The Herd: Promotions and departures for 12.2.09

Departing:
John D. Gottwald will step down as president and CEO of Tredegar Corp at the end of January. Nancy M. Taylor will take over. Taylor, who went to Holy Cross and law school at Catholic University, is currently a vice president and has been head of a film products division since 2005.

Gottwald joined Tredegar in 1989. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Aluminum, Plastics and Energy at Ethyl. Gottwald, who serves on the board of directors of Albemarle Corporation, attended Washington & Lee University and has an MBA from the University of Richmond. Read more

Concierge for hotels in crisis

The hotel industry is one of the most beaten down, facing plummeting guest traffic and increasing loan defaults.

But struggles in one industry often mean opportunities for another.

Enter Matrix Capital Markets, a Richmond-based investment bank, that announced this week that it had partnered with Atlanta-based Hunter Hotels to offer expanded advisory services to distressed hotels.

Spencer Cavalier, a director at Matrix, said Hunter has done a lot of work buying and selling hotels. Matrix adds an expertise with bankruptcy and mergers and acquisitions, he said.

“This is an entrepreneurial way to provide our services to help these clients,” Cavalier said. “These hotel owners may be distressed at this time. We can help them recapitalize.” Read more

Who’s leaking news about Ukrop’s?

Where’s the mole?

Ukrop’s is again in the headlines for a possible sale. And like last time, it’s because a grocery industry website ran a blurb about a possible sale.

Supermaket News reported Tuesday that “Harris Teeter was outbid for Ukrop’s by an unnamed private equity group, which is currently in exclusive negotiations to acquire Ukrop’s.” Read more

Hello, will you be my friend?

Editor’s Note: RBS Reporter David Larter will be discussing how local businesses use social networking tonight at 5:30 on CBS 6.

Add one more item to the list of skills it takes to succeed in business in the 21st century.

Not only do you have to be deft at your craft, you also have to be your own publicist and maintain your own fan pages via social networking sites Facebook and LinkedIn.

And that makes each business professional an unofficial manager for their own personal brand. No doubt most employers take a peek at an applicant’s online profiles before making a final decision to hire. LinkedIn, in particular, can speed up hiring and help with marketing. Read more

Matrix Capital Markets Celebrates 20 Years, Continues Growth

RICHMOND, VA – July 22, 2008 – When Matrix first opened its doors as an M&A advisory firm over 20 years ago, our main focus was a commitment to excellence, passion for what we do and building long-lasting, solid relationships with our clients. Today, those principles still hold true. Over the years we have exceeded the expectations of hundreds of clients and have maintained a closure rate of 90%+. Read more