Spirit West CEO interviewed by News1130

Russ Bythe from News1130 Interviewed Lorraine Rieger McGregor, CEO of Spirit West Management on why business owners need to do valuation planning, to get their companies the highest valuation possible 2-3 years before they think of selling. Listen to the radio interview here

Spirit West Management Launches Seminar Aimed at Baby Boomer Business Owners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Spirit West Management Launches Seminar Aimed at Baby Boomer Business Owners -

Will they get what they think the company is worth when its time to cash out?

July 14th, 2008–

There are 17 million businesses in the US and 1.7 million in Canada according to Dun and Bradstreet. 50% of them are owned by Baby Boomers. 7 out of 10 of these owners will want to sell their business over the next 10 years, according to the Association for Mergers and Acquisitions Advisors. The supply of offerings will continue to grow substantially.

According to anecdotal evidence from investment bankers and private equity investors, business owners are unaware of the work that must be done to prepare to sell their company. They have unrealistic expectations and have not done the preparation necessary to reorganize the company so it can operate and grow under professional management.

To help baby boomers adequately prepare for the day they do want to sell to investors, employees or other companies, Spirit West Management is offering a one day workshop on how to restructure a company so that it is exactly what investors look for. “How to Maximize Your Company’s Worth: The CEO’s Guide to Becoming Prepared for Investment” will teach owners how to see their company through the eyes of investors and lenders.

“A company might be operating just fine under owner management, but will it continue to operate successfully when the owner leaves?” says Lorraine Rieger McGregor, CEO of Spirit West Management. “There are many hidden issues that an investor sees and for every one that doesn’t have a solution, the value of that company is reduced. It can be a very humbling experience for business owners to come to this time in their life and think that they can sell in the next six months. It just doesn’t happen like that. Restructuring can take 2 or 3 years depending on the issues we are dealing with. Owners need to take the time to get the right advisors and consultants to help them get prepared for this investment transition.”

The one day seminar, open to company owners that did at least $7 million in revenue last year, will be held March 19, 2009 at the EagleQuest Coyote Creek Golf Club in Surrey, BC. Owners will have the opportunity to get a reality check on the state of their business, hear from other owners who are selling or who have sold, meet private equity investors and strategic buyers as well as learn the ins and outs of the mergers and acquisitions process.

Read More Information on the seminar

For Contact:

Lorraine Rieger McGregor

Spirit West Management, Ltd
events@spiritwest.com or Tel: 604-306-7707

Lorraine Rieger McGregor – Biography

As CEO, it’s Lorraine’s job to develop our network, manage our outreach and seminars and work with key mergers and acquisitions partners. As a senior consultant Lorraine leads strategy, marketing and financial management to improve client performance so they can grow, sell or acquire companies.

Lorraine is also a senior management consultant and co-developer of the Smart Team Toolbox which is what we use to help people to learn how to change how they think, lead and manage.

Lorraine’s career has been devoted to helping organizations learn how to grow through becoming champion problem solvers for their customers.

As one of the first people to work in the Clean Tech space, Lorraine made a name for herself in the US as a business development specialist by helping get technology for water, wastewater treatment, alternative energy and other environmental solutions to market.

Lorraine has worked with more than 100 organizations to help prepare them for growth, repositioning products, customer development, joint venture partnerships and financial performance. As an Mergers & Acquisition specialist, she works with owners and shareholders to prepare their companies so they are actually saleable, worth their desired exit goals and to be attractive to target investors.

Lorraine is the former President of the Association for Corporate Growth, Vancouver Chapter the leading M&A authority in North America. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University, a Marketing Diploma from the BC Institute of Technology and Design Arts Diploma from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology.

What’s Lorraine Been Doing Lately ?

• Wrote white paper for banks entitled “Is Your Business Saleable” which will be available in the Fall 2010 from business-friendly banks in North America
• Wrote two articles as a guest columnist for BC Business Magazine (Dec 2008) and Business in Vancouver (Nov 24, 2008)
• Guest lecturer at Simon Fraser University on how to grow a company with an exit strategy in mind and how to develop a marketing strategy to grow a software technology company.
• Elected President in 2008 of the Vancouver Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, www.ACG.org
• Will be completing a full length webinar and book on how to prepare a company so that it is saleable, at the desired price to the right acquirer which will be available in 2011.
• Joined the board of A W.I.S.H, A World Institute for a Sustainable Humanity www.AWISH.NET which fosters sustainability projects around the world

Contact information