Access to Capital

The Let’s Do Business Florida (LDBF) Access to Capital Seminar will take place on June 7th from 9:30 a.m. – Noon:

Basics to Private Equity-Mezzanine Capital Forum
-Access to Patient Capital for Minority Businesses

This forum will allow minority business owners to better understand the current state and role of equity and mezzanine financing. Minority businesses are the foundation to job creation in minority communities but they are not islands unto themselves, but operate in a rapidly changing global economy.

Minority businesses are the fastest growing segment yet only account for a fraction of equity capital investments. Patient capital is critical to allowing minority growth companies to expand and create jobs. The panelist will address pervasive problems confronting minority small market businesses and the basics to private equity capital.

Moderators: Craig Fowler. Managing Director, BAML Capital Access Funds, Bank of America / Merrill Lynch

Panelists: Willie Woods, Managing Partner, ICV Capital Partners; Preston G. Walsh, Managing Director, PNC Mezzanine Fund; Carlos Signoret, Co-founder/Managing Partner, Hispania Capital Partners; Greg Baty, Vice-President, Hamilton Lane

Minority communities represent one of the most potent demographic and potentially economic forces in the American economy. Minority businesses are the foundation to job creation in minority communities and capital is their fuel. But today minority businesses lack access to both debt and equity capital.

By the middle of the next century, Latinos, Asians, blacks and Native Americans together will constitute 50% of the population. But, in economic independence terms, they still fall desperately behind. Today, minority groups are 26.2% of the population but own only 11.6% of the nation's businesses and receive only 6.2% of total sales. Minority-owned businesses are growing at double the rate of all firms in the U.S. economy, both in numbers of new firms and impact on markets. Today, minority-owned businesses have revenues of $265 billion, with sales growing at close to 11% a year.

Federal and state governments have taken steps to close the racial gap in education and training. But they have failed to increase minority access to capital. SBIC’s are an example of such neglect with SBICs providing less than 3% of their annual $20 billion to minority businesses.

Mezzanine Capital Forum:

Moderators: Craig Fowler, Managing Director, BAML Capital Access Funds, Bank of America / Merrill Lynch

Panelists: Willie Woods, Managing Partner, ICV Capital Partners; Preston G. Walsh, Managing Director, PNC Mezzanine Fund; Carlos Signoret, Co-founder/Managing Partner, Hispania Capital Partners; Greg Baty, Vice-President, Hamilton Lane

Part II - The Anatomy of a Deal (continuation of the Mezzanine Capital Forum)

Moderator: Craig Fowler, Managing Director, BAML Capital Access Funds, Bank of America / Merrill Lynch

Panelists: Jim Davidson, Managing Director, Banyan Mezzanine Funds; Al Salas, Founder and CEO of Koning Restaurants International, the largest Pizza Hut franchisee in South Florida

CRA Investment Test Forum:

Moderators: Roland Sanchez Medina Esq. (Immediate Past President of Cuban American Bar Association) Reginald J. Clyne Esq. (Past Chair, Black Lawyers Association of Miami-Dade County-Past Chair, Equal Opportunity Section of Florida Bar Association) Monica Navarro (CFO, Urban League of Broward County)

Panelists: Joseph Firschein (Asst. Director of Community Affairs-Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) Beth Castro (Director of Community Development-Office of the Comptroller and Currency) Janice Mathis (VP and General Counsel-Rainbow Push) Joseph Pigg (VP-Sr. General Counsel-American Bankers Association) Erbi Blanco-True (Sr. VP-CRA Officer-Great Florida Bank) Aracely Panameno (Director Latino Affairs-Center for Responsible Lending) Mona Diaz (Senior Attorney, FDIC Legal Division)

Community Economic Development Capital:

Moderators: Ronald Frazier (Chair, BAC Funding Corporation) Debra Reyes (President, Neighborhood Lending Partners) Al Pina (Chair-FMCRC)

Panelists: Tricia Kerney-Willis (US Treasury-CDFI Fund, Training & Outreach Manager) Tony Brown
(Past CDFI Director and CEO T Brown Consulting) Ana Cruz-Taura (Regional Community Development Director-Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta) Debra Reyes (CEO- Neighborhood Lending Partners) Robert Jenkins Jr. (CEO-Hampton Roads Ventures) L'Quentus Thomas (VP-Stonehenge Growth Capital) Megan Teare (Wells Fargo Community Lending & Investment Group) Jennifer Pryce (Portfolio Manager, Calvert Foundation's U.S. Investments)

Assets & Hope:

Team: Al Pina (Chair, FMCRC) Reginald Clyne Esq. (Clyne & Associates) Roland Sanchez-Medina (Medina,
Crespo, Gonzalez, Crespo & Machado) Roderick Harvey CPA (Harvey, Covington & Thomas Accounting Firm) Valerie Crawford (CEO, Consult 121) Vicky Halloun (Student Intern)