The first Bigelow Forum was held in June 2008 at Wentworth by the Sea Hotel and Spa in New Castle, New Hampshire. The Forum brought together an exclusive group of wealth managers, attorneys, accountants, and other who serve in an advisory capacity to the owner-managers of privately held companies – for the purpose of exploring some of our common experiences and issues.
The Forum opened with a reception followed by a lobster bake. This evening offered a chance to meet old friends and get acquainted with new colleagues. The next morning we discussed the results of the Bigelow Forum Participant 2008 Survey. Bigelow Managing Director Rob MacLeod was the moderator for an Advisor Panel discussing the Survey. The Advisors on the Panel were Les Charm of Youngman & Charm, Chuck Richards of Chairman’s View, Inc., and Derek A. Stern, Ph.D. Key Findings from the survey were discussed prior to opening the session to questions from the audience.
Bigelow Managing Director David Linton then moderated a diverse panel of owner-managers who have completed one or more value-capturing events. The Panelists were George A. Psyhojos – Berkshire Manufactured Products, Inc., recapitalized by Relativity Capital; Robert W. Horgan – Newmarket International, Inc., acquired by Summit Partners; and Steven L. Watson – Altair Avionics Corp., acquired by United Technologies. It was an excellent opportunity to learn and understand their motivation, the catalyst for change, and their opinions about Advisory Boards and candid views on what’s important in an Advisor.
Our keynote speaker was Daniel Gilbert, PhD, a Harvard professor and author of Stumbling on Happiness, a humorous, research-driven exploration of how poorly we humans predict how we will feel in the future. Dan discussed the research behind his best-selling book – and kept us all laughing.