This three-part session series explores the human and strategic sides of business succession planning. Attendees will gain insights on preparing mentally for exit, structuring creative deal-making strategies, and navigating ownership transitions through employee buy-ins or generational leadership shifts—highlighting the value of proactive planning, innovative thinking, and sustainable continuity

Date:  March 6, 2026
Time:  9:00 AM- 12:00 PM
Location: Chris Sprowls Workforce Innovation Hub, 600 E. Klosterman Rd, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689

Sessions Overview

Session 1: The Mindset of Succession – Letting Go Before Being Forced

Focused on the mental readiness of business owners, this session will feature panelists who have experienced both planned and forced exits. The goal is to highlight the benefits of proactive succession planning.

• Panelist - Bertha Burruezo
• Moderator - Michael Valdez

Session 2: Creative Deal Making – Breaking Up Without Breaking Down

This interactive session will explore innovative exit strategies and help attendees reframe their identity beyond their business. Networking blocks will allow attendees to engage with experts in small group settings.

Session 3: Employee Buy-In vs. Buyout – Generational Transition in Ownership

Panelists will share insights on employee-led acquisitions and generational shifts in ownership. The session will address how to prepare employees for leadership and succession, or a transition where new administration is a younger generation.

• Panelists - Matt Brunnig, Kevin Peer from Octal Ventures
• Moderator - Brian Stephens

Speaker Bios

Bertha Burruezo

Bertha Burruezo is a distinguished labor and employment attorney who graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 2002. In 2007, she established Burruezo & Burruezo PLLC, where she serves as Managing Shareholder, providing comprehensive legal services to business owners and executive leaders, both locally and nationally.

Her executive leadership experience includes serving as CEO of UCARI, a wellness platform, where she successfully transformed the company from operating at a deficit to generating six-figure annual revenue before transitioning to Chief Strategy Officer.

Currently, Bertha serves as Vice Chair of the St. Petersburg College Foundation Board and is positioned to become Chair in 2027. Her professional focus centers on heart-centered leadership, motivational speaking and workshops, and developing "Roots," an innovative wellness platform that bridges ancestral wisdom with modern wellness practices, helping people reconnect with their cultural heritage through food, movement and traditional healing modalities.

Michael Valdez, CFP®, CLU®, AIF®, CSP®

Michael C. Valdez brings more than four decades of experience guiding business owners, executives, and family enterprises through complex transition and succession decisions. His work centers on helping leaders develop deep self-knowledge and clarity of purpose, values, and decision-making style so they can navigate business transitions with intention, consistency, continuity, and confidence. Michael coaches founders and leadership teams through the human dimensions of succession planning, including identity shifts, family and stakeholder dynamics, and readiness for leadership transfer.

He integrates financial, organizational, and personal insight to support durable outcomes that align business strategy with the leader’s long-term vision and legacy. A former CExP (Certified Exit Planner) for many years and currently CFP® (Certified Financial Planner Practitioner™) and a current CSP® (Certified Succession Planner), Michael has held senior leadership roles in corporate benefits, retirement consulting, and family office services. He is a Co-Founder of the Business Transition Council of Tampa, a multidisciplinary group focused on succession, exit, and transition planning for closely-held businesses. His credentials reinforce his integrated approach to business continuity and leadership transition.  Michael has served clients since 1983 and works with professionals, entrepreneurs, and family businesses seeking thoughtful, value-driven transition strategies that preserve both enterprise value and personal purpose.

Matt Brunnig

Matt’s passion for both entrepreneurship & baseball emerged from college with a mechanical engineering degree & a beat-up shoulder. His passion for building things & competition took him to being a Sr. Project Manager with a mid-size mechanical contractor running industrial mechanical projects around the hemisphere. He acquired Octal’s first business in 2018 & has since led the acquisition of two bolt-on businesses and is taking the role of visionary as Octal works to grow further & continue to improve how we serve our employees & our customers.

Kevin Peer

Kevin combines a background in industrial engineering, an MBA, and global experience to help businesses grow with clarity and discipline. He’s led manufacturing site integrations across the U.S., Malaysia, Mexico, and Germany, worked in venture capital in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and helped scale startups in places like Slovakia and the UAE. Kevin thrives in complex environments, bringing structure and momentum. In the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) world, he’s a true Integrator, making big ideas real, one well-executed plan at a time.