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Brotherhood Town Hall Meeting: Navigating Entrepreneurship – Launching vs Acquiring a Business
Tuesday, March 5 | 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
This year, we will be offering a more engaging and networking Town Hall style event discussing a singular focused topic – whether entering entrepreneurship is best achieved by starting a business from scratch or by acquiring an existing one.
Our expert panelists, made up of both startup entrepreneurs and acquisition entrepreneurs, will delve into the nuances, advantages, and challenges of each approach. From discussing the intricacies of building a brand from the ground up to exploring the potential benefits and risks of purchasing an established business, our panelists will cover it all. And we’ll even have a Small Business Administration lender join us to share secrets on getting business loans.
But the discussion won’t stop there – this event is designed to be interactive.
Audience members will be part of the discussion by intermittently asking questions of the panelists, ensuring that the conversation is moving in the direction that the audience is most curious about. Whether you’re considering taking the leap into entrepreneurship or seeking guidance on your existing business ventures, this Town Hall meeting is not to be missed.
Mark your calendars and come prepared to network, learn, engage, and be inspired as we navigate the complex world of entrepreneurship together. Join us for an evening of enlightenment, empowerment and exploration.
About the Panelists
Dr. Lainey Keiffer
Dr. Lainey Kieffer is a National Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with a passion for providing personalized and comprehensive care to her patients. She began her career as a registered nurse in Miami, Florida where she grew up and received her education from the University of Miami.
In her role as a Nurse Practitioner at an academic institution, Dr. Kieffer was responsible for overseeing a panel of over 2,500 patients. Feeling the system was not providing work/life balance for providers in combination with patient dissatisfaction from long wait times and short visits, the idea of NP2ME was born. NP2ME’s mission is to make medicine personal again by providing mobile healthcare tailored to one’s individual needs, schedule, and goals with the belief that price transparency and honesty are critical to the patient-provider relationship.
Michael Frost
Michael Frost is Managing Member of Southpoint Equity which he has used as a vehicle for acquisition of small businesses in South Florida for the past 20 years. Michael has had a number of successful exits in the logistics, hospitality and legal services industries. He currently owns and operates a commercial and residential plumbing company based in Palm Beach County that has served as a platform for 3 acquisitions. Michael is a 1994 graduate of the University of Michigan and a 1997 graduate of George Washington University School of Law. He remains a licensed member of the New York State Bar Association.
Bruce Marks
Bruce Marks helps buyers finance lower middle market M&A Transactions. Bruce brings over 35 years of SBA Lending experience with the past 9 years focused solely on Mergers & Acquisition Lending. Mr. Marks works with financial buyers, searchers, and corporate buyers seeking financing for business acquisition transactions. He specializes in transactions with an Enterprise Values between $3 and $8 million dollars, having closed over 1,250 SBA Transactions.
Mr. Marks is employed by First Bank of the Lake, a community bank based in Osage Beach, Missouri. Bruce heads up the Bank’s M&A Vertical, leading a team of 5. FBOL is a National PLP Lender. Over the last 9 years, Mr. Marks has personally assisted buyers providing over $350,000,000 in SBA 7a loans to facilitate lower middle market M&A Transactions.
Mr. Marks earned a B.S. Degree in finance from Salem State College in Massachusetts, and an M.B.A. Degree in Finance from Nova Southeastern University. Bruce also earned the designation of Certified Merger and Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) and successfully completed the business valuation training through NACVA. Bruce also owned and operated a small business consulting firm for 13 years eventually selling this business and returning back to the banking business.
Bruce speaks to audiences nationally via livestreams, podcast, and conference appearances on the topic of small business lending and buying businesses. Bruce is also the co-author of “The Keys to Authenticity” with Jack Canfield. Bruce is one of the top performing SBA 7a Lenders in the Country and is recognized as an expert in his field. Bruce is supported by his wife Laurie and two daughters, Rachel, and Sara.
Eric Gutmann
Eric is the President of Marix Group, LLC a leading importer and distributor of frozen food products in the United States. For the past 28 years, Eric has held various positions within the food distribution industry in the areas of logistics, operations, sales, research and development, and manufacturing. Eric graduated with honors from the University of Florida. He has previously served as the President of the Adolph and Rose Levis Jewish Community Center and as a board of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. He resides in Boca Raton with his two boys, Ari and Max and his girlfriend Lauren.
Amanda Ratushny
Amanda Ratushny brings her contemporary and dynamic presence to the ISR team. With a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters Degree from The George Washington University in Psychology and Marketing, Amanda has over 26 years of business, sales, marketing and PR experience. Amanda’s main objective is to ensure that every client is provided with cutting-edge marketing strategies that are created with the purpose of business growth.
Amanda is responsible for the proper execution of all accounts. She specializes in assessing the needs of each client and their business model with a strong focus on creating profit streams through a multitude of various web properties. She has an innate ability to create unique and forward-thinking campaigns as well as create memorable and impactful branding elements, slogans, and taglines.
Amanda oversees all areas of the ISR Production Teams. Her ability to integrate various ISR services into results based initiatives has proven invaluable to a client’s portfolio performance. Managing the entire production cycle of all projects, Amanda continually adds new strategies and web properties into each account. As a client of ISR, you have access to Amanda’s creativity and passion for making your business stand out from your competition.
Moderated by Greg Shugar
