Want More Out of ACG?

The Association for Corporate Growth experience is different for each of us and, like life, what you get out of it depends largely on what you put into it. In my case, ACG has been a very important – and rewarding – part of my professional life and business success. As an unadvertised dividend, it has also generated and enhanced a number of real and enduring friendships. I was introduced to ACG by Tom Smith of Chicago and Bob Coffey of Toronto (both larger-than-life friends who are Honorary Directors of ACG to this day) and attended my first InterGrowth meeting in the late 1970s. Although much smaller than today’s gatherings, InterGrowth even then bore the unmistakable hallmark of master dealmakers’ speaking at a five-star venue. As a result, it is a given in our house that my wife and I will go to InterGrowth whenever possible, and we’ve been to 24 of them. My most memorable InterGrowth conference was 1981 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla. On March 30 during that conference, I arose early to fly to New York to make a presentation. That turned out to be the day that President Reagan was shot in Washington. Concern, confusion, and fear reigned everywhere, especially in air travel along the East Coast, and I returned to The Breakers hours late – shortly before midnight. My wife said that although I had missed the after-dinner coffee and cordials party hosted by my firm, “You really threw a very nice party, dear.” I don’t believe I made it to the morning session the next day. By happenstance, ACG returned to The Breakers for InterGrowth in 1995, the year I was president. That year everything was as it should be. The real value of the organization, nearly all agree, is an unmatched network that facilitates business dealings, especially M&A transactions. Eighteen years ago, I left the big organization to found The TransAction Group, a firm that advises on middle-market M&A. When the firm was three months old, my partner and I traveled to InterGrowth with our wives, and I remember working the room at The Ritz in Naples, Fla., when someone said, “I’ve heard of your firm.” I thought, how could that be? Then he went on, “I just met your partner!” Soon afterward, ACG friends led us to join M&A International Inc. (now an ACG Platinum Sponsor), and the first two-member deal we closed in that network was with Tom Smith’s firm, MASI Ltd. In our local chapter, ACG Cleveland, we’ve been active (four chapter presidents) and have developed many friendships and business relationships, especially valuable because most of our new business comes by referral. Through meetings, leadership roles and socializing, you learn who is good at what they do and whom you can rely on. Many of our most successful engagements can be traced to ACG members, and we have been able to help other members with specialized knowledge or opportunities. ACG has even spawned private equity firms. Wingate Partners in Dallas was founded by Fred Hegi of Dallas, Jim Callier of Houston and Tom Sturgess, who had worked with me in Cleveland. The glue that brought the three of them together in an earlier incarnation was ACG. It also was the reason we worked for them. Tom Sturgess and his family now live in New Zealand, but we stay in touch. So what will you make of your ACG membership? It can be very valuable in your career. It can even be life-changing. The only catch is, to paraphrase Woody Allen, “Ninety percent of ACG is showing up.” You must engage in order to build the relationships and to benefit from the speakers’ insights. See you in Palm Springs! Russ Warren President, The TransAction Group ACG Cleveland Copyright 2005 Thomson Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.thomsonmedia.com http://www.majournal.com