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September 26, 2023
Advancing Eco Agriculture Launches Crowdfunding Round
Middlefield, Ohio-based Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) has launched a community fundraising campaign on Wefunder. This allows the public to invest in the company's growth and future development....
By Dealmakers Staff
September 22, 2023
Sila Services Continues Expanding Midwest Presence with Acquisitions
Sila Services, LLC recently acquired two leading Midwest HVAC services companies. Cleveland Air Comfort Corporation, and Carlson Heating, Cooling & Electric Company, based in Glenview, IL. strategic...
By Dan Pender
September 22, 2023
IBT Apps Announces Acquisition of PowerLender to Enhance Loan Origination Solutions
IBT Apps, a provider of adaptable core and digital banking software, announced its recent acquisition of PowerLender, a distinguished Loan Origination System, previously owned by ASC Inc. This...
By Dan Pender
September 22, 2023
The J. M. Smucker Co. to Acquire Hostess Brands
The J. M. Smucker Co. announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Hostess Brands, Inc. for $34.25 per share in a cash and stock transaction, representing a total enterprise value of...
By Dan Pender
September 22, 2023
HighGround Welcomes Allphase Restoration to Its Expanding Family of Water Damage Restoration Brands
HighGround Restoration Group, INC., a national water mitigation and restoration company, and a portfolio business of Trivest Partners LP, announced the addition of Allphase Roofing & Restoration to...
By Dan Pender
September 22, 2023
Selling Sgt. Clean
Two years ago, Brian Krusz, co-founder and director of growth and development at Sgt. Clean Car Wash, brought on a financial partner, Prairie Capital, who he says has helped the decade-old,...
By Adam Burroughs
September 8, 2023
Theken Companies Acquires VisionAir Solutions
Theken Companies, an Akron, Ohio-based family of medical device companies, announced its acquisition of VisionAir Solutions from Cleveland Clinic. VisionAir Solutions creates patient-specific airway...
By Dan Pender
September 8, 2023
Care Bears Owner, Cloudco, Sold to IVEST Consumer Partners
Cloudco Entertainment, owner of heritage and newer intellectual properties, including The Care Bears, Holly Hobbie, Tinpo, Buddy Thunderstruck, Madballs, Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese, has been...
By Dan Pender
September 8, 2023
Worth Valuation Services, Inc. Acquires Appraisal Services Company
Worth Valuation Services, a newly formed independent entity, has acquired the valuation services division of Dwellworks LLC. Worth will continue to provide lender and relocation appraisal services...
By Dan Pender
September 8, 2023
Enbridge Announces Strategic Acquisition of Three U.S. Based Utilities
Enbridge Inc. announced it has entered into three separate definitive agreements with Dominion Energy, Inc. to acquire EOG, Questar and PSNC for an aggregate purchase price of US$14.0 billion,...
By Dan Pender
September 8, 2023
IBT Apps Announces Acquisition of PowerLender
IBT Apps, a provider of adaptable core and digital banking software, announced its acquisition of PowerLender, a Loan Origination System, previously owned by ASC Inc. This strategic move expands IBT...
By Dan Pender
September 8, 2023
Cleveland Deal Activity: Navigating M&A deal structures in a tightened debt market
As interest rates and borrowing costs move in parallel, buyers are faced with the challenge of navigating increasing costs of debt to finance acquisitions, especially in deals where the seller has...
By Andrew J. Chalhoub
August 25, 2023
Flying Colours Joins the Flexjet Family of Companies
Flexjet Inc., a private aviation company, announced Flying Colours Corp., an aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company, is joining the Flexjet family of companies. This further expands...
By Dan Pender
August 25, 2023
Theken Companies Acquires VisionAir Solutions
Theken Companies, an Akron, Ohio-based family of medical device companies, announced its acquisition of VisionAir Solutions from Cleveland Clinic. VisionAir Solutions creates patient-specific airway...
By Dan Pender
August 25, 2023
From Sell To Sell And Buy
General Die Casters has been in business since 1957 making high-pressure aluminum die castings of parts for everything from automobiles to chainsaws. About a year ago, CEO Brian Lennon says the...
By Adam Burroughs
August 10, 2023
Anthony Manna On Growing His Family Business
Anthony Manna on lessons learned for establishing a family-owned enterprise that generates value and how he's preparing the company to transition to the next generation. ...
By Adam Burroughs
August 7, 2023
Equity Trust Acquires Midland Trust
Equity Trust Company, a leading custodian of self-directed IRAs, has acquired Midland Trust, a highly respected self-directed IRA company based in Fort Myers, Fla. ...
By Adam Burroughs
August 3, 2023
REPORT: Shearer’s Foods Explore Potential $3B Sale
Shearer’s Foods, a snack maker backed by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, is exploring a sale that could fetch about $3 billion including debt, according to Bloomberg reporting....
By Adam Burroughs
August 3, 2023
Platinum Equity Completes Acquisition Of HC Companies
Platinum Equity has acquired The HC Companies, a leading North American manufacturer of horticultural containers, has been completed. Financial terms were not disclosed....
By Adam Burroughs
August 3, 2023
Enspire DBS Therapy Gets $17.6M Series B
Enspire DBS Therapy, Inc., a clinical stage company developing an implantable neuromodulation therapy for post-stroke recovery, has raised $17.6 million of committed capital in a Series B financing led by existing investor, Cleveland Clinic....
By Adam Burroughs
July 28, 2023
Zentro's Growth Continues with the Acquisition of Snip Internet
Zentro, the Midwest's fastest growing internet service provider (ISP), announced it acquired Ohio-based Snip Internet. The combined business now represents the largest independent MDU-focused ISP in...
By Dan Pender
July 28, 2023
Sequoia Financial Group to Acquire Cleveland-based Cirrus Wealth Management
Sequoia Financial Group, LLC, a SEC-registered wealth manager with nearly $16 billion in assets under management, announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Cirrus Wealth Management, an...
By Dan Pender
July 28, 2023
ATI Adds Roth Construction to its Portfolio of Companies
ATI Restoration, LLC, America’s largest family-operated restoration contractor and a national leader in restoration, environmental remediation, and reconstruction services, announced it has acquired...
By Dan Pender
July 28, 2023
Slowed inflation to temper rising cost of capital ... hopefully
Sharply increasing inflation rates over the past two and a half years in the U.S. are a result of several contributing factors, but none more than the relationship between the prices for goods and...
By Anthony Melchiorre
July 7, 2023
Apple Growth Partners Expands Chicago Presence
Apple Growth Partners, an accounting and business advisory firm with offices in Ohio, Illinois, and North Carolina, merged in Burton Partners LLC, a CPA firm in Schaumburg, Illinois effective July 1....
By Dan Pender
July 7, 2023
Blue Point-Backed Weaver Leather Partners with Dog Products Brand Rex Specs
Blue Point Capital Partners and its portfolio company, Weaver Leather, announced the acquisition of Rex Specs, a premium brand of outdoor products for active and working canines. This investment marks...
By Dan Pender
July 7, 2023
Tim Lamb Group Brokers Sale of Dealerships To Victory Automotive
Blair Sharpe, Director of the North Central Region for the Tim Lamb Group, the largest auto dealership sales and acquisitions firm in North America, brokered the sale of both the C&C Toyota and C&C...
By Dan Pender
July 7, 2023
MPE Partners and 80/20 Announce the Acquisition of Flexpipe
MPE Partners, along with portfolio company 80/20, LLC of Columbia City, IN, announced the acquisition of Les Industries Flexpipe, Inc., of Farnham, Quebec. Flexpipe is a manufacturer and distributor...
By Dan Pender
July 7, 2023
CBIZ Acquires American Pension Advisors
CBIZ, Inc., a provider of financial, insurance and advisory services, announced it has acquired American Pension Advisors, Ltd. of Indianapolis, IN, effective July 1, 2023. Founded in 1997, APA...
By Dan Pender
July 7, 2023
The Importance Of Connections In Dealmaking
OMNI Systems, founded 33 years ago out of the CEO's garage, is now a $100 million company. "So, we know a bit about growth," said David Campbell, OMNI's CFO, at the Cleveland Smart Business Dealmakers...
By Adam Burroughs
June 23, 2023
Cumberland Diversified Metals Acquired by Slate Capital
Slate Capital Group, a private equity investment group based in Baltimore, Nashville, and Cincinnati that partners with lower-middle market companies, announced its acquisition of Cleveland’s...
By Dan Pender
June 23, 2023
DealerShop Acquires Jobbers Automotive
DealerShop, Inc. and Resilience Capital Partners, a Cleveland-based private equity firm, announced it has acquired Jobbers Automotive, a leading full-service supplier of automotive paint, janitorial...
By Dan Pender
June 23, 2023
Culture Takes Priority Post Acquisition
In this choppy economic environment, Jody Richards, CEO of Process Technology says she's seen some order cancellations and some order push-outs. And while some would say semiconductors are supposedly...
By Adam Burroughs
June 9, 2023
Fifth Third Bancorp bid for First Republic before sale to JPMorgan
Fifth Third Bancorp was one the banks that submitted final bids for First Republic Bank before it was sold to JPMorgan Chase & Co, people familiar with the matter said. PNC Financial Services Group...
By Dan Pender
June 9, 2023
LAND closes Series A round and ramps up production of two-wheel electric vehicles
Cleveland-based electric mobility and portable battery manufacturer LAND announces it is ramping up production of its flagship two-wheel electric vehicle, The District, thanks to new Series A funding....
By Dan Pender
June 9, 2023
Orcoda acquires Future Fleet International
Orcoda, a transport logistics optimization and infrastructure services company, announced it has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement to purchase 100% of the shares in Future Fleet International....
By Dan Pender
June 9, 2023
Superstar CEO Roundtable Kicks Off Cleveland Conference
Kicking off the 2023 Cleveland Smart Business Dealmakers Conference were several of the region’s top executives talking with moderator Jeff Bechtel, President - Cleveland Region, First National Bank,...
By Adam Burroughs
June 2, 2023
Axuall Secures $20M Series B Capital Raise
Axuall, provider of clinical workforce intelligence, announced the investment of $20 million in Series B funding led by Noro-Moseley Partners, with additional investors Flare Capital Partners,...
By Dan Pender
June 2, 2023
Diebold Nixdorf Files for Bankruptcy
Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated announced it has entered into a restructuring support agreement with certain of its key financial stakeholders to effectuate a comprehensive debt restructuring...
By Dan Pender
June 2, 2023
Unifywork Raises $3 Million
Workforce intelligence platform UnifyWork raised an additional $3 million in funding. NorthCoast Ventures, JumpStart and OVO Fund participated in the round. UnifyWork is a workforce intelligence...
By Dan Pender
June 2, 2023
Unifywork Raises $3 Million
Workforce intelligence platform UnifyWork raised an additional $3 million in funding. NorthCoast Ventures, JumpStart and OVO Fund participated in the round. UnifyWork is a workforce intelligence...
By Dan Pender
May 26, 2023
Ripken Baseball Acquires Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center
Ripken Baseball has acquired Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, Ohio. Known for creating lifelong family experiences, Ripken Baseball will operate next to one of the world's...
By Dan Pender
May 26, 2023
Fifth Third Announces Acquisition of Rize Money, Inc.
Fifth Third Bancorp announced the acquisition of Rize Money, Inc., an embedded payments platform that provides payment infrastructure and risk management capabilities to fintechs and other technology...
By Dan Pender
May 26, 2023
Recognizing The 2023 Dealmakers of the Year Award Winners
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been channeled to the 2023 Smart Business Dealmakers Dealmaker of the Year Awards honorees. But raising funds is not all this year's class of entrepreneurs have...
By Adam Burroughs
May 26, 2023
The Inaugural Cleveland Dealmakers Hall of Fame Class Sets The Stage
Welcome the inaugural class for the Cleveland Dealmakers Hall of Fame! This group of dealmakers has made an often-groundbreaking impact on their organizations, industries and the Northeast Ohio region...
By Adam Burroughs
May 19, 2023
Ohio's DayMark Wealth Partners Continues Expansion by Adding the Compass Group
DayMark Wealth Partners announced T. Rodney Twells, Andrew Sikorovsky, and Joseph Schmidt have joined the firm as the Compass Group of DayMark Wealth Partners. The team includes Kimberly Fitzgerald...
By Dan Pender
May 19, 2023
CWRU Launches Alumni Venture Fund to Accelerate Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
The CWRU Alumni Venture Fund aims to develop and accelerate Case Western Reserve University’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem including students, faculty and alumni. Objectives of the CWRU...
By Dan Pender
May 19, 2023
BP’s Acquisition of TravelCenters of America Inc. Finalized
Service Properties Trust announced that BP completed its acquisition of TravelCenters of America Inc. on May 15, 2023, and the previously announced amended lease terms between SVC and BP are now in...
By Dan Pender
May 19, 2023
Arrow International Acquires Blue Bay
Arrow International, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of charitable gaming products, announces an affiliated entity Bow Distribution, LLC has acquired the operational assets of...
By Dan Pender
May 19, 2023
Five Star Parks & Attractions Acquires Award‐Winning Scene75 Entertainment
Five Star Parks & Attractions, a leading operator of family entertainment centers (FECs), announced the acquisition of Scene75 Entertainment, an international award-winning brand of entertainment...
By Dan Pender
