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May 12, 2023
Porter Road's Path To Changing The World
"Originally, when (co-founder) Chris (Carter) and I went out, we had $50 suits that we got at Goodwill and we had a crazy idea, which was opening a high-end butcher shop in East Nashville. At the time, and traditionally, East Nashville wasn't a very wealthy neighborhood. It was a very working class, rougher area. Most banks and financing people didn't see the opportunity that was going to happen." - Porter Road Co-Founder James Peisker on why banks hesitated to fund the company and how capital and ideas from VC and PE led to its remarkable growth. ...
By Adam Burroughs
April 14, 2023
How to get a FAIR deal
MATH Venture Partners' Mert Iseri and Mark Achler, along with UBS's James Jack and Ryan Wood, on the valuable personal lessons they've learned over several successful exits....
By Adam Burroughs
March 16, 2023
Luck, Likeability and Respect Go A Long Way
Alto’s Eric Satz discusses how his company is democratizing access to alternative assets and attracting investors along the way. ...
By Dan Pender
February 24, 2023
VendEngine Revs Up Revenue Prior to Sale
Silas Deane on his company, VendEngine, Inc.,which created a way to improve the process of gifting money to inmates and later sold the company for $83 million....
By Dan Pender
January 20, 2023
Debbie Gordon On Maximizing Her Time During Fundraising
Cloud Range is a cyber security company helping large organizations proactively prepare for cyberattacks. In an environment in which cybersecurity attacks are increasing significantly, CEO Debbie...
By Adam Burroughs
October 28, 2022
Dry Powder vs Rising Interest Rates
Petra Capital Partners' David Fitzgerald on how raising capital and investment decisions are being affected by conditions in the market....
By Adam Burroughs
September 30, 2022
Lessons learned from the supply chain turmoil
LFM Capital's Stephen Cook his view of the situation in middle-market manufacturing and how the firm is dealing with the economic pressures in that sector. ...
By Adam Burroughs
September 2, 2022
Multiple means of raising capital
Oncocyte's Ron Andrews on the company's use of its at-the-market program, how it works, when it's best deployed, and what the raise from it has enabled to the company to do....
By Adam Burroughs
August 5, 2022
Evaluating your sell-side options in an exit
RiverGlade Capital's Kevin McGrath, Council Capital's Nick Cooper, Pinnacle Financial Partners' Tyler Morgan, Capital Alignment Partners' John Pontius, Whistler Capital's Darshan Prabhu and Bass, Berry & Sims' Tatjana Paterno discuss what goes into a successful exit beyond a liquidity event, including when a private equity firm sells one of its portfolio companies....
By Adam Burroughs
July 6, 2022
Family must earn their way into Archangel's CEO seat
Archangel Protective Services' Ken Thomas on how the company got its start, the importance of getting help along the way, succession planning and the ways he's helping others get their entrepreneurial start. ...
By Adam Burroughs
June 10, 2022
How Reps & Warranties Is Increasing Deal Efficiency
Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis' Tyson Bickley, LFM Capital's Chris Lin, Resource Label Group's Hunter Rost and LBMC's Brian Marynowitz on how to evolve your buy-side strategies in 2022 and beyond, and key mistakes you can avoid....
By Adam Burroughs
May 11, 2022
For Stu Clark, Acquisitions Are All About The Team
Premise Health's Stu Clark on his acquisition philosophy, what he looks for in teams and cultures, and his post-deal integration process....
By Adam Burroughs
April 22, 2022
An acquisition based on shared interests, approach
Gibson Brand President Cesar Gueikian talks about the Mesa/Boogie acquisition, as well as the direction of the Gibson brand and the many ways it's working to connect with its community....
By Adam Burroughs
March 25, 2022
Assessing the economic factors influencing M&A
Kicking off this past week's Nashville Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, Laurel Graefe of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta - Nashville Branch, along with the Nashville Chamber of Commerce's Wanda Lyle, and UBS's Shane Lieberman and James Jack, discuss what's driving business and M&A activity nationwide and across the Nashville region, and what to expect for the remainder of 2022....
By Adam Burroughs
February 4, 2022
Swift, seamless integration a priority in high-volume deal environment
Amedisys' Kris Novak, along with Probo Medical's Jay Burkhardt, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP's Tyson Bickley and LBMC's Lisa Nix, take a deep dive into how a public company and a PE-backed business have adapted their acquisition strategies in this new normal....
By Adam Burroughs
January 7, 2022
Plan ahead to find deal success
Tri Star Energy's Wayne Acklen, Baker Donelson's Tonya Mitchem Grindon, Quorum Health's Alfred Lumsdaine and PNC Bank's Michael Johnson offer tips on financing your business to supercharge growth and how planning ahead can prepare buyers and sellers for just about any contingency....
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
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. ...
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
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....
By Adam Burroughs
January 29, 2021
Paladin Capital’s Bill Prevost on deal distress in the wake of COVID-19
Bill Prevost, of Paladin Capital, talks about what the 2020 market looked like for his firm, which focuses on acquisition in the trucking industry, and what businesses interested in selling to an ESOP need to do to prepare....
By Adam Burroughs
December 22, 2020
Vector Management's Ken Levitan: Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is
Vector Management founder Ken Levitan offers his advice on getting philanthropically involved after selling your business....
By Adam Burroughs
October 23, 2020
Pharos Capital’s Anna Kovalkova on knowing your buyer target
Anna Kovalkova says understand and identify the different types of buyers for each deal from the start....
By Adam Burroughs
July 24, 2020
LFM Capital’s Stephen Cook: In Tough Times, Pass In The Corners
The LFM Capital co-founder discusses the outlook for buyers and sellers, and the importance of compromise in getting deals done....
By Adam Burroughs
June 19, 2020
TVV Capital’s AJ Byrd says buyers have opportunities, if they have the funds
TVV Capital Managing Director AJ Byrd explores the prospects for buyers in the short-term during the disruption....
By Adam Burroughs
May 21, 2020
UBS’ Jerry Johnson sees deals and capital flowing, although with some renegotiation
UBS Managing Director and Market Head Jerry Johnson shares his view of the market and what's happening with capital flow in the M&A space....
By Adam Burroughs
April 24, 2020
Burr & Forman's Tucker Herndon: Stay Calm
While there is plenty of reason for concern in the M&A space right now, C. Tucker Herndon has some firm advice for business owners....
By Adam Burroughs
March 13, 2020
Premise Health CEO Stuart Clark on what derails a deal
“We have a saying around the office: Fall seven times, stand up eight,” says Premise Health CEO Stuart Clark. “And I think it applies to deals.”...
By Adam Burroughs
February 27, 2020
2020 Dealmaker of the Year Awards, Nashville
Smart Business Dealmakers is recognizing some top deals and dealmakers in the Nashville region. Here are the 2020 Dealmaker of the Year Award winners!...
By Adam Burroughs
January 23, 2020
The State of M&A In Nashville
As the Smart Business Dealmakers Conference heads to Nashville to put M&A center stage, we asked top local dealmakers give their assessment of the state of the Nashville M&A scene....
By Adam Burroughs
January 21, 2020
Martin Renkis: Be a 10-year thinker when raising funds
Founder Martin Renkis talks about raising capital for Smartvue and how long-term thinking ultimately landed put him in the best position to succeed — culminating in a sale to Johnson Controls in 2018....
By Adsam Burroughs
January 17, 2020
Tammy Wolcott: Time kills deals, so move fast
W Squared co-founder Tammy Wolcott talks about how she and her team prepared the business for a sale....
By Adam Burroughs
January 16, 2020
LFM’s Steve Cook Assesses Deals Like An Operator
LFM Capital's Steve Cook talks about what he looks for in a deal and how a company that’s been prepped for a sale might not be it....
By Adam Burroughs
January 3, 2020
Deal Us In
Dealmaking has become a part of the playbook for companies competing in the market today. We talked to some of Nashville's top dealmakers to learn how M&A is being woven into strategic plans — sometimes from the start — as a means of growth....
By Adam Burroughs
January 3, 2020
For Arnie Malham, Selling One Business Informs Growing The Next
Arnie Malham had a nice little business in MedView Services, but it wasn’t really sellable. “What we found out is that while we had a great little niche with great little margins, the upside wasn't big....
By Adam Burroughs
January 2, 2020
John Cerasuolo turns ADS Security into the brand sellers can trust
The ADS Security CEO provides an inside look at the company's deal process, from the work of the internal team to how the company markets itself to potential sellers....
By Adam Burroughs
January 2, 2020
Gen Cap America’s Lamar Stanley on finding the right buyer
You have to begin with the end in mind, says Stanley, who sources deals for the Nashville-based private equity firm....
By Adam Burroughs
