Current Economic Environment and its Impact on the Sell-Side M&A Market

Ben is a corporate transactional attorney who has represented a wide range of public and private companies and many of the leading international private equity sponsors. He has significant experience advising clients on domestic and cross-border M&A, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, minority investments, divestitures and restructurings. Ben also is an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and serves on the board of NoticeAbility and the advisory board of Calmer Choice.

Mr. Hollington is the Managing Partner of CW Industrial Partners, formerly CapitalWorks, LLC. CW Industrial Partners is a lower middle market private equity firm focused on acquiring industrial businesses. Mr. Hollington’s responsibilities include day-to-day management responsibility for the firm, developing and maintaining relationships with investors and financial intermediaries, sourcing and executing acquisition opportunities and stewarding portfolio company investments.

Vamsi Kora is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist with an extensive background in enterprise data strategy. He is the former CEO of Gathi Analytics, a data and analytics consultancy based in Dublin, Ohio. Throughout the company’s impressive journey, it received numerous awards including #1 "Top Workplaces 2021” by Columbus CEO. The company was acquired after 5 years of exponential growth by Apexon (formerly Infostretch), a Goldman Sachs company. Vamsi continues to lead the strategy and expansion of the data and analytics practice for the Silicon-Valley-based company. Vamsi is a long-time supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs with strong partnerships with the Central Ohio chapter. For his achievements and involvement with the community, Vamsi was recently awarded the 2022 EY Entrepreneur of the Year. 

Andy is Managing Director and Co-CEO of Bellmark Partners, LLC, and head of the firm’s Cleveland office. Andy has 30 years of investment banking experience, having personally completed well over 100 M&A, special committee, and board advisory assignments. Previously, he was with KeyBanc Capital Markets, where he was head of the sponsor coverage, consumer & retail, and M&A investment banking groups.