New Value Creation Drivers in M&A 

"The process to navigate from being acquiror to being seller is fascinating. It's also a reminder of the importance of open and candid dialogue between the board and management, particularly when multi-billion transactions are in play and decisions are made in weeks, not months"
~ Russ Tiejema, Former CFO, Masonite & Current EVP & CFO, US LBM

Overview  

Please join us as we explore key value creation vectors in mergers and acquisitions with a stellar panel of experts who collectively have participated in hundreds of transactions.  Across various market environments, mergers and acquisitions remain crucial for companies aiming to achieve their strategic goals.  Given this, it is highly likely that most board directors will, at some point during their tenure be tasked with evaluating and making go- or- no- go decisions on acquisitions, mergers or divestitures.  

Our expert panelists will illuminate the often “behind the scenes” actions and other factors that are critical to the ultimate success or failure of a transaction, beyond what the numbers alone might suggest.  Their insights will equip you with the right questions to ask and the essential information needed to make informed decisions.

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Panelists 

Russ Tiejema is the Chief Financial Officer for US LBM, one of the largest distributors of building products in the United States. Prior to joining US LBM in 2024, Tiejema served as Executive Vice President and CFO for Masonite International, a leading global manufacturer of residential and commercial doors. He also previously served in senior financial roles at Lennox International, a leading HVAC manufacturer and distributor, after beginning his career at General Motors.

Tiejema has been active for many years in the M&A markets, both domestically and internationally, by overseeing all corporate development activities at Masonite. Most recently, he was closely involved in two blockbuster transactions in the greater Tampa Bay area: the planned acquisition of PGT Innovations of Venice, FL announced in December 2023, and the subsequent termination of that transaction and sale of Masonite to Owens Corning in May 2024. Tiejema will likely remain highly engaged in M&A given the role US LBM plays as an industry consolidator, having completed over ninety transactions since the company's founding in 2009.

Sharon has been an advisor to business executives and boards of directors for 35 years.  She has extensive experience structuring, negotiating, and closing sophisticated commercial and M&A transactions. Sharon spent 27 years in private practice with a highly respected boutique, commercial law firm, where she served as Co-Practice Leader for the firm’s Corporate Finance Group.  In 2018, Sharon launched her own private practice with the goal of helping a select group of businesses, entrepreneurs, and executives in a traditional practice and as retained general counsel.  

Sharon served on the Board of Directors of First Citrus Bank and First Citrus Bancorporation (OTCMKTS: FCIT) for five years.  She chaired the Finance & Capital Planning Committee, which steered the Bank’s successful 2022 sale and was responsible for the bank’s subordinated debt offerings, acquisition evaluations, and revision of the Bank’s capital and strategic plans. She also served on the Bank’s Enterprise Risk Management and Corporate Governance & Nominating Committees. 

She has served on the Board of Children’s Home Network for 15 years and served as Chair of that Board for two years. She has served on The Children’s Home Foundation, Inc. Board since 2011, where she served as Board Chair for three years. She just completed a seven-year term on the Board of Directors of the Association for Corporate Growth, Tampa Bay.  

Jesse leads RSM’s transaction advisory services practice in Tampa, FL, providing financial due diligence services to private equity investors and corporate acquirers.
Jesse has over 15 years of accounting and finance experience, including 9 years in financial due diligence services at RSM. Prior to joining RSM in 2015, Jesse oversaw the operations and finance functions at a Florida-based intellectual property law firm. Over his career, Jesse has led or assisted with over 125 financial due diligence projects in a variety of industries. 

Moderator

Mr. Knoop has significant operational management experience as well as working over 40 years in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. He successfully served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of Turtle Wax, Inc. and as interim COO/CFO Global Care Clinical Trials. At Turtle Wax, Mr. Knoop reorganized Turtle Wax domestically and internationally. He addressed complex issues and realized essential improvements in almost every area of operations including; marketing, sales, distribution, finance, legal and human resources, to improve shareholder value. In this assignment, Mr. Knoop was featured on FOX Business News 

Mr. Knoop serves as Managing Principal of First Chicago Advisors, Inc. leading a team of highly accomplished specialists in management strategy, restructuring and mergers and acquisitions. Previously, he was Co-Group Leader and Managing Director of the U.S. Mergers and Acquisitions group at BMO Nesbitt Burns (BMO Capital Markets) where he led his clients through numerous successful engagements; many of which involved complex financial and legal structures. He has been involved in numerous public and private transactions, including a number of unsolicited bid and defense engagements. Mr. Knoop has also acted as a principal in several transactions.

Prior to working at BMO Capital Markets, Mr. Knoop was Co-Group Head of Business Advisory Services for Merrill Lynch in Chicago, providing strategy for private companies concerning shareholder value issues. Mr. Knoop started his career at Chemical Bank (the acquirer of JP Morgan/Chase) in New York. After securing an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, he worked in corporate finance and M&A areas at Smith Barney and Kidder Peabody in New York. Mr. Knoop served 6 years as a publicly elected Trustee of Barrington Hills, the Kellogg School of Management Advisory Board member, Demon Angels, Chicago Yacht Club Fiduciary Director (link) and a Trustee of Sigma Chi – MU Chapter Foundation. Mr. Knoop started the nationally recognized Chicago Senior Hockey League, coached youth football for 9 years, and has won numerous national regattas as a competitive sailor (link).  Mr. Knoop served many years as a Lay Eucharistic Minister at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church.

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