Happy Saturday and welcome to CEO Speaks for Saturday, October 29, 2022.

In just three days we will embark on the long anticipated and pandemic delayed TMA Annual Conference in Boston, MA, and I know it will be all that will dazzle, delight, and excite in a way, few before it ever have. With nearly 800 registrants, we are ready to take on Bean Town in style.

When making your one connection count, use these next days to come and expand your personal profile and professional network in only the way TMA can. Throughout the week, use social media, our event app, Event Cadence, and other outlets we will share, to let the world know about your TMA Experience at this year’s Annual, and the connections you made while you were there.

And as a special thank you for participation at this year’s Annual, TMA is pleased to offer a special one-time discount to those who will be at Annual, who register and pay in full for the 2023 Distressed Investing Conference (DIC) being held in Las Vegas starting on January 31st. For those that register for DIC at Annual you will get our ‘Earlier Bird’ discount, which is an additional $100 off the early bird rate and only available on site at Annual for those of you who register there. For those of you who will be at Annual and know the importance of DIC, especially coming into a year of the greatest period of economic uncertainty in more than a decade, you will not want to miss what is shaping up to be the most important table setting conference of the year.

It starts with one connection and that one connection starts with you is more than a theme, it is the essence of an organization in motion and for the nearly 300 first time Annual attendees, it promises to be an opportunity to connect and use this TMA experience to grow your network.

I’ll be on the lookout for any number of first timers and to make you my connections too. Like Karin Berg from Blank Rome LLP, Brian Resnick from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Francis Garvin of Gordon Brothers, Lori Wong from Capstone Partners and Paula Sosamon from Paladin Management Group to name just a few of our diverse professionals who will be present in Boston making their connections too.

TMA connections are priceless and those who have shared their TMA journey endorse what this organization and next week’s Annual will assure.

Like TMA Chicago/Midwest Board member Matt Beresh who recently shared that the exposure his firm and he personally get from TMA is ‘better than any other competing organization’. Or ArentFox Schiff Partner, Steve Wilamowsky, my one connection, introduced to me by Chapter President’s Council Chair and former TMA Chesapeake President Rob Patrick, SC&H Group, and who is heading our special bonus panel regarding the evolving Chinese real estate developer Evergrade. That one connection is the connection that created what will be a panel of real-time real-world importance, and I can’t wait to meet Steve there. As long time TMA Northeast member, Bostonian and Annual Committee member Keith Broyles of Cambridge Savings Bank puts it, we are gonna have a wicked good time next week.

I look forward to seeing you all in Boston next week and sharing with you the power of connectivity through TMA, hoping for those who are not yet my next connect, that you will be my one connection too.

As always, thanks for taking the time to listen today. In this year of Innovation through Disruption, your input is critical, your contributions paramount and your engagement the foundation that will create a better TMA for all our members.

Until next time, or until I see you in Boston, I’m Scott Stuart. Be safe, resilient and TMA Proud.