include financing valuations, internal redeployment of surplus assets, and purchase price allocations. Many ACG friends are now either users or potential users of DoveBid’s services. I guess you can say I have become addicted to ACG! The diverse membership, educational programs, access to industry leaders, atmosphere of professional respect and mutual assistance provides psychic income worth more in many ways than what I can find in most traditionally compensated positions. Nancy Halwig DoveBid Valuation Services ACG Atlanta ACG Chapter Representative Director [email protected] (c) 2006 Mergers and Acquisitions Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.majournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com