Pacific Lake

It was an honor to host Greg Williams, Chairman and CEO of Acrisure—the 6th largest insurance broker in the world—at our Entrepreneur Conference in Park City. In a fireside chat with Coley Andrews, Greg shared the principles that have helped him build a multi-billion dollar business: ? Align incentives ? Empower people ? Build for the long term Read Coley's reflections from their conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eJBiizVw

Congratulations are in order! We’re excited to share that Federico de la Balze and Tony Patti have become CEOs of StaffScheduleCare, a leading provider of workforce management software for long term care and senior care facilities in Canada. StaffScheduleCare serves a mission critical need: scheduling in long term care homes. We're excited to see what they build as co-CEOs - read more about Fede & Tony's journey here: https://lnkd.in/db6NCzE5

Congratulations Drew Marx on becoming CEO at Forio, marking a new chapter for a leader in simulation-based learning and decision-making tools for educators, businesses, and organizations. We first met Drew in 2020 during his first year at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and we’ve been continually impressed by his leadership abilities, empathy, and relentless determination.?We are confident Drew will preserve the strengths that have made Forio a market leader and unlock new opportunities and innovations ahead. We look forward to continuing to support?Drew as he embarks on this next phase of his entrepreneurial journey.

It's tempting to leave tech diligence to the end of a deal process. But being more intentional from the beginning empowers you to be proactive and prevents unwelcome surprises. Starting tech diligence early doesn't mean spending money. It means asking smart questions to help identify where you might need to dig in further. Scott Barstow and Luis F. share their recommendations for where to focus here: https://lnkd.in/efjPQN_V

We are thrilled to announce Nick Kerr and Shaquille Walker's acquisition of HealthBridge Platinum Concierge, a leading concierge medicine practice based in Long Island, New York, as they embark on the journey to build an exceptional concierge care organization at HealthVantage Partners.? Nick and Shaq built deep expertise in concierge medicine through a thesis-driven approach, with lots of travel, conference visits and meetings with over 35 concierge practices. We could not be more excited for Nick and Shaq to step into the CEO seat and lead. We’ve admired their relationships first approach, entrepreneurial spirit, and hustle since we first met them during their first year at Harvard Business School. Read more about Nick & Shaq's journey to becoming CEOs here: https://lnkd.in/d_dAvG8Q

Nearly 2 years after the release of ChatGPT, many CEOs are still wondering how—or if—they should be incorporating AI into their business. ?? Ryan Galea is not one of these CEOs. During our biennial Entrepreneur Conference in Park City, Kevin Oxendine and Scott Barstow shared a framework for thinking about AI. Ryan Galea talked about how he has applied this framework to enhance productivity and strengthen customer value at Go Icon. ??

Tom Jackson, President at Datacor, Inc., discussed value creation levers with Kevin Oxendine at the Harvard Business School #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition Conference last month, Here's what we learned: ?? Listen First.?Tom didn't make any major decisions or changes at first. Instead, he listened to his team and customers. ?? Sequence Strategically. Careful sequencing of strategically aligned organic growth and M&A opportunities drives a virtuous growth flywheel. ???Allocate Wisely.?A thoughtful approach to managing the balance sheet can unlock additional value. ??Prioritize People. So much of the CEO’s role is getting the right people in the right place to continue to drive the business forward.

At the Pacific Lake Entrepreneur Conference last month in Park City, Dave Dodson and Lindsey Gray sat down with Sam Hyde and Laura Franklin to talk about the skills CEOs need to succeed ?? AND how to build them ?? Read our summary of the conversation here:

“Luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity” said Jim Southern, Pacific Lake’s Co-Founder, during his closing keynote at the Harvard Business School #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition 2024 Conference in conversation with Jason Pananos??.? 40 years ago, Jim made history as the first search fund entrepreneur when he acquired Uniform Printing.? Since then, Jim has backed hundreds of search funds and inspired countless CEOs to build amazing businesses ??.? Thank you, Jim, for your incredible impact on our community! ??

A big shoutout to Alexandra Andrino, Chris C., Arthur V. Belkin, and Ben Zheng for hosting an awesome Harvard Business School #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition 2024 Conference last weekend! ??? It was a day full of energy, packed with insightful conversations, meaningful connections, and engaging panels, including features from Pacific Lake’s very own Jim Southern and Kevin Oxendine. Here’s to the power of collaboration! ????