Naturally Austin Off the Shelf- Fast growth, sustainably.

620 Congress Avenue,Austin TX 78701

30 June, 2021

Description

Join us on June 30th for this Naturally Austin Off the Shelf for conversations around fast growth and sustainability. Join us for the Naturally Austin June Off the Shelf conversation that will be centered around building a sustainable business while growing quickly. Growth has challenges. We've seen it, we've heard about it, some of us are living it. Hear from Mason Arnold, Rick Ressler and Stephen Aguilar on lessons and strategies navigating growth. This event is being hosted by our friends at Michael Best in their new office in downtown Austin. Venture Best is a full service National law firm, ranked as a top 10 leader by pitchbook for VC deal activity across the US. We will also have Cold Brew from Colibri Mountain Coffee available. Colibri Mountain Coffee won 3rd Place at the US Cold Brew Championships at Coffee Fest on June 18-19, an amazing achievement as they started roasting coffee in March of this year! We are happy to have them share their Cold Brew with our Naturally Austin Members. Spots are limited to 35 so be sure to sign up today! Mason Arnold, Founder of Cece's Veggie Co. and Serial Entrepreneur trying to make the world a better placeMason is a serial entrepreneur with fresh food, organics and sustainability always at the core. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a Chemical Engineering degree, Mason dove head first into affecting change when it came to how chemical use affects our planet, our food and our bodies. After founding EarthAction Landscaping, an environmentally-responsible lawn care company which grew for two years and sold, Arnold moved into organics and food and founded Greenling.com, the first and largest Local/Organic grocery delivery service in Texas serving all major metros, which sold in 2015. His current venture, Cece’s® Veggie Co., disrupted the produce department by pioneering the first pre-packaged, USDA certified Organic spiralized vegetables. Founded in 2015, Cece’s innovative fresh-cut veggie products are found nationwide in most major retailers and have been recognized with awards from the leading trade associations in the produce industry. In 2019 Cece’s landed the #3 spot on the Inc 5,000 list of fastest growing private companies in the US. In addition to founding businesses that support organics and sustainability, Mason is committed to service to support change overall. In 2018, Mason joined the board of the United Fresh Produce Association and is an inaugural member of the organization’s Organic Working Group. A longtime Organic agriculture activist, he drafted legislation and created the Organic Advisory Board to the Texas Department of Agriculture and formed the Organic Association of Texas, a legislative action and lobbying group for the Organic agriculture industry in Texas. He is an avid mentor and has served on numerous non-profit boards, including the Sustainable Food Center. Mason also helped bring the Slow Money movement to Central Texas by forming Slow Money Austin, an organization that aims to facilitate the flow of capital to local food systems. Mason was honored with the United FreshMKT Achievement Award in 2018 for outstanding achievement and innovation in the marketing and merchandising of fresh produce, and was crowned 'Eco Leader of the Year' by the Austin Business Journal in 2010. Mason and his businesses have also received national innovation awards from Dell and PC Magazine, and more than 25 diverse awards across various outlets, including being crowned ‘Best Local Food Company’ 9 years in a row in the Austin Chronicle. Mason has received national media attention for his companies including feature stories in the New York Times, Business Week, Entrepreneur magazine, Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, radio appearances on NPR’s On Point, and others. Rick Ressler, Managing Partner, Austin Office at Michael Best & Friedrich LLPRichard “Rick” Ressler has dedicated his 30+ year legal career to developing his general counsel corporate and securities legal practice and providing excellent service to his clients and community. Rick offers clients a deeply educated, reasoned perspective and wide-ranging experience, having represented companies large and small, publicly traded and privately held. He has experience across industry sectors including consumer products, technology, transportation, and business accelerators. Specifically, Rick is a Founder of SKU Consumer Products Accelerator, and actively counseling CPG companies for growth and investment. Rick has held positions at law firms, in-house, and as outsourced general counsel. He has served as attorney and corporate officer, including for Union Pacific’s technology incubator. Rick believes singular legal advice is not enough. Rather, his advice and services are structured to support his clients’ short-term goals and long-term success. In 2006, Rick joined a respected entrepreneurial law firm in Austin to focus his practice on full-service entrepreneurial law. Since then, he has served as counsel and trusted advisor for hundreds of innovators, executives, investors, and their businesses, helping them launch, grow, and transition their companies. Through this practice, he has sought to provide reputable, proven legal and business resources and expertise, as well as deliver experienced legal counsel. Today, Rick’s practice includes counseling clients on transactional matters such as corporate formation and governance, financing, securities, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, contracts, and tax issues, and also encompasses other areas of law pertinent to founders and investors. Rick also has significant experience advising clients on labor and employment issues including stock and benefit plans, intellectual property strategy and licensing, and real estate matters. Rick has represented clients in more than 100 public offerings and private placements, including underwriters, issuing companies, and investors. Rick also has considerable experience in venture capital and other start-up investments, bank and other loan financ­ings, structured financing, sophisticated leasing arrangements, and acquisitions and divestures. He has guided joint venture and financing transactions involving entities across the globe as well as financings for the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Earlier in his career, Rick served as Vice President and Corporate Counsel to Centex Corporation. He also served a concurrent role as General Counsel to Centex Title and Ancillary Services, a Centex subsidiary. Previously he was Assistant General Counsel to Union Pacific and Vice President and General Counsel to FENIX, a Union Pacific Corporation subsidiary. For nine years, Rick also worked in private practice for two well-respected international law firms. Stephen Aguilar, Senior Counsel at Michael Best & Friedrich LLPStephen focuses his practice on corporate and transactional law as well as commercial litigation. He advises clients ranging from entrepreneurs to large corporations across industries, including consumer products, technology, marketing and advertising, and manufacturing. Stephen is a dedicated business partner who spends time getting to know his clients and understanding their unique goals and legal concerns before developing innovative solutions to achieve their objectives. Stephen works closely with entrepreneurs beginning with early-stage planning and encompassing all aspects of entity formation, governance, and financing, providing practical advice and counsel along every step of the way. He represents companies of all ages and sizes in a broad range of corporate and transactional matters, including: - Private company purchases and sales transactions - Private equity and venture capital investment transactions - Commercial licensing - General corporate counsel representation to clients including those in consumer goods industry - Secured and unsecured credit transactions of all sizes and types He also has considerable experience with immigration and entertainment law. As a former musician and songwriter, Stephen has a deep appreciation for protecting artists’ rights. He represents entertainers and artists with regard to their trademark and other brand rights, as well as in contractual matters. Stephen also assists his clients in securing visas, permanent residency, and other immigration benefits for company founders, investors, and integral personnel. Stephen is passionate about pro bono service, and is involved in the Community Justice Program, which provides free legal services to those who would otherwise lack access to quality legal counsel. Prior to joining Michael Best, Stephen was a partner in a Texas-based firm specializing in providing legal services for entrepreneurs and their investors.