Exit Planning Exchange July 16 panel discussion: Increase value with right people on the bus

WELLESLEY, Mass. - July 3, 2013 - PRLog -- CONTACT: Jim Farrell, PR First, 781-681-6616, jfarrell@prfirst.com

Panel begins at 9 a.m. at Olin Hall, Babson College…

Exit Planning Exchange (XPX) Boston offers July 16 panel discussion: “Increasing value by getting the right people on the bus”

WELLESLEY, MA, ISSUED July 2, 2013…Business owners interested in learning how to identify the right people to strengthen their team and build value in their business won’t want to miss the Exit Planning Exchange (XPX) Boston July 16 panel discussion, “Increasing value by getting the right people on the bus,” to be held at Olin Hall, Babson College.

Just as “Good to Great” author Jim Collins who developed the concept of “getting the right people on the bus” to grow a company to its next level, this panel will help companies evolving from "start-up/survival" phase to "established/growth" phase and the challenges they face gearing up for workforce sustainability.

The panelists will discuss the following:  

·         Important areas to focus on in strengthening your leadership team

Value proposition of paying up for quality personnel
The effect of a solid management team on your exit potential
Resources to help you identify the "right" candidates
Recommendations on structuring compensation programs
When is it time for an ESOP or other incentive plan?

Panelists will include Dana Blakslee, a partner in the Boston office of Duane Morris LLP. Duane Morris is a law firm with more than 700 attorneys in 25 offices across the United States and internationally. Blakslee practices in corporate and securities law and intellectual property licensing, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, emerging businesses and venture capital. He regularly guides companies

through negotiated acquisitions, divestitures, and related transactions. Blakslee is a graduate of

Stanford Law School and a graduate of Hobart College.

Kevin Conley has run his own search firm for over fourteen years. Conley began his recruiting career in 1985 with Russell Reynolds Associates and has lived and worked as a recruiter in New York, London and Boston. He was on the Executive Committee at Korn Ferry, the largest search firm in the world where he ran the New England Region and on a stand-alone basis was the equivalent of the seventh largest search

firm in America before founding Conley Search Group. He earned a BA from Yale University and

was Captain of Men's Ice Hockey.

Gregory R. Rush is a Partner at Dunn Rush & Co. Prior to co-founding Dunn Rush & Co. in 2009,

Rush served as Managing Director for the Capital Strategies Group of Morgan Stanley Smith

Barney (previously Citi Capital Strategies), the firm’s middle market investment banking platform. Prior

to establishing a Boston office for Capital Strategies in 2007, he was the COO of Community

Newspaper Company, a cluster of more than 100 newspapers and specialty publications in the

Boston region that was owned by his family’s business, Herald Media, Inc. Community Newspaper

Company was acquired by newly-formed GateHouse Media, Inc., where he continued to serve as

COO of GateHouse Media New England through a period of rapid growth that included numerous

acquisitions and the Company’s Initial Public Offering. He received a B.A. in economics from Dartmouth College and is a Registered Securities Representative (Series 7, 63, 79, 99) and a Series 24 Registered Securities Principal.

The event takes place at Babson College’s Olin Hall, 231 Forrest Street, Wellesley. Registration, networking and breakfast take place from 7:15 to 8 a.m. The panel runs from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. The fee to attend is $45 for XPX members, and $75 for non-members. To register, please visit http://www.xpxglobal.com/events/register.php?event_id=126.

About Exit Planning Exchange (XPX)
XPX was formed in 2007 with the mission to make it easier for business owners to find qualified professionals with deep exit planning expertise; support the growth of the emerging exit planning field; enable members to share their intellectual capital with other members; develop the educational programs required for this emerging discipline; and provide members with exclusive networking, education and collaboration opportunities. Based in Boston, XPX currently has chapters in Boston, Connecticut, Philadelphia, DC Metro, Tampa, and continues to expand. Its members represent a range of professionals who serve privately-held businesses.

To learn more about XPX Boston, please contact Donna Powell, XPX Administrator, at 978-392-7929, or

donna@exitplanningexchange.com.