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December 1, 2023
Why Deals Fall Apart + Reason For Caution With Earn Outs
The Riverside Company's Cheryl Strom on why most deals fall apart, as well as why sellers should use caution when earn outs are part of a deal....
By Adam Burroughs
September 1, 2023
When Buying, Understand The Seller’s Post-Close Intentions
John Dolan, President and CEO of PFI InStore, has been part of many exits and acquisitions. From that experience, he says he’s learned many lessons, a number of which focus on the human capital side...
By Adam Burroughs
September 1, 2023
Buyers’ Industry Knowledge Can Help Land The Best Deal
Dr. Nithin Krishna is a board licensed psychiatrist and serial mental health entrepreneur who formerly led as CEO the multimillion dollar Bloom Health Centers. Krishna acquired Psych Associates of...
By Adam Burroughs
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 18, 2023
Shaun Stimpson On Buying A Business And Becoming An Operator
Shaun Stimpson left a nearly 20-year career in wealth management to launch North Iron Holdings. The purpose of North Iron was to be a vehicle to acquire an industrial distribution company. After an...
By Adam Burroughs
August 18, 2023
Columbus 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 18, 2023
Value Creation Starts Day 1
RTC Partners Partner Tony Brindisi says he thinks of value creation from a growth perspective. "Whenever we're approaching an acquisition, we try to take a full, holistic account of the value that can...
By Adam Burroughs
August 4, 2023
To Maximize Value, Prepare
David Nicholson, Vice Chairman of Polyconcept North America has, over 15 years, gone through three private equity buyouts of the business and has done multiple strategic acquisitions within the...
By Adam Burroughs
July 21, 2023
If You Swing In This Market, Don't Miss
Omar Jorge's family started Compare Foods Supermarkets in 1989. The international grocer is focused on importing products from Latin America, offering patrons products they usually can't get out of a...
By Adam Burroughs
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 29, 2023
In This Economy, Buyers Must Look Deeper
Given the volatility in today's Market, Emily Martin, president of Aschinger Electric - A Guarantee Electrical Company, says both buyers and sellers are facing economic pressures that are impacting...
By Adam Burroughs
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 16, 2023
Buyers: Learn To Be Great Listeners
One lesson Milton Kuyers, CEO of Faustel Inc. and Kuyers LLC, has learned through the 65 acquisitions he's personally been a part of throughout his career is that if you don't grow, your business will...
By Adam Burroughs
May 5, 2023
Facing Economic Headwinds, Deal Math Changes
Several area dealmakers chimed in on how they see the current market; how buyers, sellers and entrepreneurs are faring; and their expectations for how the remainder of the deal year plays out. Check out what they have to say....
By Adam Burroughs
May 5, 2023
Protecting The Value Of 2021 Deals In A Much Different Market
Aon's Jessica Harger on issues buyers are facing after a year of fast-paced deals. ...
By Adam Burroughs
May 5, 2023
How Communication Breakdowns Can Kill Deals
CE Consulting Group's Gary Cerrone spoke during the Smart Business Dealmakers Conference about a deal that almost didn't get done in part because of a communication breakdown....
By Adam Burroughs
April 26, 2023
What TRG's Sean Kennedy Learned Making Two Foreign Acquisitions
TRG's Sean Kennedy on the company's growth, the differences between its domestic and international acquisitions, as well as the process of integrating teams that come from much different cultures....
By Adam Burroughs
April 6, 2023
Hugh Slater on Buying, Building And Selling EGC Enterprises
Slater Capital Managing Partner Hugh Slater on buying, building and growing EGC Enterprises....
By Adam Burroughs
March 31, 2023
Facing Headwinds, Buyers and Sellers Need To Be Patient
Norwest Equity Partners' Adam Garcia Eveloff, Aon's Vipul Patel, Wealth Enhancement Group's Jim Cahn and NJK Holding Corporation Florida's Rhonda Donahoe on navigating evolving deal terms and pitfalls in buy-side deals....
By Adam Burroughs
March 24, 2023
Viewing Risk Deal By Deal
U.S. Venture Inc. Associate General Counsel Jennifer Schwitzer on mitigating deal risk. ...
By Adam Burroughs
March 3, 2023
Overcome Buy-Side Arrogance, Or Risk Overpaying
Atlas Holdings Partner Ramzi Hermiz and Lorient Capital Vice President Doug Shinkle on de-risking a deal from the buy-side....
By Adam Burroughs
February 10, 2023
Sanjay Singh On The Critical 100 Days Post-Acquisition
Sanjay Singh, before he was chairman and CEO of Mace Security International, lead a business in the acquisition of a lower-middle-market manufacturing company that was a fierce competitor. That made post-deal integration a challenge. ...
By Adam Burroughs
January 27, 2023
DealTalk: Blue Point Capital’s Acquisition of Water Lilies
Blue Point Capital has a lot of experience in the food and beverage space, so it was natural that the Cleveland-based PE firm would jump at the chance to acquire Water Lilies, a 27-year-old private label manufacturer of premium frozen Asian-inspired food....
By Adam Burroughs
January 27, 2023
The Shift In Diligence From Risk to Reward
West Monroe Senior Partner Keith Campbell is a co-author of the report, The Future of Diligence in Private Equity, which highlights survey findings from 100 U.S. PE companies to explore the shifts in diligence approach that move away from identifying risk to identifying opportunity. That shift is happening in part because of unique market factors. Campbell says 80 percent or more of diligence used to be on site pre-COVID. ...
By Adam Burroughs
January 6, 2023
Trust But Verify Is An Important M&A Lesson To Learn
Eliassen Group CEO David MacKeen on what he's learned as a buyer and how he's applied that the company's acquisition process moving forward. ...
By Adam Burroughs
December 16, 2022
The Importance To Buyers Of High Probability Of Close
Mereo Capital Partners Co-Founder Leo Helmers on the indicators of a high probability to close and why those matter to buyers. ...
By Adam Burroughs
December 1, 2022
Flexibility Has Advantages In Deal Negotiations
Brian Gale, Tucker Ellis' Jayne Juvan and Blue Point Capital's Chip Chaikin, share advice on how flexibility can win deals over price. ...
By Adam Burroughs
December 1, 2022
To Win The Deal, Get Creative
Hartwood Point's Ben Rizzo, Continuim Equity Partners’ George Pilafas and RDX/Navisite’s Buddy Flerl on best practices in winning the deal....
By Adam Burroughs
December 1, 2022
Michael Schreiber On Launching Playfly Sports
Playfly Sports Founder and CEO Michael Schreiber on launching Playfly, making acquisitions as well as advice for those leading disruptive forces into the market. ...
By Adam Burroughs
November 18, 2022
Understand Why Before You Buy
EPIC Systems CEO Michael Higgins on the elements of a deal to consider beyond price. ...
By Adam Burroughs
November 11, 2022
Stay-At-Home Moms Take The Pressure Off Park Place Technologies' M&A Processes
Park Place Technologies Kelly Greene on how she's developed her M&A process during the years. ...
By Adam Burroughs
October 28, 2022
Economic Conditions Drive Buyer Creativity
Ouroboros Group General Partner Samantha Ory on buyer-seller alignment, her firm’s growth from independent sponsor into its first fund, and how the current economic conditions are affecting the M&A landscape. ...
By Adam Burroughs
October 21, 2022
Refine Your Growth Strategy
Wolf Organization's Joe Person, Guardian Capital Partners' Peter Haabestad, RKL's Bryan Redding and JPMorgan Chase's Lisa Kopff, share their keys to developing and unlocking an acquisition plan that works....
By Adam Burroughs
October 14, 2022
How Jordan Hansell Is Applying Past Experiences To Lead Tradepost
Tradepost's Jordan Hansell on launching and growing TradePost, how his experience is shaping his approach in the new venture, as well as a series of recent investments he's made in the real estate space, a sector he says is poised for disruption....
By Adam Burroughs
October 14, 2022
When Acquiring an ESOP, Get ESOP Expert Help
Warren Equity Partners' Michael Ouyang on the process his firm takes when targeting companies that have an ESOP ownership structure....
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 9, 2022
Family Business Succession is a Slow, Steady Process
The L’Herbier family was at a crossroads six years ago. The owners of Air Duct Maintenance, Kevin and Debbie L’Herbier, were looking to retire and had to decide what to do with the company they started back in 1996. They approached their children, Dan and Lauren L’Herbier, to see if they had interest in taking over leadership. After a brief period, the siblings decided to begin the succession process. It didn’t go as quickly as everyone had hoped, however. ...
By Dan Pender
September 9, 2022
Accelerating growth through private equity
Schill Grounds Management's Jerry Schill on the company's deal with Argonne and how it will help accelerate the business's growth....
By Adam Burroughs
August 19, 2022
Jonathan Kasen, Gordon Scott on buying Hilliards Chocolates
As investors, Gordon Scott and Jonathan Kasen were comfortable analyzing businesses. But to prepare to acquire a company, they went to textbooks....
By Adam Burroughs
July 29, 2022
Distinguish yourself in a deal
Tecum Capital's Stephen Gurgovits, Citizens M&A Advisory's David Dunstan, Matthews International Corp.'s Richard Beard and Aon's Bill Coleman on building a successful acquisition engine. ...
By Adam Burroughs
July 29, 2022
When to leave leadership behind
Carestream Health's David Westgate, Madison Dearborn Partners' Michael Nettesheim Executive Search Partners' Nick Curran and N2 Advantage Law's Timothy Nettesheim on how to know what you're buying....
By Adam Burroughs
July 22, 2022
How Relationships Brought Abatemaster and Plumb Line Capital Together
Plumb Line Capital's Matt Lindberg and Abatemaster's Jeff Chilton on the acquisition, growing a former family-operated business, and how relationships have played a role in every aspect of the deal. ...
By Adam Burroughs
July 22, 2022
Price Taker vs. Price Maker and the effect on value
BMO Harris Bank's John Chalus and Tecum Capital's Matt Harnett on the economic factors that are affecting deals and how buyers and sellers can adjust. ...
By Adam Burroughs
July 14, 2022
Making Deals with Unprepared Participants
Charlie Saponaro, CEO, Medical Record Associates, is a long-standing veteran of the Boston M&A world, with more than 30 deals to his credit. In several of those transactions, Saponaro had to make it happen even though the sellers were not quite as sophisticated in the common practices of the M&A world. ...
By Dan Pender
June 29, 2022
Relationships, communication smooth MedPilot, Vytalize deal
Vytalize Health's Kevin Murphy and Matt Buder Shapiro on the deal, how it came to be and where the combined companies go from here....
By Adam Burroughs
June 17, 2022
Overcoming Great Day's Early Challenges Hinged On The Team
Blue Olive Partners Executive Chairman Ed Weinfurtner on building the family of Great Day brands. ...
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
June 10, 2022
How labor challenges are affecting M&A
Calaway Habeck Talent Consulting's Jaynanne Calaway-Habeck, Denim Social's Douglas Wilber, CliftonLarsonAllen's Adrian Nohr, PFI Holding Co.'s John Dolan and BMO Harris' Robert Harrod on the factors impacting today's M&A transactions....
By Adam Burroughs
June 10, 2022
Edovo Divests to Improve Mission Focus
Edovo CEO Brian Hill on his venture, its recent acquisition and raising capital....
By Adam Burroughs
June 10, 2022
Franklin Foster on Essex Bay Capital's Launch
Essex Bay Capital Co-founder Franklin Foster talks about launching Essex Bay Capital and the investments the company has made so far. ...
By Adam Burroughs
