Transition or Sell: What To Do With Your Family Business

A seasoned corporate attorney with more than 30 years of experience, Howard Lamar helps clients navigate significant corporate events, including mergers and acquisitions, various types of corporate finance transactions and corporate governance issues, including challenges from activist shareholders. He works with boards of directors and senior management of public and private companies, as well as early-stage growth companies.

Will Beard is the CFO of the Paladin Capital, Inc. Paladin a 100% employee owned ESOP Holding Company focusing investments in the transportation & logistics industry. Paladin Capital has tripled in size over the past decade due to inorganic growth strategies. Will joined Paladin Capital in 2019 from BKD CPAs and Advisors where his client base was focused on serving ESOP companies.

Alan currently leads the practice development team for BKDnext®, an intentional process designed to help business owners develop a comprehensive succession and continuity plan to achieve financial security for their businesses, their families and their futures. The unique approach and resources behind BKDnext help our clients use their time effectively and efficiently when planning for the future.

Previously, Alan led the firm’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) advisory practice, which he continues to support. Alan has been responsible for structuring and facilitating more than 100 ESOP transactions, resulting in those companies becoming 100 percent ESOP-owned. Those transactions ranged in size from several million to several hundred million dollars in a wide range of industries. Alan also works with existing ESOPs in matters ranging from acquisition structuring to repurchase planning and analysis.

Karen is Senior Vice President of the South Central Region for American Paper & Twine (AP&T), the premier wholesale supplier and distributor of janitorial, packaging, disposable food service, safety and office products in the southeastern United States.AP&T is a division of Imperial Dade, the leading independently owned and operated distributor of foodservice packaging, facilities maintenance supplies and equipment in the United States with a growing network of over 100 distribution centers nationwide. Prior to Imperial Dade’s acquisition of AP&T in December of 2021, Karen served as President/COO of AP&T and was instrumental in growing the business by $20 million in 2021, leading AP&T to achieve over $200 million in sales in 2021.

She grew up working summers at AP&T with her father, current CEO Emeritus Bob Doochin, and her grandfather, Nathan Doochin, who started the business in 1926. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1992 with a degree in Psychology and then obtaining her Master of Social Work from the University of Kentucky in 1994, she had a brief career in clinical social work before officially joining the AP&T team in 1998. During her tenure, Karen has been a driving force in modernizing business practices and technology, particularly on the operational side of the business. She has worked in almost every area of the business, including warehousing and operations, human resources, customer service, purchasing, sales, marketing, and technology. Since its origin, AP&T has expanded to include eight locations and nine distribution centers throughout the Southeast, nearly 400 employees and a fleet of 110 company owned vehicles.