Regaining Leverage: ACG Louisiana Back on Its Feet

On January 3, ACG Louisiana met for its usual luncheon meeting at the InterContinental Hotel in New Orleans. Usual? Once upon a time perhaps, but no longer. The last time the group met was in Baton Rouge – one of the chapter’s three “home sites” – last August, perilously close to the onset of Hurricane Katrina. At that time the chapter was still in its infancy. Sixty members and guests, a near-capacity crowd, showed up for the meeting in Baton Rouge. So five months later, in January, when a number of those same members had not returned to New Orleans, the fact that some 30 members arrived for the chapter luncheon was an event in itself. That the displaced members in attendance wholeheartedly welcomed keynote speaker Colonel Thomas Beron of the Louisiana Army National Guard, an ACG Louisiana member and local attorney, was more typical of the ACG community and the chapter’s Southern hospitality. The Colonel, with a unique understanding of the trauma suffered by his audience, offered commentary inspired by his work as head of all National Guard forces in New Orleans during and after the storm. His remarks were gripping, said ACG Louisiana President Les Alexander, Managing Director of Howard Weil Inc., and were much appreciated by the audience. “Thomas provided a perspective free of media or political bias. He clarified many issues that surrounded the disaster and dispelled myths that were circulating about the city after the storm,” Alexander said. “The thing that brought it full circle to us in attendance was that Colonel Beron and those under his command all have regular jobs and were volunteering their time to serve in the Guard. They were professionals who stopped working when the National Guard called them to active duty. Several of them lost their homes as a result of the hurricane, but they put their personal situations aside to assist the city in its time of need. Colonel Beron’s presentation was a good reminder about the service the National Guard provides and its important role before, during, and after the disaster.” With only a quarter of the membership attending the January meeting, Alexander and the rest were hopeful that the next meeting, on February 7, would draw an even bigger response – and it did. Some 50 members and guests attended. Alexander offered words of commendation for the support of ACG throughout the calamity and its aftermath. “I appreciate the help of ACG and its chapters during this difficult time. It has meant a great deal to me personally, to our board, and to our chapter members to have the assistance, thoughts, and prayers from others in the ACG family. I especially want to extend sincere appreciation to the Houston and Atlanta chapters for looking out for our members and offering assistance. They have been a great help to us all.” With an onward-and-upward demeanor, the chapter is planning its March 7 meeting at the Camelot Club in Baton Rouge. All ACG members are welcome! ACG Orange County Earns Record Turnout at PEG Night ACG Orange County hosted a successful Private Equity Night in January. More than 23 PE pros, representing more than $7 billion in capital, and more than 300 intermediaries and investment bankers attended the event at the Marconi Museum. (c) 2006 Mergers and Acquisitions Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.majournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com