ACG National Capital
In October, ACG National Capital will be celebrating 25 years of middle market growth at the 25th Anniversary Celebration and Networking Event. Corporate Growth, Capital Style will be posting insightful interviews with past ACG presidents leading up to the big event.
In our last post in the series, we featured an interview with former president Robert Rubin. Our next conversation was with former chapter president Jason Rigoli, who served from 2010 until 2011.
Prior to joining LLR Partners, Mr. Rigoli served as managing director at Monument Capital Group, where he invested in defense, security, as well as government services. He was also a Principal at The White Oak Group, where he focused on aerospace and defense.
Mr. Rigoli was also the senior vice president in charge of the aerospace, defense, security and government services industry practice at FBR Capital Markets. Mr. Rigoli has had more than 10 years of experience as an operational executive in the defense consulting industry.
Here is what Mr. Rigoli had to say about his time with the ACG, as well as how corporate growth activity and the business market have changed in the National Capital region since he was president:
CGCS: Can you describe a significant occurrence that happened in the deal community during your tenure as ACG National Capital president?
Mr. Rigoli: The US Recession hit the overall public equity and M&A markets very negatively in 2009 and 2010. During that same time, M&A activity within the Metro-DC region continued to thrive and the overall business climate made us the healthiest regional economy in the US. We were a bright spot in an otherwise bleak economic environment.
CGCS: What changes have you seen in the DC business community in the last 25 years? How has the business climate changed? Any new industries to take note of?
Mr. Rigoli: We are still a “Government Town” but that affiliation with government has funded and advanced a number of new industry segments in the region including our thriving biotech community and health IT…we will continue to advance on the back of the federal government.
CGCS: Can you describe some of the major trends shaping and influencing the business environment in DC today? How has that shaped corporate growth activity?
Mr. Rigoli: With Federal Budgetary constraints, the region is experiencing some headwinds…but innovative companies continue to drive demand for their products and services and are growing in the face of these headwinds. The next two years will “prove-out” which management teams and companies have the ability to thrive in challenging times, and the survivors will be well poised to grow when the sector and regional economy improves.
To hear more from Jason Rigoli and the rest of the ACG National Capital past presidents, register for the 25th Anniversary Celebration and Networking Event on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at the Waterview Center in Arlington, VA. Additional details and event registration are available HERE.