Subscribe to Smart Business Dealmakers
By Adam Burroughs
Medical Packaging Inc.'s Andrew Bartels along with McCormack Capital Advisors’ Bob McCormack, and Herbein + Company’s Tom Bakaitus, Jr. and Beth Bershok, break down the deal and the obstacles sellers faced during COVID to get transaction done.
November 24, 2021
DYOPATH CEO Rob Koch Offers His Sell-Side M&A Perspective
DYOPATH CEO Rob Koch, along with WILsquare Capital's Drew Caylor, CIBC's Greg Gorlinski and Polsinelli's Paul Klug talk about what sellers should consider when dealmaking during the pandemic.
November 17, 2021
Estate planning tips for family business owners
Wholesale Supplies Plus Founder and Retired CEO Deb May along with Capital Anesthesia Solutions’ Chris Copley and UBS’ William Murphy talk about family businesses, estate planning pre- and post-liquidity event, as well as how to pick the right estate planning adviser.
November 17, 2021
WinTrust’s Paul Carlisle on market liquidity and its impact on deals
WinTrust Financial Corp.'s Paul Carlisle looks at the challenges facing the market, the state of capital, and the conditions dealmakers could expect for the remainder of the deal year.
November 17, 2021
Factors Influencing Transactional M&A
KPMG’s Stephen Guy, along with Venable’s Charles Morton, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation’s Mac MacLure and Sachs Capital’s Andrew Sachs look at state of M&A, factors influencing the buy-and-sell-sides, and what you need to do to ensure a closed deal in this new normal.
November 17, 2021
Doing double diligence during COVID
TGI Direct's Monica Weaver, Dickinson Wright’s Bill Rosin, Emagine Entertainment’s Paul Glantz and Huntington National Bank’s Eric Dietz talk about transacting during the pandemic, as well as adjustments buyers should make when acquiring a company during disruptions.
November 12, 2021
Preparing Your Health Care Company for Post-COVID Deals
RSM's Matt Wolf along with IVX Health’s Douglas Ghertner, HUB International’s Blake Wiedman and Ursa Health’s Dr. Robin Clarke talk about preparing your health care company for any deal in a post-COVID environment.
November 12, 2021
Drafting Your Acquisition Playbook
HBD Industries Tom Pozda, along with The Huntington National Bank’s Mark Slayman, Salon Lofts’ Chris Greenfelder, Copper Run’s Andrew Hays and Huntington’s Chad Lowe, offer tips an insights on how to prepare for buy-side transactions.
November 12, 2021
The importance of ESG alignment
Ampex Brands Eric Easton, along with UBS' Amantia Muhedini and Samuel Parker look at how sustainable investing and an intentional diversity strategy can be a company’s differentiator and help drive continued growth.
November 5, 2021
How capital sees companies during a disruption
Marcum LLP's Greg Skoda, along with U.S. Banks’ Alan Zang, Walnut Ridge’s Michael Moran and U.S. Acute Care Solutions Executive Chairman Dominic Bagnoli, explore building unique capital stack structures to fuel growth.
November 5, 2021
Addressing the structural barriers facing minority owned businesses
Della Clark, CEO of The Enterprise Center, talks about ways to create better access to capital for minority entrepreneurs and her newest project, an SBIC fund aimed at mature minority owned companies.
November 5, 2021
Buyers tread carefully through COVID uncertainty
RSM US LLP's Kyle Petch, along with BMO Harris’ Robert Harrod, Go Riteway Transportation Group’s Bob Zanotti and Johnsonville Holdings’ Dan Scalia on preparing for transactions in a post-COVID world.
October 29, 2021
Factors affecting dealmaking today
Specialty Products & Insulation's Jon Perry, along with FNB Corp.’s Brad Jones and US Brick Holdings’ Mikee Johnson, talk about dealmaking in today’s market.
October 29, 2021
Creating liquidity events through IPOs and SPACs
Odeon Capital's Eric Gomberg, along with BDO USA’s Meg Kellogg and Scott Hendon, as well as Armstrong Teasdale LLP’s John Sten, talk about creating liquidity events through IPOs and SPACs.
October 20, 2021
Learning the ropes: acquisitions in a family business
Taylor Burke-Gilman and Lauren Burke-Devere on how they got involved in the family business, their transition into leadership, and what they’ve learned so far about acquisitions.
October 20, 2021
A look at the cyberthreat environment
Che Bhatia, along with Aon’s William Shortt and Kathy Weaver, and KeyBank’s Gregg Bach and Christopher Naso, explore cybersecurity and its impact on M&A.
October 15, 2021
Protect your blindside in a deal
Jim Nickel and Steve Bigari, along with Jeffrey Ford, Dale Killmeyer and Ryan Olsta offer tips on how acquirers can avoid the blindside risks in a deal.
October 15, 2021
Recapitalizing to stay ahead of the competition
PDC Machines' Kareem Afzal talks about the company’s evolution into the market and how he expects the Arcline investment will help his business capitalize on the opportunity.
October 15, 2021
Is ESG the next big thing for middle-market M&A?
Nick Fink and Amantia Muhedini, along with Michael Gatewood, discuss ESG and whether it's the next big thing for middle-market M&A
October 8, 2021
Shane Bigelow on launching CHAMPtitles
CHAMPtitles Shane Bigelow talks about the venture, its recent raise and progress in the market, as well as the challenges of being based in Ohio.
October 8, 2021
How family alignment helped Monticeto Medical Real Estate reach its BHAG
Monticeto Medical Real Estate CEO Chip Conk, along with Bass, Berry & Sims’ Frank Pellegrino and EY's Bobby Stover explore dealmaking, growth and communication within a family business.
September 30, 2021
Capital velocity trend predicated on speed, volume
Talisman Capital Partners' Matt Bennett and Root's Kumi Walker, along with Tri-W Group's Paige McCarthy and Ice Miller LLP's Chris Michael explore new and emerging perspectives in M&A.
September 30, 2021
The importance of evaluating the people fit in a deal
Conforms CEO Pat Bartling, along with Hays Companies' Kristine Olson, Borgman Capital's David Bartelme, and Executive Search Partners' Nick Curran on evaluating the people who drive post-acquisition growth.
September 24, 2021
How M&A needs change throughout the lifecycle
MyEyeDr's David Sheffer along Falfurrias Capital Partners’ Chip Johnson, Pamlico Capital’s Jay Henry, Moore & Van Allen PLLC’s Rick Bange, and Frontier Growth‘s Richard MacLean explore how M&A needs change at different stages of a company’s lifecycle.
September 24, 2021
Weighing organic vs inorganic growth
CK Power's Clayton Costello and PFI Holding Company's John Dolan, along with Commerce Bank's Tom Harmon, RSM US LLP's William Spizman and Capital For Business' Tim Buening on how acquisitions fit into a growth strategy.
September 24, 2021
Leverage your strengths when competing for acquisitions
Robin Industries' Mark Fischer and Millcraft Paper Co.'s David Hegeman, along with RSM US LLP's Brian Adkinson and Truist Bank's Andrew Rutherford dig into building an acquisition playbook.
September 17, 2021
Ignoring cybersecurity in M&A could be a multi-million-dollar mistake
BKD’s Cyber Division Director Cy Sturdivant offers his view of the current cyberthreat environment, what cybersecurity means in practice, and just how troubling digital threats are for players in the M&A world.
September 17, 2021
Find sale success through those who know how to succeed
Guy Dandrea, Tim Hodge, Charles Maskell, and Franklin Staley talk about the importance of pre-diligence work.
September 17, 2021
Anatomy of distressed investments
James Loughlin, Mike Teplitsky, Robert Berdanier, Robert Diehl Jr., and Vlad Slapak dive into investing in distressed companies, as well as how to analyze your company’s people, operations, and finances to understand if you need to restructure.
September 17, 2021
Put your best foot forward in a sale
Charles McIlvaine, along with Dick Hollington, Chris Farmakis, and Patrick Fodale, offer a deep dive into how to make sure you’re checking the right boxes before you go to market — during the deal and post-close.
September 9, 2021
Financial Materiality Of ESG
The 2021 Philadelphia Smart Business Dealmakers Conference opens with a discussion of ESG issues and how they might play out in the M&A market.
September 9, 2021
Chris Chandler on Radio Systems Corp.’s patient seller approach
Radio Systems Corp.' Chris Chandler on how the company was able to use past experience to maximize value when the company was sold.
September 9, 2021
Marshall Dahneke’s Sell-Side Best Practices
Marshall Dahneke outlines key considerations when you’re pursuing a sale.
September 3, 2021
How relationships factor into M&A financing
Dan Counsell, president and CEO of White Family Investments, talks about financing M&A transactions and how relationships factor into the a deal’s lending equation.
September 3, 2021
Will Zell sees exuberance in venture capital
Will Zell, founder of Zell Capital and Executive Chairman at Nikola Labs, offers his take on the view from the early stage.
August 27, 2021
Self-awareness is key when preparing to sell
As a business owner considers selling their business, the first thing they should do, according to Harvey Nelson, CEO of Main Street Gourmet, is consider themselves.
August 27, 2021
Nat Clarkson on the impact of investor moves downstream
CFV Ventures Managing Partner Nat Clarkson on what he’s seeing at the seed stage, and how firms at his level may look to adjust their strategies if larger firms became a player in the mix.
August 27, 2021
Creating a demand scenario through an auction
A discussion of companies’ sell-side prep and M&A options, including auctions, strategic buyers and risk mitigation.
August 27, 2021
How Jim Sramek came to sell Midwest Equipment Company to his employees
Midwest Equipment Company's Jim Sramek shares his story of transferring his company to and ESOP.
August 19, 2021
Sehrish Siddiqui talks ESG and private deals
Sehrish Siddiqui, Corporate and Securities Partner at Bass, Berry & Sims talks about how ESG matters have started to work their way from the public sphere and into private deal diligence.
August 19, 2021
Supply chain issues and the threats they present in M&A
David Iwinski, managing director at Blue Water Growth, talks about the supply chain issues between U.S. and Chinese companies, how they’re affecting M&A transactions and offers strategies for rooting out supply chain risk ahead of, and during, a transaction.
August 19, 2021
Look deeper for deal value
William Wennberg, today the CEO of Tactical Medical Solutions LLC, says when people become too focused on trying to get the best price for the company, they can lose sight of what value actually is.
August 13, 2021
Feuer Innovation Accelerator Fund Gives UH Leader Power To Promote Ideas From Within
A $2 million gift to University Hospitals by serial entrepreneur Michael Feuer and his wife Ellen aims to enhance the hospital’s ability to spur innovation by giving UH’s CEO the financial and decision-making latitude to back strong ideas.
August 13, 2021
How to secure a premium value for your company
Tom Zucker, Mark Jones and Art Anton discuss the factors that most often lead to securing a premium valuation.
August 6, 2021
Not all CEOs are enthralled by the red-hot M&A market
Vistage Columbus Chair Perry Maughmer spoke on the Smart Business Dealmakers Podcast about the CEO mindset in a time of incredible M&A activity.
August 6, 2021
Failure awaits sellers who don’t define their goals
Bryan Hollenbach, executive vice president of Green Bay Packaging, offers examples of where the failure to clearly define goals created problems for sellers.
July 29, 2021
Luke Cooper on how pluck and luck helped him sell Fixt to Assurant
Luke Cooper talks about Fixt’s sale to Assurant, strategies for fundraising as well as an initiative that’s underway to help connect African-American entrepreneurs with Fortune 500 companies.
July 29, 2021
How Wisr used pressure to distinguish serious investors
John Knific talks about fundraising and Wisr's deal with EAB.
July 21, 2021
Why Rich Dougherty bought LabRepCo twice
Rich Dougherty, president of LabRepCo; Michelle Rondinelli, president of Kitchen Kettle Foods; Steven Staugaitis, director of auditing and accounting at Kreischer Miller; and John Reed, partner at Barley Snyder; offer advice on figuring out the plan for a family business’s future.
July 21, 2021
Forest2Market’s Pete Stewart says know your buyer
Pete Stewart, president and CEO of Forest2Market; Scott Anderson, partner at Womble Bond Dickinson; and Jim Benedict, senior vice president/senior wealth strategist at PNC; explore how to de-risk, plan and execute a liquidity event.
July 16, 2021
Inside Ampex Brands’ Acquisition of Au Bon Pain
Eric Easton, CFO at Ampex Brands, and Jayne Juvan, M&A chair at Tucker Ellis, discuss Ampex’s acquisition of Au Bon Pain — how the process went down, the challenges they faced and how Ampex intends to leverage this new opportunity.
July 16, 2021
De-risking the de-SPAC transaction
There’s a lot of talk about SPACs, blank-check companies that raise money to fast-track a private company into the public market. What doesn’t get discussed as much is the de-SPAC transaction — the second part of that process.
July 16, 2021
David Sowerby on business owners’ post-exit popularity
David Sowerby, managing director and portfolio manager at Ancora, has some words of wisdom for eager, soon-to-be investors.
July 16, 2021
Brian Fox on the sale of Confirmation to Thomson Reuters
Brian Fox, the founder and now former president of Confirmation, says his company had been on not just Thomson Reuters' radar screen, but many of the big players in the in the tax and accounting space.
July 9, 2021
Women and the unique challenges they face in their entrepreneurial pursuits
Linda Pringle Evans, CEO and Founder of Pringle Business Consulting, and the Director of Education at Empowering a Billion Women, discusses the state of female entrepreneurship in the U.S.
July 9, 2021
The benefits of crowdfunding
Jonathan Cohen, founder, CEO and president, 20/20 GeneSystems, shares best practices for effective crowdfunding as well as how to prepare pitches for different investor audiences.
July 9, 2021
Despite myriad offers, ESOP fit Harken best
Bill Goggins, CEO of Harken, talks about the company’s ESOP and post-sale acquisitions, as well as how they funded those transactions.
June 30, 2021
The next normal
Joe Pulizzi, Stewart Kohl, Jeff Bechtel, and David Heller kick off the Cleveland Smart Business Dealmakers Conference discussing how they navigated their organizations through the pandemic, their thoughts on the current and future state of deal flow, and best practices in M&A.
June 30, 2021
Driving a successful sale
MADSKY and CodeBlue CEO Hunter Powell joins BMO’s Jennifer Johnson, CLA’s Adrian Nohr and IDEAL Industries’ Steve Henn, to talk about transaction preparedness during the Chicago Smart Business Dealmakers Conference.
June 25, 2021
The consequences of rushing into a deal
RCCB's Alyssa Brodzinski and Neil Cooper talk about the current deal environment, the tradeoffs that come with speed, and offer tips on putting together a deal team.
June 25, 2021
There’s more to a deal than the money
Kevin McCarthy and Scott Buschmann talk about Kian Capital Partners' T Sportline deal and how they see the balance of 2021's M&A market playing out.
June 25, 2021
Brian Rassel: People make the deal
Brian Rassel, a partner at Huron, on his approach to analyzing the people aspect of a deal.
June 18, 2021
Pivoting during the pandemic saves the year for early-stage SaaS companies
Wendy Jarchow, chief investment officer at River SaaS talk about how early-stage companies fared during the pandemic, what she expects from that segment in 2021 and the factors that could influence their year.
June 18, 2021
Jonathan Herrick pursues growth at Benchmark
Jonathan Herrick, a St. Louis entrepreneur who’s now CEO of Benchmark, talks about its most recent acquisition of Contacts+, as well as what’s in store for 2021.
June 18, 2021
To build your pipeline, write the checks
Marcus Whitney, founding partner, Jumpstart Health Investors on how technology helped him make some 80 investments in his first couple years at Jumpstart Foundry, and his newest fund, Jumpstart Nova.
June 11, 2021
Cyber risk in M&A transactions
Jamil Jaffer and Maj Gen USAF (Ret) Brett Williams, of IronNet-Cybersecurity Inc., talk about the threat cyberattacks pose to M&A.
June 11, 2021
Josh Curtis on what M&A’s busiest year means for sellers
Josh Curtis, managing director of Footprint Capital, offers his view of the market from both the sell-side and buy-side, as well as his sense of how things could play out for the balance of the year.
June 11, 2021
Ryan Green continually adjusts his model to find success
Gridwise co-founder Ryan Green continues to evolve his business, using customer feedback and adjusting to the market to find success.
June 10, 2021
George Nemphos of Nemphos Braue
Podcast: The founding member of law firm Nemphos Braue shares his thoughts on the activity he’s seeing, deals he’s been closing for clients, and what’s different from the deals that got done in 2019 and early 2020.
June 4, 2021
Dana Guthrie on the state of startups
Dana Guthrie, managing partner of Gateway Capital Partners, talks about how her firm got its start, how it addresses funding gaps in the market, and her sense of how the startup community is working through the challenges they’ve faced during the pandemic.
June 4, 2021
Murad Beg on how the deal market is shaping up for sellers
Murad Beg, a partner at Provariant Equity Partners, offers his sense of the deal market and the factors driving deal value, and has some advice for those who are considering a sale.
May 28, 2021
Paths to public: Mina Sooch on reverse merger vs IPO
Mina Sooch explains how the reverse merger process she took taking Ocuphire Pharma Inc. public compares to her prior IPO experiences.
May 28, 2021
What to know when buying businesses in the cannabis industry
Jamil Taylor and Kevin Slaughter discuss the unique considerations that need to be made when buying businesses in the cannabis industry.
May 21, 2021
Louis Foreman on how IP strategy creates value
Enventys Partners CEO Louis Foreman CEO on where startups struggle, and how they find success.
May 21, 2021
Joe Mirabile adds acquisitions to United Safety & Survivability Corp.’s strategy
Joe Mirabile sees acquisitions as accelerators for the growing United Safety & Survivability Corp.
May 21, 2021
Beth Haas on the factors that make 2021 a sellers’ market
Cyprium Partners Beth Haas spoke on the Smart Business Dealmakers Podcast about the state of the M&A market, highlighting what she sees as good for sellers and what factors could dampen deal strength or activity.
May 13, 2021
Darrell Freeman on firing himself to grow his business
When serial entrepreneur Darrell Freeman was running Zycron, an information technology company he founded in 1991, the market decided that he wasn't the best person to run it. So he fired himself.
May 13, 2021
Cindi Englefield offers sale perspective from both sides of the table
Cindi Englefield shares what she sees from the outside when helping business owners sell their business, as well as insight and advice gained from her sale experience.
May 7, 2021
Thomas Hillman and Jim Eberlin share lessons learned
Thomas Hillman, managing partner at Lewis & Clark Capital, and Jim Eberlin, founder and CEO of TopOPPS offer their perspective and approach to dealmaking, as well as some of the lessons they’ve learned over their decades-long careers.
May 6, 2021
Greg Skoda: SPACs 101
Marcum LLC's Greg Skoda offers a lesson in SPAC fundamentals — what they are, why they’re so insanely popular right now, and what sellers and investors should know about them before getting involved.
April 30, 2021
Carrie Thome on the state of her state’s VC community
Carrie Thome, managing director at NVNG Investment Advisors, talks about the state of the venture world in Wisconsin.
April 30, 2021
Chuck Mattera on integration during a pandemic
How Chuck Mattera navigated the nearly $3 billion Finisar integration during a pandemic.
April 23, 2021
Post-COVID capital trends to watch
As buyers and sellers look to transact, Mark Guterman, managing director of loan syndications for First National Bank, and Martin McCormick, managing director and head of FNB Mezzanine Finance for F.N.B. Corporation are seeing capital trends starting to take shape.
April 23, 2021
Eric Johnson on staying connected with Nashville’s business community
Nashville seems to have a healthy homegrown ecosystem, but Eric Johnson, Dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt, says there’s always room for improvement.
April 23, 2021
David Longo on what he learned about his company during a process
David Longo, Chairman & CEO of CBI Workplace Solutions, founded the workplace solutions company 27 years ago, a venture that began with the end in mind.
April 23, 2021
Sam Beiler deals with uncertainty in his exit from Auntie Anne's
Sam Beiler spent 21 years with Auntie Anne's, a company he first worked at then acquired from the founder in 2005, making his decision to exit in 2010 difficult.
April 16, 2021
Healthfuse’s Nick Fricano on his PE pandemic deal
Nick Fricano spoke at the recent Milwaukee Smart Business Dealmakers Conference about his experience transacting during the pandemic, and the lessons he takes away from the deal.
April 16, 2021
BlueTree Allied Angels’ Sreekar Gadde urges entrepreneurs to see IP differently
BlueTree Allied Angels’ Sreekar Gadde urges entrepreneurs to stop think about IP only in terms of protection, and instead create a holistic strategy to maximize long-term value.
April 8, 2021
Matthew Porter’s post-transaction advice for entrepreneurs
Matthew Porter, Vice Chairman at Contegix and Senior Strategic Advisor at Invisibly, offers advice on post-transaction life, as well an overview of the transaction that led him to these realizations.
March 31, 2021
Tami Longaberger on being on the other side of the investing table
Tami Longaberger talks about her time as an operator informs her approach as an investor, what she’s seeing in the secure data ecosystem space, and the future of the Longaberger Co. brand.
March 31, 2021
Diane Pearse: Brand leads the way in M&A at Hickory Farms
CEO Diane Pearse talks about Hickory Farms' M&A approach as well as the current and future state of the business.
March 25, 2021
How Stephen Kindler accelerated his company’s growth through a PE partner
Stephen Kindler, president and CEO of National Fitness Partners, on choosing a PE partner and his and its adaptation to life with a PE boss.
March 25, 2021
Gary Schuster’s soft-side transaction preparedness checklist
Gary Schuster, president and CEO of OMCO, offers advice for companies and business owners trying to get their business in shape ahead of a process.
March 25, 2021
Reggie Ford on how diversity, equity and inclusion spur innovation
Rosecrete Wealth Management founder and CEO Reggie Ford talks race and the mental health challenges many minority entrepreneurs, investors, and employees face from their life experiences and why open dialogue can lead to a stronger and more prosperous business community.
March 18, 2021
Capital Midwest’s Dan Einhorn sees value in significant upfront investments
Dan Einhorn, Capital Midwest’s general partner, focuses his focus on the long-term interest of its portfolio companies early on.
March 18, 2021
Support, trust go a long way in M&A deals
For anyone considering selling a business, those who have been there say whatever you’re thinking the due diligence process is, both in terms of volume and depth of the requests, it’s more.
March 12, 2021
M&A is about specificity for Everstream’s Brett Lindsey
Brett Lindsey, CEO of Everstream, talks about his acquisition strategy, as well as his experience with M&A during the pandemic
March 12, 2021
Jeff Dudan’s questions before investment
Jeff Dudan on what he looks for in investment opportunities.
March 12, 2021
Paul Klug on smoothing out the bumps in M&A negotiations
Paul Klug covers a range of issues, including the view of 2020’s uneven M&A landscape from his seat, and how his clients mitigated deal risk.
March 5, 2021
David Freeman: focus on the future, not the price
David Freeman, CEO of Three Six Venture Capital, talks about his experience with the Nashville Predators deal, and how his deal approach differs based on the deal type.
