ACG Awards Colt Luedde with Meritorious Service Award

CHICAGO, May 24, 2018 –The Association for Corporate Growth® recently presented six of its members with the prestigious 2018 Meritorious Service Award for their exceptional leadership and longtime contributions toward the advancement of the organization. 

ACG, a global organization focused on driving middle-market growth, recognized the recipients at its recent InterGrowth® conference in San Diego. Meritorious Service awardees are nominated by their peers for their distinguished volunteer service and leadership within the association. 

“Every organization knows that the dedication of its volunteers is the truest measure of its value and success,” said J.B. Dollison, chairman of the ACG Global board of directors. “ACG is no exception. This year’s award recipients are natural leaders who have generously given thousands of volunteer hours. It’s our honor and privilege to recognize them.” 

Congratulations to the 2018 ACG Meritorious Award recipients:

Colt Luedde -- ACG Houston
Colt Luedde joined ACG Houston 16 years ago and is a past president of the chapter. He was instrumental in the inaugural Texas ACG Capital Connection, lending his invaluable insight into the event’s structure and content. While on the ACG Houston board of directors, he served as programming chair and secured many highly coveted speakers. Luedde is a managing director at GulfStaf Group where he has completed and advised on more than 100 merger and acquisition transactions. 

Sally Glick -- ACG New Jersey
Sally Glick heads up ACG New Jersey. For the last four years serving as chapter president, she encouraged dozens of new members to join and lead committees, revamped the sponsorship program, and worked closely on the chapter’s signature annual event, the Corporate Growth Conference and Awards. Glick is a principal at the firm Sobel & Co, LLC, where she is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm’s branding, marketing communications and business development strategies.

Jeremy Harrison -- ACG U.K.
Jeremy Harrison currently serves ACG in an array of leadership roles. He first joined ACG’s ranks in 2007 while living in the United States. When Harrison returned to the U.K in 2011, he spearheaded the re-launch of the ACG U.K. chapter. In 2017, Jeremy chaired ACG’s EuroGrowth conference, and secured engaging speakers, crafted contemporary content and drove outstanding attendance. He is a regional group head and senior vice president at Bank of America Business Capital. 

Paul Kleinkauf -- ACG Atlanta
Over the last decade, Paul Kleinkauf wore many hats with ACG. At the ACG national and local levels, he served as a board member and a significant sponsor, and focused his work on young professional engagement. Kleinkauf established the Corporate Development Roundtable in ACG Atlanta. In addition, he helped found the ACG Cup program, a case study competition for MBA students. Paul is a regional director at Merrill Corporation. 

Karen Tuleta -- ACG Cleveland 
Karen Tuleta serves on the ACG InterGrowth Task Force Committee and previously served as a member of both the ACG Cleveland and ACG Global boards. She is well respected for her ongoing commitment to the career advancement of women and continues to serve as a mentor to many women in the dealmaking community. Tuleta is a partner with MPE Partners, which she joined in 1995. She serves on all transaction deal teams and works closely with the firm’s portfolio companies to help drive their growth. 

Ward V.S. Cerny -- ACG Denver
Ward Cerny is a past president and a longtime board member for ACG Denver. His enthusiasm and leadership contributed to the success of the chapter’s Rocky Mountain Growth Conferences and the attraction of new members. His volunteer experience also extends to an array of chapter committees. Cerny is a vice president at Alliance Bernstein where he advises individuals and institutions on investment strategies. 

“Our awardees illustrate the breadth and depth of the global middle-market community,” said Dollison. “We are bankers, mentors, investors, marketers and more. Their investment in ACG helps us tell the story of how everyday middle-market companies drive growth in economies here and abroad.” 

About the Association for Corporate Growth 
Founded in 1954, ACG has 59 chapters across the globe. ACG’s worldwide network comprises 90,000 professionals within the middle market, including 14,500 members who serve as the investors, lenders, owners, executives, and advisers to growing middle-market companies. ACG’s mission is to drive middle-market growth. 

About GulfStar Group
GulfStar is a leading middle market investment bank headquartered in Houston. GulfStar specializes in providing merger and acquisition advisory services, institutional private placements of equity and debt, and general corporate finance advisory services to companies with revenues or enterprise values generally ranging from $25 million to $350 million. Since its formation in 1990, GulfStar has completed more than 675 transactions in 34 states and 16 foreign countries across a variety of industries.

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Media Contact
Larry Guthrie,
Director of Communications & Marketing
lguthrie@acg.org
312-957-4283