Upcoming Keynotes

Succession Planning & Asset Management

Workshop Agenda, Vancouver Course Details

Session Date: Tuesday September 29, 2009
Time: 8:00 AM to 3:45 PM
Location: VRCA Office – 3636 East 4th Ave., Vancouver BC, V5M 1M3
Workshops Costs: VRCA or Associate Associations    $225.00 + GST
  Non-Membership                         $275.00 + GST

Register On-line www.vrca.bc.ca/page/calendar.aspx

Succession Planning and Asset Protection designed specifically for VRCA members 

How will you get out of your business?
To maximize your return you need to know

Find the answers to these and many other issues in this in-depth program designed for contractors.

Session Details

Optimizing your Business for Sale and Profitability
(Ron Coleman, Coleman Management Services Inc.)
Ron Coleman believes that in order to sell your business for the top dollar you need to fire yourself. By this he means that you work yourself out of a job so that the business can run effectively without your ongoing presence. In his workshop he will discuss the systems, processes and people you will need to accomplish this in your business. Ron will examine Management versus ownership and what is the difference, dashboard management – how it can keep you in control, and the essentials of a good client database – repeat business, with no one dominant customer.

The Staged Buy-out Approach – Creating Value With Golden Handcuffs (Don Sihota, Clark Wilson LLP)
You don’t have to sell right away, but you can structure your business to allow you to minimize your day to day involvement, retain legal control, and provide your chosen management with incentives for financial and personal satisfaction. By locking in key managers you keep them from becoming your competitors, while adding value to your business and creating another potential buyer. Don will explain the legal tools required to implement “golden handcuffs”, yet retain the ability to take back shares and remove management if it does not perform.

Selling a Business – Legal Traps to Avoid
(Don Sihota, Clark Wilson LLP)
Don will discuss legal issues in selling a business, pointing out pitfalls business owners face in the sale process so you can avoid making the same costly mistakes. He will explain the difference between an asset purchase and a share purchase in the sale of a business and which is best for you. You will learn about the importance of confidentiality agreements when selling a business as well as the impact of deposits and standstill agreements. Don will also discuss how to properly deal with employment issues and non-competition agreements when selling your business.

Structuring the Sale and Tax Planning
(Garrett Louie and Julie Guenkel, Johnsen Archer LLP)
This session will review assets vs shares sale and the issues and considerations of each option. How to structure the transaction, when to use a holding company, and the use of consulting contracts. Tax implications of non-compete clauses and other restrictive covenants, installment sales, earn-out agreements and share exchanges. The session will also review your options in tax planning, retiring allowances, capital gains exemptions and incorporating a division.

The Resource People

Ron Coleman has written a variety of education courses, he has co-authored three degree courses for BCIT and does presentations on a regular basis in both Canada and the US. He wrote (and delivers) there Business Management program for CHBA-BC and has just completed the new online versions. His passion in business is helping contractors to be more successful. In addition to a successful speaking and consulting practice Ron also has an accounting practice.

Garrett Louie, CA has spent the last 5 years providing Canadian tax advisory and compliance services in both public practice and in private industry. Recently, his work has focused on Canadian personal and corporate tax services for private companies and their shareholders. Garrett first joined Johnsen Archer LLP in 2001 as an articling student, and qualified for his Chartered Accountant designation with the firm in 2004. While at KPMG’s he completed the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants In-Depth Tax specialization courses. In March of 2008, Garrett returned to Johnsen Archer LLP where he is currently a Senior Tax Manager.

Julie Guenkel, CA has over ten years experience in public practice working with a diverse client base. She specializes in providing tax and accounting services to private companies and their shareholders. Julie received her Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Waterloo and began her career in public practice in 1998 as an articling student with KPMG LLP in Vancouver. She completed the CICA in-depth tax course in 2003 and subsequently practiced as a Tax Manager, providing tax advisory and compliance services to a variety of corporate and individual tax clients. In 2005, Julie returned to general practice and joined a mid-size public accounting firm, providing assurance, accounting, business advisory and taxation services to private companies and their shareholders in a variety of industries including real estate, construction, professional practices, retail and manufacturing. 

Don Sihota is a partner with the law firm of Clark Wilson LLP. His practice includes mergers and acquisitions (M&A), business succession planning, business sale transactions, management buy-outs / buy-ins, share and asset purchase transactions, exercise of shotgun clauses in shareholders agreements and corporate reorganizations in anticipation of the sale of a business. Don has had articles published in Business in Vancouver and Alberta Oil Magazine. He has been quoted by The Vancouver Sun, The Province and other media. 

Register On-line www.vrca.bc.ca/page/calendar.aspx