Middle Market Growth Conversations

Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist of RSM, spoke with MMG Editor Kathryn Mulligan by phone on March 19 about the potential impact of tariffs on U.S. middle-market businesses, his recent trip to China, and the results of the latest RSM US Middle Market Business Index.

Andrew Appel, CEO of IRI, spoke with MMG Editor Kathryn Mulligan about how retailers are leveraging data, analytics and social media as they try to become multichannel and more consumer-centric. Appel talked about the changing landscape of retail, and how a company like IRI, which has been around for nearly four decades, continues to innovate and adapt to changing market dynamics.

Dan Sustar, CEO of Trademark Global, spoke with MMG Editor Deborah Cohen by phone about his company's niche in the e-commerce ecosystem. Profiled on the cover of MMG's January/February issue, the Lorain, Ohio-based company sources, warehouses and ships products for some of the biggest names in e-commerce while also developing its own products.

Roger Nanney, vice chairman of Deloitte LLP and Deloitte Private U.S. leader, spoke with MMG Editor Kathryn Mulligan by phone about Deloitte's "Global Perspectives for Private Companies" report, based on a survey of more than 1,800 executives of middle-market companies worldwide.

Amit Bouri, co-founder and CEO of the Global Impact Investing Network, spoke to MMG Editor-in-Chief Deborah Cohen about the increasing interest among investors, including private equity, in achieving positive social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. Bouri and Cohen spoke on Jan. 31 on-site during an impact investing conference that the GIIN helped produce in Chicago.

Jane Rowe, senior managing director and head of private capital for Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, one of the pioneers of the Canadian private investing model, talks with MMG Editor-in-Chief Deborah Cohen about the plan’s strategy, including backing private equity funds, plus direct investment alongside GPs and long-term equity holds.

Steven Kaplan, the Neubauer family distinguished service professor of entrepreneurship and finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, speaks with MMG Editor in Chief Deborah Cohen about the Lincoln Middle Market Index, which he developed with investment bank Lincoln International; Booth’s private equity programming; and Kaplan's research, including on how analytics can predict CEO success.

In part two of his Dec. 8 interview, RSM US LLP Chief Economist Joseph Brusuelas talks with MMG Editor in Chief Deborah Cohen about the global implications of tax reform, the outlook for the United States’ free trade agreements, and the books he’s been reading recently.

Denis O'Sullivan, an ACG National Capital board member who provides financial planning services to company founders, has played a key role to shine a spotlight on emerging technology companies in the Washington, D.C., area. He shares some of the exciting companies featured at the Washington Technology Showcase, the growth of analytics and big data as a focus area for government services firms, and the challenges and opportunities facing private equity firms that try to enter this market.

Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist of RSM US LLP, speaks with MMG Editor Deborah Cohen about his firm’s recent Real Economy report, which looks at how the middle market is performing compared with the wider economy. He also weighs in on the most recent U.S. jobs report, the stock market, tax reform, cryptocurrencies and more. This is the first half of Brusuelas’ interview, recorded on Dec. 8 and released as a Middle Market Growth Conversations bonus episode. The second half of the conversation will be released in the podcast feed in January.