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Session A

What's Driving The Recent Sell-Side Frenzy?

Presented By: CIBC / Polsinelli PC

The market for sellers in 2022 picked up where 2021 left off: valuations have stayed high, capital is prevelant, and demand is driving deal speed. Join a group of M&A veterans as they share their thoughts on the state of sell-side M&A.

Moderator:

Paul Klug
Shareholder
Polsinelli PC

Paul’s practice focuses on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance, securities and private equity, with experience in tax, franchise law and real estate for clients in various industries. Paul counsels companies from startups to emerging and growing businesses, to companies that are downsizing or preparing to sell or whose owners are preparing for an exit, including transactions involving privately held and public companies and private equity.

Panelists:

Liz Borow
Managing Director
Thompson Street Capital Partners

Liz has over 30 years of experience in capital markets, leveraged finance, and restructuring. She currently leads the Debt Capital Markets at Thompson Street Capital Partners and sits on Investment Committee. While at TSCP, she has raised capital for over 100 platforms and add-on investments and sits on several boards. Prior to TSCP, she was a partner at Giuliani Capital Advisors and a Managing Director at Bank of America. She is also a Court Appointed Special Advocate for the foster care system in St. Louis, Missouri. Liz has an MBA from New York University and B.S. in Economics, from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

Andrew Fehlman
Chief Executive Officer
Solarity

Andrew Fehlman joined Solarity in 2008 and leads the company today as CEO. Solarity’s mission is to make healthcare data accessible to all end users – The Provider, The Patient and The Payer. Solarity's artificial intelligence engine gives organizations across the healthcare spectrum the ability to find and make informed decisions from clinical information at scale. With innovations in artificial intelligence technology, we augment the ability to read, decipher, and understand patient information for more cost-effective and appropriate healthcare. Roughly 80% of healthcare data is unstructured and underused. Solarity helps organizations use all of their data for knowledge about patient health. This ultimately translates into more effective care delivery, lower costs, and streamlined processes.

Since 2008 Andrew's mission has been to earn the business of every healthcare system in America! Today Solarity is in use at (and endorsed by) many of the biggest names in healthcare.

Andrew graduated from Saint Louis University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and concentration in Entrepreneurship.

Ryan Olsta
Managing Director
CIBC Cleary Gull

Mr. Olsta is a Managing Director with CIBC Cleary Gull. He joined Cleary Gull in 2004 and has 20 years of transaction experience. Mr. Olsta is responsible for executing transactions, business development and private equity coverage. Mr. Olsta has advised numerous clients in a variety of industries and has significant experience in the Technology, Tech-Enabled Business Services, Industrial Manufacturing, and Foundry industries.

Mr. Olsta previously worked as an Associate for A.G. Edwards investment banking with an emphasis in middle market public and private equity offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and financial advisory assignments. He was also a Senior Accountant with Deloitte & Touche.

Mr. Olsta earned an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, a BBA with a concentration in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame and the professional designations of CPA and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Nathan Stooke
CEO & Founder
Wisper ISP

In the last 18 years, Nathan Stooke went from programming PCs to building Wisper into a successful multi-million dollar Internet service provider. With headquarters in Mascoutah, IL, Wisper now services Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. In 2018, the FCC announced that Wisper ISP won $220.3 million of federal funding in the FCC's rural broadband auction, the Connect America Fund Phase II. This money will be distributed to Wisper over a period of ten years. Wisper was one of 103 providers to win financial support from across the country.

As CEO of Wisper, Nathan has provided high-speed Internet service to tens of thousands of happy customers; many in rural, underserved areas where previous service providers had been spotty or nonexistent. Stooke is a well-respected businessman in the St. Louis area; he was selected as a "Top 30 Under 30" by the St. Louis Business Journal and named on the list of the "Top 100 St. Louisans to Know" by the St. Louis Small Business Monthly. Wisper was named one of the Top 20 Small Businesses in 2014 and one of the 50 Fastest-Growing companies in St. Louis by St. Louis Small Business Monthly.

Nathan credits his battle with Dyslexia, and his competitive nature gleaned from hours of intense training, which earned him a spot on the. U.S National Swim Team as his catalyst for success. His vision is to create standards in the wireless industry, establish Wisper as a household name, and continue to serve exceptional customers in rural and metropolitan communities.

Conference Location

7701 Forsyth Boulevard
St. Louis, Missouri 63105
Tel: (314) 726-1964