Strategic Approaches to Working with Private Equity

Date: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Time: 01:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT / 10:00 AM PT [Prevailing Time]
Presenter: Juanita Schwartzkopf, CPA, CFE, Senior Managing Director, Focus Management Group
Moderator: Wayne Sine, CPA, MBA, Education Director, National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives
Learning Objectives:
• Understand how PE thinks about recoveries and relationships. Different funds have different personalities. What is a fundless fund?
• Think about PE owned customers and PE owned vendors. How would business relationships differ when working with a PE owned partner.
• Special considerations when considering a PE owned joint venture partner.
Field of Study: Finance
Program Level: Basic
CPE Credit: 1 Credit Hour
Delivery Method: Group Internet-based
Prerequisite(s): No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.

Course Description

Private Equity (“PE”) and Private Debt continue to expand their role in the equity and debt markets.  Cooperatives are not immune to this changing marketplace.  Co-ops may have customers who are PE owned, vendors who are PE owned, or may have joint ventures utilizing a PE venture partner.  This presentation will help Cooperative financial professionals and CFOs evaluate unique considerations as they encounter customers and vendors who are PE owned, and consider risks and rewards when a joint venture partner is a PE group.

Presenter and Moderator Bios

Presenter: Juanita Schwartzkopf, CPA, CFE, Senior Managing Director, Focus Management Group

Juanita Schwartzkopf, senior managing director at Focus Management Group, has over 35 years of experience in commercial banking, business management, and financial advisory services. She has dealt with asset recovery situations involving the court and out-of-court situations on behalf of borrowers and lenders. Juanita’s extensive background provides her clients with creative methods of solving complex recovery problems. She has worked with nearly all major financial institutions in the evaluation of credit risk of borrowers, including developing strategies ranging from cost reductions to asset sales, to refinancing of existing lenders. Her experience crosses over into a variety of industries, including all aspects of food and agribusiness, healthcare, energy, distribution, transportation, real estate, manufacturing, and distribution. Juanita's focus is on cash and working capital planning in support of strategic goals for the enterprise she is working with.  She leads a team of professionals that work to assist companies undertaking changes to the their balance sheet, their working capital, and their strategic vision.  

Moderator: Wayne Sine, CPA, MBA, Education Director, National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives

After retiring as Tax Director of a regional supply cooperative on the East Coast, Wayne Sine was asked to serve as Education Director for NSAC. As an active and long-term member of NSAC, Wayne previously served as Chair of NSAC’s Tax Committee, President of the Atlantic Chapter, and was a recipient of NSAC’s Silver Bowl Award. In addition to his work with NSAC, Wayne has also served on the Legal, Tax, and Accounting (LTA) Committee of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Chaired the Tax Committees for both the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Manufacturers Association, served on the Tax Policy Committee of the Virginia Society of CPAs, and served as Region Vice President for Tax Executives Institute.

Cost
Free for NSAC Members / $65.00 for Non-Members

  Online Registration

Delivery System

• All programs are delivered using the Zoom platform.
• Confirmations will include log-in instructions.
• Participants are able to participate using any device with an Internet connect (if the device does not have speakers, the participant can also dial-in) or they can participate with audio only by dialing in.
• All registrants will receive a link to the CLN’s recording by email within 48 business hours of event’s conclusion.
• There will be assistance available to help with technical and connectivity issues up to 10 minutes prior to the start of the presentation.

Registration

All registration is done on-line and each guest must provide their name and email address to participate. All NSAC members may register for free. Non-members may register for a nominal fee.

Refund Policy

NSAC will not issue refunds for CLNs. If a registrant is unable to participate in the CLN and provides notification to info@nsacoop.org 48 hours prior to the session, a credit will be provided for a future CLN. Alert the NSAC staff member monitoring the CLN if technical difficulties are encountered and technical support will be provided to eliminate problems with future CLNs.

Additional Information

Live participation is required for CPE credit and polling questions must be answered to document your active participation. All registrants will receive an email following the session with links to the slides and/or handouts, and a link to the CLN recording (unless otherwise stated). If you are unable to participate in the live session, you can still watch the recorded session, but you will not be eligible for CPE credits. Those eligible for credits will receive their certificate by email with 7 business days.

For more information regarding NSAC CLNs or administrative policies such as complaint and refund, contact the NSAC Headquarters, 7946 Clyo Road, Suite A, Centerville, OH 45459, 937-222-6707, or info@nsacoop.org.