Educational Series Webinar: Defining Business Directions in Tough Times

David Braun, CEO

Capstone Strategic

David Braun is the founder and CEO of Capstone Strategic, Inc. (Capstone), which he established in 1995. David created the company to meet the unique demands of middle market companies and their corporate growth initiatives. Capstone focuses on helping companies grow successfully through proactive strategic growth programs. The firms clients include small and family-owned businesses (some going back six generations), as well as Fortune 500 and multinational companies.

Since the firms inception, Capstone has completed over US$1 Billion in transactions. Capstone also has particular expertise in assisting in acquisitions of closely-held, not-for-sale businesses.

Growth Engineer

David has over 30 years experience formulating growth strategies in a wide range of manufacturing and service industries. As an M&A Expert, David has been featured in a variety of media outlets including, Fox Business News, CBS MoneyWatch, Financial Times, CNN Money, First Business News TV, SmartCEO magazine, Business in the Morning radio, Advantages Magazine, and The Memphis Business Journal.

Author

David is the author of Successful Acquisitions, published in April 2013 by New York publisher AMACOM. The book lays out the Mergers and Acquisitions process in a detailed Roadmap to Acquisition. Successful Acquisitions is based on first-hand experience in steering dozens of transactions to completion. Rich in real-world examples, this book delivers a practical plan of action based on proven results. David is also the founder and main contributor of the Successful Acquisitions blog, located at www.SuccessfulAcquisitions.net.

Speaker

A dynamic speaker, over the past 20 years David has lectured to over 40,000 top-level business executives through training organizations like the American Management Association (AMA), National Center for Continuing Education (NCCE) and Vistage International as well as a wide variety of industry trade organizations. Since 1993, David has been a regularly featured speaker for the AMAs three-day course on Mergers & Acquisitions throughout the U.S.

David has presented on strategic mergers and acquisitions to credit union and CUSO leaders including Grow or Die: Strategic M&A at the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES) Execu/Summit in Snowmass, Colorado and Strategic M&A at the CUES Directors Conference in Orlando, Florida. David has also spoken at a number of national and international conferences including the University of Michigans Global Automotive Supply M&A Conference, which drew leaders of automotive companies from around the world, Oleofuels in Frankfurt, Germany, the Future of Polyolefins Conference in Dusseldorf, Germany, and the European Base Oils and Lubricants Summit in Alicante Spain. He has also presented to a wide variety of trade organizations including: the Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators, National Tooling & Machining Association, American Galvanizers Association, Chicago Manufacturing Center, Precision Metalforming Association, National Manufacturing Week.

Community Leadership and Education

For over 25 years, David has volunteered his time to organize and run the week-long American Legion Boys State program. This activity is dedicated to the development of future government leaders. David serves as the Program Director and Chief Instructional Counselor, as well as Board member. He was the youngest inductee into the Boys State Hall of Fame.

David was honored to receive the Patrick Henry Award, from the Governor of Virginia in recognition of his extensive community service.

Edelweiss Harrison, Vice President

Capstone Strategic

Edelweiss leads Capstone’s strategic growth and market research projects for clients. Her primary focus is on the first two phases of the company’s proprietary Roadmap to Acquisitions “Build the Foundations” and “Build the Relationships.

Edelweiss Harrison has nearly 20 years’ experience in guiding C-level executives through challenging strategic developments. She brings the added advantage of having worked with clients in more than thirty different manufacturing and services industries. Edelweiss is deeply immersed in the Capstone Roadmap methodology, having first joined Capstone in 1999 as a Research Assistant while studying at Georgetown University and later serving as the firm’s Strategic Advisor from 2010 to 2015.

Edelweiss has advised medium and large clients on their domestic and international acquisition initiatives and has conducted major research projects that follow Capstone’s demand-driven approach to M&A. She has also facilitated private workshops for clients, including credit unions and CUSOs, evaluating opportunities and building growth plans based on objective data rather than subjective preference. She serves as adjunct faculty for the American Management Association (AMA) teaching a course on disruptive innovation to leaders from companies such Boeing, The Home Depot and the Getty Foundation.

Edelweiss’s strengths include her ability to build relationships of trust, based on candid communication and professional expertise. At the same time, she has exceptional analytic and project-management skills that ensure effective implementation.

Originally from Brazil, Edelweiss is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish and has extensive experience working in international markets. Edelweiss holds a Master of International Business from the University of Auckland and a BS from Georgetown University. She currently serves on the International Council Finance Committee for Interserve International, a global non-profit headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.