TYSONS CORNER, VA.—Former ACG Global Chair and best-selling author Doug Tatum shared his "Lessons Learned from the Trenches" at a Sept. 12 Womble Carlyle event.

In the dinner program, Tatum discussed what it takes to create a "capital markets-ready" business. He shared colorful examples and stories to bring the topic to life. In addition, top mergers & acquisitions advisors weighed in with their perspective, including Womble Carlyle attorney Dean Rutley, Pete Russo of Morgan Stanley and Pete Ragone of SC&H. Chef Geoff's Tysons, a contemporary restaurant serving upscale American cuisine, provided the perfect backdrop for the event.

The lively panel discussion was followed by a signing of Doug's book, "No Man's Land: Where Growing Companies Fail."

Tatum is Chairman of Newport Board Group, a national partnership of CEOs and senior executives who advise emerging middle market companies and assist private equity firms to invest in and grow portfolio companies. He is the Former Chairman of the Board for the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) and in 2017 he was given ACG's Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization's Intergrowth 2017 conference. Doug is the author of No Man's Land: Where Growing Companies Fail, a leading text about growth companies that has been translated into many languages and has won four National Best Business book awards. His insights about the economy and business have been cited in hundreds of media outlets including Inc. Magazine, The Financial Times, and The New York Times online.

Dean Rutley has 30 years of experience representing companies in a wide range of corporate, transactional, and securities matters. Rutley's practice is concentrated on emerging growth and mid-market companies (both public and private) with regard to a variety of domestic and international business transactions. He practices in Womble Carlyle's Northern Virginia office.

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