Securing Optimum Value in Sell-Side Deals

Dustin is an award-winning business journalist, bestselling author, and the chief content officer of Smart Business. Over the past 30 years, he has interviewed thousands of business and civic leaders, and helped more than 50 CEOs and entrepreneurs transform their ideas into books. A trained investigative politics reporter and former digital media entrepreneur, Dustin joined Smart Business in 1997 after serving as an editor at several daily newspapers.

John is the President & CEO of PFI Holdings (d.b.a. PFI InStore), which owns and operates four manufacturing companies that produce in-store displays and fixtures for major retailers and brands. A CFB portfolio company with over 350 employees in 7 different manufacturing facilities, PFI InStore closed on their most recent acquisition in December 2020. John has built a reputation in turning around PE held companies in distress with sales focused leadership and rapid managerial development.

Brian is the Chairman and CEO of St. Louis Arch Angel Investor Network. The St. Louis Arch Angels are a part of the St. Louis region's seed to later stage equity capital continuum and are targeting an investment range that is generally underserved by institutional venture capital firms.

Before joining the St. Louis Arch Angels, Brian retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers as a partner, where he completed a 38-year career as a Certified Public Accountant. During his career, Brian developed and led numerous new and innovative practices in the area of Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Control. 

As a tax partner and leader of the Business Transition Planning practice, Brent works with high net worth individuals and small businesses on their tax, trust and succession planning needs. With over 20 years of experience, Brent enjoys helping clients manage their financials so they can focus on the areas of business that are most important to them. Finding hidden tax credits and benefits to save clients money is something Brent is passionate about.

Christopher Riley has more than 30 years’ experience owning and operating over a dozen businesses in 10 different industries. His personal experiences buying and selling businesses, negotiating transactions with dozens of accountants, attorneys and other professionals, combined with his investment banking work in New York, causes his M&A transactions hit optimum values where the industry lets business owners leave 20%-30% exit value on the table.