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Aviv Nevo, Renowned Economist and Competition Expert, Reaffiliates with Cornerstone Research

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1 year ago

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Professor Nevo returns to the firm following a two-year appointment as Director of the Bureau of Economics at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

CHICAGO, Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Cornerstone Research, a leading provider of economic and financial consulting and expert testimony, announces that Aviv Nevo of the University of Pennsylvania has rejoined the firm’s expert network of leading academics, former regulators, and industry specialists.

A renowned economist and expert in antitrust and competition policy, Professor Nevo served as Director of the Bureau of Economics at FTC from January 2023 to December 2024. In that role, he was deeply involved in the development, release, and early application of the 2023 Merger Guidelines, helping to shape the antitrust agencies’ approach to merger review.

Professor Nevo also formerly served as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economic Analysis (Chief Economist) at the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“We are delighted to welcome Aviv back to Cornerstone Research following his leadership service at the FTC,” said Rahul Guha, CEO of Cornerstone Research. “Aviv’s industrial organization, marketing, and econometrics knowledge have been sought after in academic, regulatory, and litigation circles for over two decades. He has provided critical insights to our firm’s clients on the competitive implications of major merger transactions and antitrust litigation.”

Added Kostis Hatzitaskos, senior vice president and cohead of Cornerstone Research’s antitrust and competition practice, “Aviv is a prominent authority in the field of economics and antitrust policy. His academic thought leadership, pioneering use of data to assess market power and mergers, and agency experience enable him to address our clients’ most complex challenges with confidence and precision.”

Professor Nevo’s testifying experience includes serving as an expert on behalf of government agencies, merging parties, and third parties. He was the U.S. government’s economic expert in several landmark cases, notably the proposed $37 billion merger between health insurers Aetna and Humana; the proposed $400 million acquisition of Drew Marine Group by Wilhelmsen Maritime Services, and the proposed $360 million acquisition of Farelogix by Sabre Corporation.

On behalf of the parties, Professor Nevo has advised on numerous high-profile mergers, including Cigna/Express Scripts, Walt Disney/21st Century Fox, Big Tex Trailers/American Trailer Works, and Commercial Metals Company/Gerdau S.A.

In addition, Professor Nevo has extensive experience as an expert in significant antitrust litigation. In FTC. v. Qualcomm, he testified on behalf of Qualcomm, addressing FTC allegations of anticompetitive business practices. Global Competition Review recognized this case as its 2021 Behavioural Matter of the Year – Americas. Counsel for Qualcomm also retained Professor Nevo for the cases Apple v. Qualcomm and Qualcomm v. Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). For the latter case, Professor Nevo testified before the Seoul High Court.

“I am delighted to reaffiliate with Cornerstone Research,” said Professor Nevo. “Throughout my longstanding relationship with the firm, outside of my agency roles, I have consistently received the highest quality support and had the opportunity to address a range of consequential antitrust and competition issues. I look forward to resuming work with Cornerstone Research’s outstanding team and supporting clients in their most critical matters.”

At the University of Pennsylvania, Professor Nevo is a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with appointments in the department of economics and the Wharton School’s Business Economics and Policy and Marketing Departments. He also directs the Wharton Competition and Policy Initiative. Global Competition Review named Professor Nevo in its inaugural list of the world’s most important antitrust academics. The American Antitrust Institute has twice honored him for Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement in Economics.

About Cornerstone Research
Cornerstone Research provides economic and financial consulting and expert testimony in all phases of complex disputes and regulatory investigations. The firm works with an extensive network of prominent academics and industry practitioners to identify the best-qualified expert for each assignment. With a reputation for high quality and effectiveness, Cornerstone Research has consistently delivered rigorous, state-of-the-art analysis since 1989. The firm has more than 1,000 professionals in nine offices across the United States, UK, and EU.

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SOURCE Cornerstone Research

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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55 minutes ago

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July 23, 2026

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

Published

55 minutes ago

on

July 23, 2026

By

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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Fathom Applauds Introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the First Federal Blueprint for Independent AI Verification

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55 minutes ago

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July 23, 2026

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Reps. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) introduce a bill to build a competitive marketplace of independent verifiers for frontier AI models.

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fathom welcomes the introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the most complete federal framework yet for independent, third-party verification of frontier AI. The legislation is built to earn public trust as AI technology continues to accelerate. As frontier systems begin to take autonomous action in the world, the gap between what these models can do and our ability to keep them in check is widening. FRONTIER is the starting point to close that gap.

“AI governance keeps running into the same wall. The technology is hard to measure and it moves faster than any law can keep up with,” said Andrew Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO of Fathom. “Trying to write the perfect rules and freezing them in place won’t work. What will work is a competitive market of independent verifiers who are accountable for real-world outcomes and who the government can actually count on. The FRONTIER Act shows we can move fast and still get this right.”

The bill gets the fundamentals correct. It sets one public standard – the adequate mitigation of catastrophic risk – and holds both the AI companies and their independent verifiers accountable to it. FRONTIER does not freeze a single testing method into statute. Instead, it licenses competing verification organizations, allows them to sharpen their methods, and gives the government the power to revoke a license when a verifier’s work does not hold up in the field. That is how you build a system that keeps pace with the science instead of falling behind it.

Fathom thanks Reps. Trahan and Obernolte for their leadership, and for their courage in releasing a discussion draft, inviting scrutiny, and incorporating substantive improvements from across the field. One priority improvement as the bill advances: giving the government a fuller range of tools to act upstream – for pushing companies to close identified gaps in risk mitigation early, rather than only once a catastrophe is imminent. We are committed to working with these sponsors, committees of jurisdiction, and Congressional leadership to continue refining the bill in the weeks and months ahead.

About Fathom
Fathom is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to build a governance architecture that helps society navigate the transition to a world with AI by fostering trust, safety, and innovation. Fathom has developed and championed the independent verification model for AI and works with policymakers across the country to put it into practice. Learn more at http://fathom.org.

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SOURCE Fathom AI Inc.

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