FMV, LLC

On April 27th, I spoke on a panel at the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference in Las Vegas called Addressing the Challenges for Securing $10M & Under Financing. The panel was moderated by Ron Feldman, the CDO of FRANdata, and the other speakers were Glen Johnson, President of Rockland Ventures and David Harrison, President of Rental Concepts, LLC. We discussed issues faced when seeking capital due to the effects of the recession and exit of several large lenders to the fran...chise sector. I was able to highlight the assistance FMV has provided to high net worth individuals (mostly NBA players) in becoming minority investors with some of the top restaurant operators in the country, and the $100MM fund we’re raising to address this opportunity. The discussion was one of the highest rated sessions and nearly 400 people attended our standing room only presentation!

I had a lot of fun yesterday at an exclusive private equity conference hosted by the Capital Roundtable. I was asked to moderate what (to me, at least) was a fascinating topic: Franchise Conversion-Criteria to Consider when Converting an Existing Brand into a Franchise Model. I had an all-star panel, whom I’d like to thank here, including Jamie Davis, the Director of Franchise Development at Primrose Schools, Michael Elliott, the managing partner and CEO of Peak Franchise... Capital, and David Gonzalez, the Vice President of franchising at First Watch Restaurants, Inc. Leveraging the vast experience of our group, we were able to present a list of key items companies/investors sometimes overlook in thinking through whether franchising a company is the right strategy-trying to help educate the audience from our collective mistakes/experiences. We were also able to engage the audience in a fascinating discussion about the current valuations awarded franchised vs. non-franchised concepts, and what we believe is driving these very different numbers.

I moderated the Tips and Traps for International Development panel at the Restaurant High Conference in Los Angeles. The panel focused on the factors that need to be considered when brands are looking to expand internationally. Speakers included Douglas Stalgren, the Executive Director of International at Panda Restaurant Group, Rudy Sugetti, the Senior Vice President of Franchise at California Pizza Kitchen, and Kristin Houston, the Senior International Trade Specialist at the United States Commercial Services. Restaurant High continues to be one of the best conferences in the sector each year, headed by my good friend Riley Lagesen of Davis Wright Tremaine. It's an honor to be chosen to present every year.

I recently presented to a sold-out crowd at the Private Equity Dealmakers Breakfast Series in NYC. Our panel focused on private equity in the food and restaurant sectors. Panelists included Paul Murphy from Sentinel Partners, Carlos Ramirez from Powerful Yogurt, and Carl Wolf from MamaMancini’s. Topics discussed include key trends and pitfalls in investing in the sector as well as how operators can differentiate themselves when looking for capital from prospective investors.

I am delighted to have recently joined the Advisory Board of MamaMancini's. MamaMancini's is a publicly traded company under the name MamaMancini's Holdings, Inc. (stock symbol MMMB), and produces and sells prepared, frozen, and refrigerated food products in the United States to supermarket and mass market retailers. Products include beef, turkey, chicken, and pork meatballs, pasta, sauces, as well as Italian made products. http://www.mamamancinis.com/