Becoming A Certified Exit Planning Advisor - What is Involved PR Attached

Emmet Apolinario Receives
EPI’s Prestigious CEPA Credential
By Exit Planning Insititute
May 15, 2008 - 1:23:00 PM

CHICAGO, IL— The Exit Planning Institute is proud to announce that Emmet Apolinario, of Columbus, Ohio recently earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) certification after completing the Institute’s intensive CEPA program. Apolinario joins an exclusive group of fewer than 100 business advisors worldwide who have received this designation.

About the CEPA Program
The CEPA program was specifically designed for business advisors who work closely with owners of privately held companies. Using an executive MBA style format, the program is designed around a central case study and uses a combination of lectures, group discussions, case studies and individual exercises to introduce participants to concepts and to reinforce skills.

To receive the CEPA certification Apolinario completed a rigorous 4 day program that involved approximately 100 hours of pre-course study, 36 hours of class room instruction, and successful completion of a 6 hour proctored examination.. The program was held at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business-Gleacher Center (http://www.gleachercenter.com).

About The Exit Planning Institute
The Exit Planning Institute is the premier provider of learning, knowledge, and future-oriented research for exit planning professionals. The Institute delivers innovative learning experiences, performance-enhancing resources, and strategic tools designed to advance the exit planning profession.

The Institute is made up of business brokers, accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, investment bankers, valuation advisors, commercial lenders, insurance advisors, and management consultants in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The common thread that unites these different professionals is their commitment to helping clients exit their companies successfully.

More information about the Institute can be found at www.exit-planning-institute.org.

CONTACT: Dennis Gano, Executive Director, 847.303.6887, gano@exit-planning-institute.org

2009 Mergers and Acquisition Activity Forecast

Credit crunch to slow 2009 M and A Activity

Rick ADAMCZAK, Daily Reporter Staff Writer

It should be a strong buyers' market in regard to sales of businesses in Ohio next year, according to the president of the Ohio Business Brokers Association. Sellers should have no trouble finding suitors because the recession has brought out a wave of bargain shoppers looking to buy businesses at lower prices. "More than ever we're seeing buyers looking out there for deals, but people are looking at things with caution," said Emmet Apolinario, president of the OBBA.

"We do have a lot of buyers coming into the market, a lot of bottom-feeding." A year ago it was more of a sellers' market, but that changed once the economy's woes worsened throughout the year. "Our phones are busy with buyers looking for deals, but sellers have to be flexible on credit terms. Ninety percent of them are going to have to consider carrying a seller's note," said Apolinario. He said he expects 2009 to be an active year for mergers and acquisitions in Ohio, though the credit crunch will keep the pace of deals down. "Credit is an issue. It's a big challenge," Apolinario said. "It's still going to be active in 2009.

It's like a dam and when the water breaks, it's going to gush." He said health care should remain one of the strongest sectors. "If we have a client with a health-care company it's easy to pitch it to a buyer," said Apolinario. The service sector, too, should be busy in the coming year. "It'll be strong with cash flow doing well in Ohio. There's still some growth to it," he said. The retail market, however, will be "challenging." "You're going to have to be willing to provide a good amount of notes," Apolinario said. A seller's note is when a seller agrees to receive a portion of the purchase price as a series of installment payments. Despite the woeful economy, Apolinario said there still are plenty of companies in good positions to buy other firms. "There are still stronger companies looking to do deals, they have some cash, but they're very selective," said Apolinario. Still, there remains a lot of uncertainty among buyers and sellers as the recession plows into its second year. "I think we're going into uncharted waters here," said Apolinario. "Everyone wants to do it right away, but you can't. It's a bit of a challenging market with the economy. This is a new world order and it's affecting many aspects of (mergers and acquisitions)."

Reinforcing Apolinario's forecast of cautious buying, a new report by the Association for Corporate Growth indicates that merger and acquisition activity in Ohio may slow in 2008. The percent of Ohio professionals involved in mergers and acquisitions who say the current M & A environment is good or excellent has fallen to 10 percent this month, from a high of 95 percent in June 2007.

The percentage dropped to 70 percent in December 2007, then to 41 percent in June 2008. The latest survey of middle market merger professionals by the Association for Corporate Growth shows the most negative outlook in the history of the survey, with 90 percent of Ohio dealmakers saying the current mergers and acquisitions environment is "fair" or "poor." Most Ohio dealmakers do not see it getting better any time soon. According to the survey, 33 percent of dealmakers expect the M & A environment six months from now to be the same while 28 percent believe it will worsen and 19 percent said it would improve. Apolinario said Baby Boomers remain influential in the mergers and acquisitions arena, since many of them have owned business for perhaps 15 or 20 years or more and are preparing to sell them to move on to other pursuits or retirement, though the recession has likely altered many of those plans. "They may be hanging on to them until the credit market is there again so they can walk away with more cash," said Apolinario. "I'd say about one-third are just tired, one-third are faced with the challenges of the credit crunch and one-third are ready to move on."

Date Published: Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Copyright 2008, The Daily Reporter, 580 S. High St., Columbus, OH