Why you should come to the Mid-Atlantic Growth Conference

This year’s Mid-Atlantic Growth Conference is rapidly approaching, but there’s still time to register for this Thursday’s event.

Whether your company is in the government contracting, real estate, technology, healthcare or any other industry, you can learn the business best practices and strategies you need to help it grow.

To learn more about this year’s conference, why it’s an essential event for National Capital region business leaders and what attendees can expect, we recently sat down with conference chair, Ricky White. An Audit and Advisory Partner at RyanSharkey, Mr. White has led the due diligence process for more than 50 M&A transactions with more than $4 billion in transaction value on both the buy-side and sell-side in the government contracting and technology industries.

During our discussion, we asked Mr. White about his expectations for this year’s conference, who should attend and why the current business environment in the National Capital Region is so conducive to corporate growth activity. This is what he had to say:

Corporate Growth, Capital Style (CGCS): Can you tell our readers a bit about the Mid-Atlantic Growth Conference? What topics are covered and what can attendees expect to learn?

Ricky White: The growth conference is targeted to bring together professionals that are focused on growing their organizations, whether it be organically or through acquisitions. It also brings together an entire community of professionals that support companies in their growth, including investment bankers, attorneys, accountants, lenders and other consultants. This year we have a diverse conference where we will discuss the differences between being acquired by a private equity firm compared to a corporate buyer, the changing landscape in the government contracting industry and we have a fireside chat with the co-founder of Fundrise, Ben Miller, who will discuss what the future of real estate investing looks like.  

CGCS: Who would get the most out of attending the conference? Why should they attend?

Ricky White: I think anyone who is wondering how to grow their business and wants to hear from people that have done it in the past will benefit from this conference. I also think anyone looking to make new contacts in the M&A space will as well. It’s not very often you get more than 250 people in one room with the experience level that you will at this conference.

CGCS: What aspect of the conference are you most looking forward to? Is there a particular panel discussion or keynote speaker that is particularly exciting this year?

Ricky White: I see two of particular interest – the fireside chat with Ben Miller, as I’ve always had an interest in the real estate industry, and I’m very interested to hear his thoughts on where it will go in the future. I also think that – for anyone who wants to hear from someone that has “been there, done that,” – the Mac Curtis talk about the Perspecta story will be of particular interest.

CGCS: The Mid-Atlantic Growth Conference has historically been a place where people network and deals get started. What is corporate growth and deal activity like in the Mid-Atlantic region right now? What’s driving this activity?

Ricky White: Government contracting continues to drive the majority of deal flow in this region, and it continues to be strong as companies look to complement existing capabilities and do it faster than it would take to do it organically. Additionally, we still see a good amount of deals in the technology space given that industry is another strong one for this region. I think favorable borrowing rates, the desire by companies to add capabilities through M&A as opposed to building internally, and idle cash are all factors driving the M&A activity in the region.

CGCS: We’re seeing the DC Metro area shifting from being a hotbed of government contracting to being a destination for companies across many industries – including hospitality, high tech, cybersecurity and healthcare. What’s driving this growth and interest from these new industries? Would people from these new industries find value in attending this year’s conference?

Ricky White: I think people outside the Beltway finally realize there is more to this area than just government contracting. Specifically, this area has a strong level of talented people. Just look around and you see world-class universities, and the student population comes from places all around the world. If you’re a company that has any thoughts of expanding beyond the borders of the US, I think tapping into the talent pool here would be critical for that success.

I mentioned Ben Miller, so we’ll have representation from real estate investing, but in addition to that, there are several private equity professionals on the panels whose firms invest across many industries, from government contracting to real estate to healthcare. If you want to tap into those resources, you should attend the conference.

For more event information or to register for the Mid-Atlantic Growth Conference, click HERE.