Three of Chicago's Top Financial Organizations Join Together to Discuss the Hedge Fund Industry in the Midwest

CHICAGO, May 8, 2007 — The Association for Corporate Growth Chicago (ACG Chicago) and the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association, in conjunction with the Hedge Funds Association (HFA), are pleased to announce that they will coalesce to present “Hedge Funds Unwrapped,” an afternoon three-part program on hedge funds and their impact on the financial markets that will take place from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. on May 22, 2007 at The Standard Club in Chicago.

Kenneth Heinz, president of Hedge Fund Research, Inc., and David Friedland, president of Magnum Funds and president of HFA, will lead off the program and provide the audience with an overview of the hedge fund industry. Heinz will share trend data on the investments and returns of more than 3,500 U.S. hedge funds, and Friedland will address the current state of the hedge fund industry, including a discussion of the evolution of hedge fund strategies.

The second session of the three-part program will feature a presentation by Dan Reid, transaction advisory services principal for Grant Thornton LLP. Reid will discuss the key findings of a recent study published by Grant Thornton and ACG, “Blurring of the Line: Private Equity and Hedge Funds are Converging.” Reid will also address how the convergence trend identified in the study is affecting the merger and acquisition (M&A) market.

“Hedge Funds Unwrapped” will conclude with an interactive dialogue between the audience and four area hedge fund experts. Ronald Kahn, managing director of Lincoln International, will moderate the panel, which will feature John Felix of Laminar Direct Capital LP; Friedland; Kevin Griffin of Fortress Investment Group LLC and Ivan Zinn of Atalaya Capital Management LP.

"The purpose of this informative program is to provide Chicago-area finance professionals with a complete understanding of hedge funds and hedge fund strategies, " said Paul Krantz, ACG Chicago director and director of GMAC Commercial Finance. “This is a unique opportunity to learn from three of our area’s most prominent financial organizations about a topic that is widely misunderstood and is ripe with potential.”

About ACG Chicago
With more than 900 members, ACG Chicago is the Midwestern access to the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) global network of more than 11,000. Its membership comprises a diverse and knowledgeable group of private equity investors, investment bankers, commercial lenders, corporate managers, attorneys, accountants and consultants. All share a strong commitment to leadership in the field of strategic corporate growth. ACG Chicago, the 2006-2007 "Outstanding Chapter Programming Award" recipient, provides its members with professional and business opportunities as well as the most current information on deal-making through its ongoing luncheon series, breakfast seminars, regional conferences and social events. Visit www.acg.org/chicago for more information or call 630-455-1740.

About Turnaround Management Association – Chicago/Midwest Chapter
The Turnaround Management Association (www.turnaround.org) is the only international non-profit association dedicated to corporate renewal and turnaround management. The Chicago/Midwest Chapter of TMA has over 1,000 members and is comprised of turnaround practitioners, attorneys, accountants, consultants, investors, lenders, venture capitalists, appraisers and liquidators. For more information, visit the Chapter’ s web site at www.chicago.turnaround.org or call 815-469-2935.

About Hedge Fund Association
The Hedge Fund Association is a not for profit organization founded in 1996 by Dion Friedland with the primary goal of educating the public and the media about the misperceptions of hedge funds, and promoting the image and popularity of hedge funds. The Hedge Fund Association has a goal of uniting the hedge fund industry and to continually increase awareness of the advantages and opportunities in the hedge fund industry. To find out more about the association and benefits available to members please visit www.thehfa.org.

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KemperLesnik Communications
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This release was published on openPR.