Luncheon: Lighting the Path to a Successful Exit: Why Deal Readiness 1–5 Years Out Protects Value, Timelines, and Owner Sanity sponsored by U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management
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About the Program
When a business owner decides to sell, they often assume their primary work begins at LOI—unaware that unmitigated operational, financial, and structural risks can derail a deal, erode valuation, or stretch closing timelines to a breaking point. Designed for advisors across legal, tax, and wealth disciplines, this presentation introduces a sea-change approach to M&A preparation: normalizing "Continuous Exit Hygiene" 1 to 5 years prior to market entry to systematically harness wealth and protect enterprise value, while offering a scalable triage framework for condensed deal timelines. Drawing from over two decades of frontline experience, Monica Tarasco outlines a 50-checkpoint inspection framework to identify hidden deal-killers early, maintain timeline momentum, and preserve initial purchase prices. Attendees will gain actionable insights into how cross-disciplinary advisors can collaborate with a strategic transaction quarterback to popularize pre-sale readiness protocols across their business-owner client base.
About the Speaker
Monica Tarasco is the Founder and Principal of Lantara Consulting LLC, a firm dedicated to lighting the path for business owners through critical, once-in-a-lifetime transactions. Drawing inspiration from the word lantern and a passion for strategic execution, Lantara provides deal readiness assessments, strategic transaction quarterbacking, and post-closing integration management for both buy-side and sell-side engagements. Built on a multi-decade career spanning multiple seats at the deal table—including at Calfee, Cleveland-Cliffs, and RPM International’s Construction Products Group—Lantara was launched to reduce deal friction, protect valuations, and guide owners through complex M&A processes. While Monica maintains an active corporate law practice, Lantara operates as an independent, non-legal business advisory firm, allowing her to act as a dedicated transaction quarterback alongside an owner's legal, tax, accounting, and wealth advisory team.
Patrick M. Polomsky, ASA │ 2026-2027 Program Chair
Continuing Education – The following credits will be available for 1 hour of CE (as of 10/7/26):
CFP® – PENDING approval by the CFP® Board.
CLE – PENDING approval by the Ohio Supreme Court.
General – Available for those AEP®, CPA, and CWS designees who feel the program satisfies their continuing education requirements.
Reservation Policy –
IN PERSON: All attendees are encouraged to register in advance and walk-in reservations will be accepted on a space-available basis only. The meeting cost is $45 for members when paid in advance before noon 11/06/26, $60 for members at the door, $60 for guests, and $270 for a table of six (can be mix of members and non-members - please submit names to admin@epccleveland.org by 11/06/26). If you reserve and are unable to attend, please call the office to cancel by noon 11/06/26 to avoid a no-show reservation billing.
VIRUTAL: All attendees must register in advance. The meeting cost is $45 for members and $60 for guests. You will receive login credentials with your registration confirmation email.
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