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By Adam Burroughs
Based on analyst reports and Citizens Annual Middle Market M&A Outlook, 2022 is expected to be another high-paced deal year, says David Dunstan managing director in Citizens M&A Advisory Group.
May 19, 2022
Investment opportunities in Esports
Kohrman Jackson & Krantz's Scott Norcross, along with eFuse's Matthew Benson, Jonathan Sumers of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Kaulig Capital's Brooke Hradisky, discuss the Esports sector, the investment opportunities there, and how Esports companies are financing growth.
May 11, 2022
Macro issues change the M&A math
Little Mountain Industries' Jonathan Hatch on the lower-middle-market manufacturing scene and how broader macro issues are affecting the deal math for firms such as his.
May 6, 2022
Understanding the letter of intent
Signet Enterprises' Anthony Manna talks about the letter of intent. He breaks down a deal at this very early stage, discussing some of the key choices sellers need to make as they take their company to market.
April 28, 2022
Lou Schneeberger on the COVID backlog
Proformex Chairman Lou Schneeberger talks about the COVID pause, where companies are today that were negatively affected by the pandemic, and how they move forward to a successful transaction.
April 22, 2022
Ohio draws increasing Silicon Valley attention with OVO Fund III raise
The recently launched Palo Alto-based OVO Fund III has closed after reaching its goal of $50 million. And it achieved that mark with help from an Ohio syndicate of investors whose combined $8 million for OVO Fund III makes them one of the more substantial investors in the Silicon Valley-based OVO Fund.
April 8, 2022
Raising Capital and Growing Businesses in the Health Care Industry
Within3's Lance Hill, along with Huntington Bank's Jamie Lynch and John Langenderfer, University Hospitals Health System's Eric Beck, and ValueHealth's John Palumbo explore how health care entrepreneurs fuel growth.
March 11, 2022
Win The Deal Without Winning On Price
Coles Gray CEO David Cheney, along with Tucker Ellis' Jayne Juvan, Ampex Brands Family of Companies' Eric Easton, and Citizens' David Dunstan and James Irwin, talk about what truly differentiates winning buy-side transactions beyond the price.
February 25, 2022
Ansir Junaid: Serial entrepreneur’s M&A lessons learned
SupplySide Group Chairman Ansir Junaid offers insights into his M&A experience and how the pandemic has affected dealmaking.
February 11, 2022
When pitching nascent opportunities, explain it so grandma would understand
Play One Up CEO Brandon Pitts talks about the growing esports industry, building Play One Up and how he pitches investors who might not be familiar with the opportunity.
January 28, 2022
Buyers Negotiate Protections As Valuations Soar
Bellmark Partners' Andy Vollmer explores the record-level of M&A activity in 2021, the driving factors of that activity, the consequences, and what we can expect for the remainder of 2022.
January 14, 2022
The pros and cons of three types of sale transactions
Fifth Third Securities' Joseph Carson, Val-Matic Valve & Manufacturing Corp.'s (retired) John Ballun, Oswald's Jeff Schwab and Provariant Equity Partners' Murad Beg explore the pros and cons of different types of sell-side transactions.
December 16, 2021
Citymark Capital founder Daniel Walsh on launching the company
Daniel Walsh talks about launching Citymark Capital, building funds, creating value and the special place Austin holds in the company’s plans.
December 2, 2021
Transaction Readiness in a Post-COVID World
Mike Baird, John Mastrantoni, Floyd Trouten and David Black assess ways to strengthen the core of your business by addressing common challenges faced by middle market companies.
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 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.
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.
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 9, 2021
Marshall Dahneke’s Sell-Side Best Practices
Marshall Dahneke outlines key considerations when you’re pursuing a sale.
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.
July 29, 2021
How Wisr used pressure to distinguish serious investors
John Knific talks about fundraising and Wisr's deal with EAB.
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.
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 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 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 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 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.
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 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
February 26, 2021
Serial entrepreneur Steve McHale offers insight into his investment process
Steve McHale talks about how he identifies investment targets and what trends he’s chasing with his investment dollars.
February 12, 2021
André Thornton takes lessons from the past to inform the future at ASW Global
ASW Global CEO André Thornton on how lessons from navigating past challenges have helped the company overcome challenges today.
January 29, 2021
Tony Ciepiel talks about 2020’s M&A challenges
Step2 Discovery CEO Tony Ciepiel on how the company has fared so far through the pandemic, and the challenges it’s faced transacting in this environment.
January 15, 2021
Matt Kaulig offers insight into his dealmaking decisions
Matt Kaulig, executive chairman of Kaulig Companies, talks about his M&A outlook, as well as how he’s guided his family of businesses to success.
December 28, 2020
Turning Liquidity Into Purpose
Ron Ambrogio, Ray Dalton, Rod Howell and Peter Van Euwen offer their advice on selling a business and preparing for life after ownership.
December 17, 2020
Greg Skoda: Raising Capital to Survive in Uncertain Times
Greg Skoda, speaking at the Smart Business Dealmakers Conference in September, offered his take on companies’ pandemic capital situation, and how business owners and executives have responded.
December 3, 2020
David Woodburn sees great buyer-Seller cooperation during the disruption
David Woodburn, a shareholder at Roetzel & Andress, offers his sense of the deal market, what companies can do to prepare for crises in the future, and more.
November 20, 2020
Equity Trust Co.’s George Sullivan On Finding Opportunity In Disruption
George Sullivan, CEO of Equity Trust Company, says the fundamental question on investors’ minds right now is when will conditions be better? For Sullivan, that’s the wrong question.
November 5, 2020
Keep calm: Stewart Kohl on pandemic-induced M&A uncertainty
The Riverside Co. co-CEO discusses portfolio company performance, Riverside’s M.O. as it navigates through the choppy M&A market, his sense of where the collective heads of buyers and sellers are at the moment, and more.
October 8, 2020
M&A is down but buyers and sellers are never out, says Bob Campana
Bob Campana, CEO of Campana Capital, offers his take on the state of dealmaking and when he expects anything like “normal” will return to M&A.
September 18, 2020
Deb May on letting go of her family business, Wholesale Supplies Plus
Deb May, founder and now-retired owner of Wholesale Supplies Plus, sold her business last year and stepped away from the company. She talks about her preparation and the difficulty of letting go.
August 14, 2020
Chrissy Wostmann Talks New Partners, Next Stages For n2y
Chrissy Wostmann talks about the transition to a new majority private equity sponsor, the vetting process, and gives her take on M&A opportunities in today’s market.
July 30, 2020
Bravo Wellness CEO Jim Pshock on his unexpected deal with Medical Mutual
Bravo Wellness founder and CEO Jim Pshock talks about how his company prepared for a surprise deal with Medical Mutual.
July 2, 2020
Cyprium Partners’ Michael Conaton: Get Ready For EBITDAC
Cyprium Partners co-founder MIchael Conaton discusses where he thinks investors will look when they begin scrutinizing deals as the economy starts to recover and the rise of EBIDTA before COVID.
June 19, 2020
All Pro Freight’s Chris Haas: Finding opportunities in the uncertainties
In an economy that’s going up and down, those uncertainties are what makes the commercial real estate business thrive, says Chris Haas, founder, president and CEO of All Pro Freight Systems Inc.
June 3, 2020
Proformex’s Lou Schneeberger: Focus On The Fundamentals Now, Make A Good Deal Later
Business owners who can keep their companies afloat during a global pandemic will be quite attractive to investors when the economy begins to grow again, says R. Louis Schneeberger, executive chairman at Proformex.
June 3, 2020
JumpStart’s Jerry Frantz: Chaos And Uncertainty Will Eventually Create New Opportunity
A defining attribute of entrepreneurship is agility, the ability to nimbly maneuver through both adversity and opportunity, says JumpStart's Jerry Frantz.
May 21, 2020
Oswald’s Bob Klonk: Supply Chain Risk Will Be A Critical Negotiating Point For Post-Pandemic Dealmaking
Health experts have stressed repeatedly that a COVID-19 vaccine is most likely at least a year away, a reality that will be on the minds of dealmakers at every turn, says Oswald Cos. CEO Chairman and CEO Robert J. Klonk.
May 21, 2020
Michael Feuer: Ready, Set, Stop!
The best-laid plans for deals, business and life often take a wrong turn, says Michael Feuer.
May 7, 2020
Tucker Ellis’s Brian M. O’Neill: The Future Of Dealmaking Post-Pandemic Will Need Time To Take Shape
As Ohio seeks to reopen its economy in the coming weeks, a significant number of businesses will face a daunting challenge to simply reopen their doors to customers, says Brian M. O’Neill, a partner at Tucker Ellis.
May 7, 2020
Mark A. Filippell: What Sellers Can Do When M&A Market Shuts Down
With all due respect to Admiral Farragut, his “Damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead” strategy will almost certainly fail in today’s COVID-19 M&A environment, says Mark Filippell.
April 23, 2020
Jim Pshock: The Right Deal Begins With Knowing What You Want
Bravo Wellness Founder and CEO Jim Pshock shares his perspective on dealmaking after selling his business to Medical Mutual.
April 10, 2020
What Cleveland's Top Dealmakers Are Seeing
As the unprecedented shutdown of American business continues, Smart Business magazine sat down with three top local dealmakers to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted their clients and their dealmaking activity. Dealmakers has some excerpts from the upcoming magazine article.
April 8, 2020
Coronavirus has disrupted, but not extinguished, M&A options
What was arguably the best M&A market ever for sellers of closely held companies has taken a dramatic pause, forcing business owners who were considering a sale of their business to re-think their options. But buyers who balked at the high prices and substantial competition may find increasingly attractive opportunities.
March 19, 2020
Cyprium Partners’ John Sinnenberg: Noncontrol Capital Market Provides A Wide Range Of Dealmaking Options
Cyprium Partners’ John Sinnenberg works with business owners who need capital but don't want to give up control. It’s a unique market that leads to a variety of deal types.
March 18, 2020
Rob Huxtable: Co-Investment Can Be A Powerful Litmus Test For C-Suite Leaders
There are three significant benefits to C-suite level co-investment in a PE-backed company, says FALCON’s Rob Huxtable.
March 12, 2020
Jill Arena: Struggling To Find The Right Deal Partner? Take A Deeper Look At Your Process
If you can’t make a good case for an acquisition, it’s going to be difficult to make the right deal, says Jill Arena.
March 4, 2020
Mark A. Filippell: Noncash Considerations In A Sale Create An Added Level Of Complexity
Every seller must understand that selling a company for multiple forms of consideration is quite different from receiving all cash and walking away clean, says Mark A. Filippell.
February 27, 2020
Oswald’s Robert J. Klonk: Culture, Employee-Owners Drive Firm’s Opportunistic Approach To Dealmaking
Acquisitions create opportunity for Oswald Cos., as well as the companies the business pursues for a deal, says Robert J. Klonk.
February 20, 2020
MRI Software’s John Ensign: Strong Outlook For M&A — If The Deals Meet The Right Criteria
Investing in the right acquisition — rather than just making the first deal that comes along — will be critical to surviving, and even thriving, in a downturn, says MRI Software’s John Ensign.
February 20, 2020
Signet’s Anthony Manna: U.S. Deal Activity Remains Steady As China Responds To Coronavirus
As the Chinese government continues to grapple with the impact of the coronavirus within its borders, the disease’s impact on the U.S. economy has been negligible.
February 14, 2020
Investing in Ohio’s medical marijuana industry
The cannabis space is an interesting investment opportunity that comes with a variety of risks, but as Ohio’s medical marijuana cultivators and dispensaries slowly gain ground, the nascent industry should pick up speed in 2020.
February 5, 2020
Michael Feuer: Buy It, Build It, Or Forget It?
It’s not how big you make it, it’s how you make it big, says Michael Feuer
January 23, 2020
Ken Marblestone: Maintaining Momentum Is An Important Part Of Closing The Deal
Don’t let a poorly conceived and executed deal process get in the way of your personal and business objectives, says Ken Marblestone.
January 16, 2020
Middle-Market Transactions Gain Efficiency, PE Sponsors Find New Ways To Build Value
PE sponsors have gotten better, perhaps even good, at owning businesses, and this trend should continue into the next decade, says Blue Point Capital Partners' Jim Marra.
January 9, 2020
Rick Busby: Acquisition Gives The Rogers Co. A Foothold On The West Coast
When you take the long view in a deal negotiation, you often come out ahead, says The Rogers Co.’s Risk Busby.
January 9, 2020
Stewart Kohl: Investors Can’t Just Pay up And Hope Things Work Out
It’s very hard to succeed in private equity if you’re paying high prices without a clear and well-considered growth plan, says Riverside’s Stewart Kohl.
January 2, 2020
2020 Forecast: What To Expect For The Year In Dealmaking In Cleveland
We spoke with Copper Run Capital's Matt Roberts, ErieBank’s Wes Gillespie, Carleton McKenna’s Chris McKenna and Folio Photonics’ Steven Santamaria to get their thoughts on what to expect from a dealmaking perspective in 2020.
December 17, 2019
FALCON’s Rob Huxtable Explores Behavioral Pitfalls That Can Derail An LBO’s Performance
Portfolio company CEOs and their sponsors improve their odds of maximizing their multiple on invested capital when alignment is both financial and behavioral, says Falcon’s Rob Huxtable.
December 12, 2019
Roll-Kraft’s Sanjay Singh: Find Deal Opportunities That Fit What You Want To Achieve
Dealmaking is a big part of Sanjay Singh’s life, both at Roll-Kraft and through his family office.
December 12, 2019
QED’s Hiroyuki Fujita: Dealmaking Can Be A Tool To Protect Your Company’s Future
QED’s Hiroyuki Fujita is confident his deal with Canon will both protect QED’s future and preserve its innovative culture.
December 3, 2019
Westfield Bank’s Jon W. Park: How To Turn ‘Not For Sale’ Into ‘Sold’
Don’t let a potential seller get away because you failed to realize what was going on behind the scenes.
November 26, 2019
Laura Pettit Rusick: Don’t Wait Until After The Deal To Address IT Due Diligence
Dealmakers who fail to incorporate IT due diligence into their M&A strategy are taking a big risk, says OPT Solutions Founder Laura Pettit Rusick.
November 26, 2019
Hyland's Bill Priemer Uses A Methodical Approach To Identify M&A Targets
Hyland is a very acquisitive company, but it wasn’t always that way, says Bill Priemer, the software company’s president and CEO.
November 21, 2019
Fire-Dex’s Bill Burke: Acquisitions Provide Opportunities To Learn From Other Businesses
The four companies Fire-Dex has acquired in the past decade were good businesses. Bill Burke saw an opportunity to make them stellar.
November 20, 2019
Ed Buchholz: The Most Successful Startup Ecosystems Welcome Failure
If we want to encourage startups to call Cleveland home, there are three primary metrics to focus on, says StartInCLE Founder Ed Buchholz.
November 12, 2019
BioEnterprise’s Aram Nerpouni: Talent Is Vital To Creating Deal Opportunities In Cleveland’s Health Care Sector
Cool ideas are great. Investors want to see the leadership and the team behind the idea before they invest, says the nonprofit's president and CEO.
November 12, 2019
Falls’ Rob Falls: Merger With Wyse Provides Tools To Continue Growing, Evolving
Rob Falls needed to make an acquisition. When he found a peer in the Cleveland marketing industry who was looking to sell, he got to work negotiating a deal.
November 5, 2019
Matt Kaulig: The Path From Risky Move To Smart Play
The founder of LeafFilter explores the mindset of entrepreneurs and dealmakers when it comes to taking risks.
October 30, 2019
Staffing Solutions’ SueAnn Naso: When Buying A Business, Take The Time To Do It Right
SueAnn Naso and Carmella Calta are good friends. But they still had to follow the proper steps when Calta sold her business, Staffing Solutions, to Naso.
October 30, 2019
Shore Capital Partners’ Justin Ishbia: Shared Vision Often Leads To Great Deal Opportunities
Shore Capital Partners's Justin Ishbia sees tremendous potential for growth at Akron, Ohio-based Main Street Gourmet.
October 23, 2019
Randy Carver: There Is Much To Think About As You Prepare To Sell
The first question you need to ask yourself if you’re thinking about selling your business, says Randy Carver, is what do you want to do next?
October 21, 2019
When You Play ‘Gotcha!’ In M&A, It Often Comes Back To Bite You
Buyers with a gotcha mentality win some due diligence battles, but they often lose the due diligence war, explains Citizens Capital Markets' Mark A. Filippell.
October 15, 2019
MC Group’s Tim Eippert: Lack Of Customer Overlap Facilitates MC Group/Icon Merger
In dealmaking, you don’t grow just to double, says Tim Eippert. You want more. The CEO of MC Group explains how integration will play a key role in maximizing the benefits of its merger with Icon.
October 10, 2019
Chas Withers: All Hope Is Not Lost For Dealmaking In 2020
Dix & Eaton's CEO explains why there is reason to be optimistic about the climate for M&A activity headed into 2020.
October 4, 2019
Key Deals Propel Gent Machine To Steady Growth
Rich Gent talks about two pivotal deals in Gent Machine Co.’s history that have set the business up for a bright future.
October 2, 2019
Ohio Basement Systems Finds Growth Foundation In Sale To Groundworks
Mike Rusk talks about how the sale of his Ohio Basement Systems to Groundworks will give the company an even stronger support structure for the future growth of the business he and his wife Gayle started in 1998.
September 27, 2019
Deal Outlook: Corporate Divestitures Offer Opportunity, Risks
Tom Zucker of M&A advisory firm EdgePoint Capital talks about the effect interest rates typically have on M&A activity and the continued rise of corporate divestitures in the dealmaking space.
September 23, 2019
Startups Must Not Abuse The Concept Of Patience
As business leaders, let's identify where patience has become the wolf in sheep's clothing and make it the prominent theme for innovation again, writes Axuall's Charlie Lougheed.
September 20, 2019
ScaleCo Strives To Change The PE Model
Brendan Anderson launched ScaleCo to be more of a partner in scaling lower-middle-market businesses, using a permanent capital investment model to develop sustainable growth platform companies.
September 3, 2019
Dealmakers Have Yet To Embrace Data Analysis. That’s A Mistake.
When it comes to dealmaking, many companies are doing what they’ve always done. Unfortunately, that means they’re not thinking about the massive amounts of previously unavailable data that can help them analyze potential deals more quickly than ever.
August 23, 2019
Park Place's Entuity Deal Marks Shifting Strategy
On his way to shifting Park Place Technologies' M&A strategy with a tricky deal to buy Britain's Entuity, Chris Adams takes a lesson from Microsoft’s Satya Nadella
August 22, 2019
ACG's John Grabner: Recession Talk Not Slowing Down Pace Of Dealmaking
The president of the Cleveland Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth talks about some of the trends affecting dealmaking activity in Northeast Ohio.
August 22, 2019
For Startups, Value Attracts Funding
Focusing all your attention on fundraising can actually make it harder to close your next funding round if it distracts you from creating the value investors want, writes JumpStart's Jerry Frantz.
August 12, 2019
Selling Your Business Can Be An Exhausting Process
For founder Howard Lewis, the act of selling Family Heritage Life was ultimately positive as it gave him the opportunity to pursue other passions in his life. But it was also exhausting.
August 7, 2019
What to do when a deal turns from a 'yes' to a 'no'
When a deal falls apart, it’s natural to be frustrated. In his latest Dealmaker Insider column, Michael Feuer explores why it’s always wise to temper your response in these situations.
July 30, 2019
The Behavioral Side Of Investing
AdCap Management Chief Investment Officer Chaya Slain explores the human side of investing and shares what she has learned to minimize mistakes.
July 30, 2019
Selling Your Business: Are You Really Ready To Fly Solo?
While you are successful and have negotiated and closed hundreds of deals to build your business, selling your company is a completely different transaction that involves unique dynamics, approaches and details, writes says Cascade Partners Managing Director Ken Marblestone.
July 23, 2019
Selling Your Business: Take Time To Do It Right
Spectrum Diversified Designs founder Sheldon Goodman talks about the process he followed to find the right buyer and the importance of having industry experts in your corner who can guide you to a more informed decision.
July 19, 2019
How To Leverage Your Banker, Even Without Using Debt
Wes Gillespie, ErieBank’s regional president for the Cleveland market, talks about the bank’s role in the acquisitions process and how lenders can be a valuable M&A partner, even if you’re not using debt to finance your acquisition.
July 10, 2019
Will Culture Eat Your M&A Strategy For Lunch?
To get the most out of any deal, leaders must be on the same page, must deliver consistent messages that are repeated, writes Dix & Eaton CEO Chas Withers in his latest Insider column. They then must be willing to shape strategy around the organic element of culture — not vice versa.
