November 16, 2018 Newsletter

November 16, 2018

Friday, November 16, 2018 | TMA New Jersey | turnaround.org/newjersey

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Let me start by wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving! Hard to believe December is nearly here, bringing us that much closer to the end of our 25 ^th anniversary celebration year, and what a year it's been!

To date, we've held 15 events with one more planned by year's end, not to mention our holiday party in January 2019. Our events have given members and guests of all ages numerous opportunities for networking, deal-making and professional development. Held throughout the state from Atlantic City to Princeton to Newark, events have ranged from the sporty (bowling, golf, tennis, and football) to the powerful (networking breakfasts and educational panels), to the sublime (spa event). A mix of educational and networking events included the ever-popular TMA-ACG Breakfast Meeting and The Inaugural NextGen Education Panel which was a new event this year and very well-attended. We also co-hosted countless events with other professional associations, helping all of us grow our networks.

The upcoming event I mentioned is the 3^rd Annual Hon. Rosemary Gambardella Scholarship Competition on Monday, November 19, not to be missed! Details are below.

Wanted: New Board Members

NJTMA is seeking members to deepen their connection to the organization and our members while leading us into the future. Due to term limitations, we will need many new board members and executive committee members over the next two to four years. As a board member, you will have an opportunity to add to your sphere of influence, impact our future direction, gain exposure and insight, and strengthen professional credibility. Interested? Contact Jane Mitnick, Chairwoman of NJTMA; Joseph Schwartz, Chair of the Nominating Committee; or me.

Respectfully submitted,

Steven F. Agran, CTP, MBA

Carl Marks Advisors

Third Annual Honorable Rosemary Gambardella

Scholarship Competition

New This Year - Rutgers Law School versus Seton Hall School of Law Students

Get ready for the final round of the 3 ^rd Annual Hon. Rosemary Gambardella Scholarship Competition on Monday, November 19. The competition will be held at Rutgers Law School followed by cocktails and networking at Barcade. This year, the moot court competition is comprised of students from Rutgers Law School and, for the first time, the Seton Hall University School of Law. The competition focuses on timely issues of bankruptcy law.

Students have already completed the first round essay competition and two students from each school have advanced to the final round. On Monday, they will present oral arguments to The Honorable Rosemary Gambardella, The Honorable John K. Sherwood and The Honorable Christine M. Gravelle, United States Bankruptcy Judges for the District of New Jersey. The presenters of the two winning oral arguments will be awarded $2,000 each in scholarship money and the runners-up will be awarded $500 each in scholarship money.

It's an exciting opportunity for students to work through a realistic business bankruptcy case scenario. In preparing their arguments, they receive mentorship from talented bankruptcy practitioners and finalists get to make their arguments before experienced bankruptcy judges. This free event is open to the public.

We hope you are able to join us to cheer on the next generation of professionals!

To register, visit newjersey.turnaround.org.

Respectfully submitted,

Sydney J. Darling, Esq., Walsh Pizzi O'Reilly Falanga LLP

Nicholas B. Jalowski, CTP, CMC, Cambridge Financial Services, LLC

Stephen B. Ravin, Esq., Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, LLP

Sponsorship News

Don't miss out on your opportunity to raise your public profile and showcase your brand by being a NJTMA annual sponsor: secure your spot by November 26th! Our current sponsors helped us host over 15 networking events and panel discussions in 2018 that give us perspective on the issues of the day. Remember the 25th Anniversary Party, the Annual Hon. Rosemary Gambardella Scholarship Competition, and the Seton Hall Scholarship Program? These are the programs that make NJTMA special, and they wouldn't happen without our sponsors.

All the opportunities are outlined online, from Bronze to Diamond, including several significant upgrades such as additional free tickets to our events. Gold and Diamond levels even include TMA memberships. With a wide variety of possibilities, there's sure to be one to fit your firm. New and exciting events will be announced throughout the year with several exclusive to our annual sponsors. We hope to include you in this premier group!

Sponsors are critical to NJTMA's success and our mission of providing educational programming and networking opportunities for members and the turnaround/bankruptcy community at large.

To become one of these special firms, or to renew or upgrade your current sponsorship, please contact me.

Respectfully submitted,

Harvey Topitz, Rivers Insurance Group

Sponsorship Chair

Membership Update

You know the old saying, membership has its privileges. At NJTMA, one of those benefits is that 85% of our members report having done business with another member as a result of their NJTMA involvement. And that's pretty great, but keeping the NJTMA as vital as it is requires growing with new members. Our goal is 250 members by the end of 2019! The great news is we have signed up 23 net new members this year and we are currently at 209 members. Please encourage colleagues to join the NJTMA.

Also, I urge you to encourage young professionals from your firms to join us. We have numerous NextGen programs during the year that they would appreciate. For example, in September Steven J. Mitnick, Esq., SM Law, moderated the panel, "A Young Professional's Perspective on Restructuring: Disposition Options, Finance and Issues," which was held at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. The panel of young professionals included Michael Albanese, Jr., Vice President of Operations, Cost Reduction Solutions; Rachel Gillen Atkin, Esq., Associate, Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP; Donald W. Clarke, Esq., Partner, Wasserman, Jurista & Stolz, P.C.; Jonathan Killion, CFA, Managing Director, Carl Marks Advisors; and Amanda Milazzo, Vice President, M&T Bank Middle Market C&I and Not for Profit. These young professionals had an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and expertise, and meet colleagues from all backgrounds. The event was attended by over 100 lending and corporate restructuring professionals of all ages from multiple professional organizations.

New Members

Please join me in offering a warm welcome to the following new members. You can connect with them through the TMA Member Directory or introduce yourself at an upcoming event.

Honorable Andrew Altenburg, Jr., United States Bankruptcy Court District of New Jersey
David L. Bruck Esq., Partner, Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis LLP
Deirdre E. Burke Esq., Associate, McCarter & English
Nick Cefalo, Regional Vice President, LSQ Funding Group LC
Rebecca Earl, United States Bankruptcy Court District of New Jersey
Honorable Kathryn Ferguson, United States Bankruptcy Court District of New Jersey
Adam Garrastegui, Law Clerk, United States Bankruptcy Court District of New Jersey
Thomas W. Halm, Jr. Esq. Founding Partner, Halm Law Group
Dana T. Malley, Senior Vice President, Harvest Small Business Finance, LLC
Erica Mannix, United States Bankruptcy Court District of New Jersey
Joseph Marchese, Partner, Clear Thinking Group
Christopher P. Mazza, Esq., Associate, Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, PC
Jay Miller, Esq., Senior Vice President, CBRE
Honorable Jerrold Poslusny, Jr., United States Bankruptcy Court District of New Jersey
John Wachter, Polymathes Capital
Joseph Michalik
Alexandria M. Nikolinos, Law Clerk, United States Bankruptcy Court District of New Jersey