Live from the 2026 Distressed Investing Summit Deal Forum at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, The M&A Advisor brings you a fireside-chat luncheon conversation honoring three titans of restructuring: a Lifetime Achievement Award for David Kurtz and Leadership Awards for Kevyn Orr and James Doak. Moderated by Jack Butler (Founder & CEO, Birch Lake Holdings), the panel trades war stories spanning five decades of dealmaking — from broke first-year associates living on beans and weenies to leading the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.

Featuring:

Jack Butler — Founder & CEO, Birch Lake Holdings (moderator)
James Doak — Head of Capital Structure Advisory, Stifel
Kevyn D. Orr — Partner-in-Charge, U.S. Offices, Jones Day
David S. Kurtz — Vice Chairman, Hilco Global; CEO, Hilco Professional Services

What's covered:

How three very different paths — a "budding socialist" turned corporate lawyer, a self-described "magna cum nothing" law grad, and a Harvard MBA who chose Rust Belt restructuring over Silicon Valley — all converged on the bankruptcy bar just as the modern Bankruptcy Code was reshaping capital markets
Building a career the boutique way: working at Wasserstein Perella, spinning out to found Miller Buckfire, and eventually joining forces with Stifel
Kevyn Orr's inside account of serving as Emergency Manager of Detroit and steering the city's historic Chapter 9 restructuring — and why municipal bankruptcy is back in the headlines
David Kurtz on scaling Hilco into two dozen-plus verticals and what it takes to run one of the country's leading turnaround and advisory firms
A candid read on today's capital markets: political uncertainty, the blurring line between capital allocators and intermediaries, and where the panel sees opportunity over the next 12-18 months
Why relationships — not resumes — are the real currency of a 40-year career, and the lesson each leader passes on to the next generation of dealmakers
Closing remarks on privilege, obligation, and giving back, delivered as the 2026 Leadership and Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented

This is a conversation about the long game: how reputation compounds, how resilience gets tested, and how results follow both.

Since 1998, The M&A Advisor has been the definitive source for recognizing achievement and connecting the world's mergers, acquisitions, and turnaround elite. Whether you're new to dealmaking or a seasoned veteran, this podcast delivers masterclass strategies and unvarnished stories from the industry's most influential figures.

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Hosted by Roger Aaron, Founder and CEO of The M&A Advisor.

Stay decisive. Stay connected. Happy dealing.