Let’s Make a Deal: M&A Success

Bowman A. Hallagan

Bowman A. Hallagan is a Vice President and Financial Advisor in Bernstein’s Boston office. He provides investment planning and management for high-net-worth individuals and families, foundations and endowments. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, assisting business owners with pre-transaction planning, analyzing deal structures and establishing an inclusive plan for the liquidity stemming from a transaction. Prior to joining the firm in 2011, Hallagan was an account executive with The Wall Street Journal, responsible for managing sales of both print and online offerings in the New England territory. Previously, he was with Discovery Communications. Hallagan holds a BA in political science and economics from Bucknell University. He is a member of the Board of Overseers at the New England Aquarium and is a Bucknell Alumni Admissions Ambassador.

Richard C. Kimball

Richard’s nearly 40-year career in merger and acquisition has been with Bigelow where he has been involved with hundreds of privately held business owners who are seeking to create and ultimately capture enterprise value in their business. Bigelow, founded in 1935, is the nation’s preeminent firm dealing exclusively with the most successful private family companies in the country.

Kimball has written extensively on topics dealing with wealth creation, succession planning for generational transfer, how to create enterprise value and strategies to create wealth in the entrepreneurial business. He has been quoted in the Boston Globe, CFO magazine, US Banker, and the Wall Street Journal

Richard graduated from Babson College where he has served as a Trustee for 20 years and has served as a mentor to students engaged in early stage ventures. He is Board member of several public, private, and not for profit organizations such as Babson College, Boston Lyric Opera, Mountain City Club, Federated Arts, and the United Way.

Jeffrey Solomon

Jeffrey D. Solomon, C.P.A., C.V.A. is the managing shareholder of KN+S. Jeff received a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and his public accounting career includes extensive experience from both "big four" and other large, regional firms.

Jeff is recognized as a leader in the technology and emerging business industries and with start-up companies, and helps to head the technology/emerging growth practice for the firm. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Society of CPA's, and has held positions in that organization such as Vice President of Finance and is a past Chairman of the Accounting and Auditing Board. He is a former director of SBANE (the Smaller Business Association of New England), is a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) and is also on the Board of the MIT Enterprise Forum. Jeff is a former Editorial Advisor to the Journal of Accountancy and has published numerous articles in both Mass High-Tech and The Boston Business Journal. Jeff sat on the council of the American Institute of CPAs and is currently an appointed member of the Private Company Practice Section (PCPS) executive committee of the AICPA.

Richard L. N. Weaver

Richard L. N. Weaver is a National Director in Bernstein’s Wealth Strategies Group, where he specializes in counseling private business owners, public corporate executives and holders of concentrated equity positions. Richard is the author of Bernstein’s research publications Executive Decisions: Making the Most of Compensation Plans to Build and Protect Personal Wealth and Selling a Business: Proceed with Confidence. Previously, he served as a senior portfolio manager, responsible for communicating the firm’s capital markets outlook, investment strategy and rationale for current positioning in global equity, fixed income and alternative asset portfolios. Richard joined Bernstein in January 2004 from Prudential Securities, where he headed the Private Wealth Management effort and managed the firm’s Executive Services and Strategies Group. His extensive career in capital markets has also included roles in investment banking, risk arbitrage, equity derivatives and structured products. Richard earned a BS in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from New York University.

Shannon Zollo

Shannon Zollo is a partner in Nutter’s Corporate and Transactions Department and chair of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions practice group. He advises clients on a wide range of corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, executive compensation, and corporate governance.

Early stage and middle market clients frequently rely on Shannon to serve as their outside general counsel. He has extensive experience in advising investor and executive management clients on private equity and venture capital transactions, mergers, acquisitions, and corporate governance. Active in numerous professional and civic organizations, Shannon is the co-founder of Exit Planning Exchange (XPX), a multi-disciplinary community of professional advisors who help owners build and transition the value of their businesses, and a member of the board of directors of the TB12 Foundation, LLC, a non-profit organization formed by Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero that is dedicated to maximizing the health, well-being, and athletic potential of elite young American amateur athletes. In addition, he is a member of Association for Corporate Growth Boston, a member of the board of directors of SMART TEAM Institute of Youth Sports Safety, and a member of the board of trustees of Cristo Rey Boston High School.

Prior to joining Nutter, Shannon was a partner at a prominent Massachusetts law firm. Previously, he served as general counsel at a telecommunications company.