Birmingham, Alabama –18 November, 2015 – Kirchner Group is pleased to announce it has partnered with noted special needs advocate Dustin Chandler to form Interaction Advisory Group (IAG) in response to the increasing number of recent adverse events related to interactions with people with special needs. IAG believes true inclusion and acceptance for all individuals with special needs is integral for our future as a society and brings an innovative approach along with a unique skill set to its awareness and training programs.

IAG recognizes that in the United States, 1 in 5 people live with special needs and understands you cannot necessarily look at a person and identify them as having special needs, therefore training and prior preparation is extremely important. Dustin, who will serve as the principal trainer is a former police officer in the state of Alabama and father of a child with special needs thus, he has a distinct ability to relate to first responders, public service officials, educators, and hospitality professionals while providing customized training and awareness. Dustin is a nationally known advocate and was also the driving force behind Carly’s Law, which allows the use of CBD Oil in Alabama to qualifying patients.

“I have experienced firsthand the need for this type of training and have conducted sessions with individuals from police departments, fire departments, mental health associations, youth service organizations, correctional facilities, and even search dog associations. The resounding response I get is how relevant and important the information we share is,” stated Dustin Chandler, President and Co-Founder. “Our training integrates a mixture of real world scenarios and demonstrations that allow the attendees to put the learning into their specific context.“

“We are honored to partner with Dustin in forming IAG because we see an unaddressed need for customized training that ultimately serves those who are often the most underserved – people with special needs and their families,” added W.B. “Bud” Kirchner, Founder and CEO, Kirchner Group. ”With Dustin’s skillset and Kirchner Group’s horsepower I hope some of the inevitable anxiety around these interactions can be alleviated by knowing public facing professionals can receive training in awareness, inclusion and acceptance of people with special needs.”

Kirchner Group has a multi-faceted relationship with Interaction Advisory Group as an active partner and advisor. Kirchner Group provided financial support through its ‘impact activities’ along with operational as well as market support via its merchant banking services in co-founding IAG. Kirchner Group has a significant focus on these type of ‘impact activities’; defined as ‘those with the intention to generate a measurable, sustainable, beneficial, social and/or environmental improvement.’

“The knowledge, insight and technical abilities of Kirchner Group have been instrumental in the formation of IAG,” continued Dustin. “The commitment of Kirchner Group to its impact activities is truly admirable and I look forward to working closely together as we build this commercially viable and socially responsible business.”

Interaction Advisory Group (IAG) believes true inclusion and acceptance for all individuals with special needs is integral for our future. IAG aims to improve the interactions between those with special needs and society at large through customized special needs awareness and training. IAG training is specialized for first responders, public service officials and private sector workers including teachers, and hospitality professionals. IAG was co-founded by noted special needs advocate Dustin Chandler and traditional merchant bank Kirchner Group. www.interactionadvisorygroup.com

For more information contact:
Dustin Chandler
President & Co-Founder
+1 205.447.7998
dustin@interactionadvisorygroup.com

Kirchner Group believes that every business, and every portfolio of businesses, can be made more valuable and that none should become valueless, regardless of the circumstances. Kirchner Group’s proprietary platform is built on the premise that pairing deep domain expertise with process experts provides superior results. Kirchner Group has provided traditional merchant banking services since 1985 and offers advisory, operational and transactional support to companies as well as asset management services for institutional investors. The group’s clients and partners range from promising entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies and their investors. Kirchner Group also manages assets for some of the largest insurance companies, commercial banks and institutional investors in the world. www.kirchnergroup.com

For more information contact:
Don Haliburton
Chief Operating Officer
+1 604.362.5117
dhaliburton@kirchnergroup.com