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September 1, 2023

When Buying, Understand The Seller’s Post-Close Intentions

By Adam Burroughs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

March 24, 2023

Viewing Risk Deal By Deal

U.S. Venture Inc. Associate General Counsel Jennifer Schwitzer on mitigating deal risk.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

November 18, 2022

Understand Why Before You Buy

EPIC Systems CEO Michael Higgins on the elements of a deal to consider beyond price.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

June 10, 2022

Edovo Divests to Improve Mission Focus

Edovo CEO Brian Hill on his venture, its recent acquisition and raising capital.

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.

June 2, 2022

Listening is key to uncovering overlooked opportunities

George J. Howe Co.'s Len Caric on why creating win-wins is critical for the acquisition process.

May 19, 2022

The rise of cyber diligence

Aon Risk Services' William Shortt, along with Ice Miller's Reena Bajowala, Guaranteed Rate's Darin Hurd, Chicago Bears' Justin Stahl and Aon Risk Services Che Bhatia, on the rising importance of cyber diligence in M&A transactions.

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 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.

May 11, 2022

Compass Earns Multiple Returns in Less than a Year

Compass Group Equity Partners goes into every investment with a 100-day plan. They’re ready and prepared to move quickly, which they did when they purchased Sunpro Solar in 2020. Compass’ playbook includes augmenting the team and building a board deck with metrics and key performance indicators and having a written strategic plan. John Huhn, founder and managing partner of Compass Group Equity Partners, talks about how that plan enabled Compass Group sell Sunpro with multiple returns in less than a year.

May 6, 2022

Family Values Play Role in Acquisition

When A.O. Smith bought Canada's Giant Factories in the middle of the pandemic,  it was the end of a decade-long process.

May 6, 2022

Tips on buying distressed assets

General Management Group's Emmett McNulty on what to keep in mind when buying distressed companies.

May 6, 2022

Airline Hydraulics Corp. stays in its acquisitional lane

Airline Hydraulics Corp.'s Mark Steffens talks about the company's acquisition strategy.

April 28, 2022

Using partnerships to set up an acquisition

Hickory Farms CEO Diane Pearse talks about the company's recent acquisitions, broadening its brand and how the Wicked Good Cupcakes deal came to be.

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.

April 14, 2022

Akoya Capital Finds Success With New Platform

Akoya Capital's Bob May talks about the formation of Beacon, its acquisitions, and how macro challenges such as labor are affecting the platform's progress.

April 8, 2022

M&A Human Capital Strategies

Aquila Equity Partners' Gary Lewis, along with Purple Squirrel Advisors' Carrie Schochet, Lockton Companies' Quinn Damon, Mission Veterinary Partners' Matthew Davis, Industrial Opportunity Partners' Philip Fioravante talk about lessons learned and best practices from growing portfolio companies in a labor-challenged environment.

April 1, 2022

Perimeter Manages Merger in Virtual World

Edward Goldberg, CEO of Perimeter Solutions, talks about securing $1.15 billion of development capital and, concurrently, merging with EverArc Holdings.

March 25, 2022

Don't lose yourself chasing a deal

RLXDatix's Jeff Surges, Entrinsic Bioscience's Stephen Gatto and Aon's Nick Surges talk about leveraging M&A, and the role of IP in value, in a hot deal market.

March 24, 2022

Athletico PT's Mark Kaufman on M&A lessons learned

Athletico PT Founder and Executive Chairman Mark Kaufman talks about the M&A lessons he's learned in his more than 30 years with the company.

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.

March 4, 2022

Derek Nixon Talks Varel Energy Solutions' Sale to Bluewater Group

Varel Energy Solutions' Derek Nixon talks about the company's acquisition and how the deal sets it up to be the acquirer for years to come.

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 25, 2022

Paul Larson highlights real estate trends investors should watch in 2022

Larson Financial Holdings CEO Paul Larson talks about his company's 2021 in real estate, the trends that affected the market then, and how he sees real estate investment playing out in 2022.

February 25, 2022

How to address SALT in your deals

Clearview Group's Brian Davis, along with Calvert Street Capital Partners' Brian Guerin, Nemphos Braue LLC's George Nemphos, The Courtney Group's Alan Macksey and ICSG Holdings & Incorp Industries' Peter Vrettakos, spoke at last year's Baltimore Smart Business Dealmakers Conference about addressing SALT issues in deals, the current buy-side environment and best practices for closing acquisitions.

February 18, 2022

The material impact of ESG on M&A

Ancora's David Sowerby, MASCO's John Sznewajs and Cendrowski Corporate Advisors' Harry Cendrowski, talk about ESG, the M&A landscape, where corporations and private investors have made the biggest changes, and what to expect next.

February 18, 2022

The value and risk of relationships

BCD CEO Jeff Burgess, along with BMO Harris' John Chalus, BDO Consulting's Robert Berdanier and Tecum Capital's Matt Harnett, discuss the nuances of selling and buying a company, and how to conduct due diligence and successfully negotiate deal terms in this new normal.

February 18, 2022

The growing concern of cyber security in deals

Moore & Van Allen's Todd Taylor, along with Aon's Michael Laskowitz, Greg Draddy and C.J. Dietzman, explore cyber security in M&A: asking the right questions, protecting data and IP, and making sure your company is ready for dealmaking.

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.

January 27, 2022

Stephen Vitale finds opportunity in chaos

Pyrotecnico's Stephen Vitale talk about his busy M&A year, one that saw the company acquire five businesses.

January 14, 2022

How to diligence the human side of a transaction

RSM US LLP Ian O'Brien, Thunderbird LLC's Phil Kretekos and Wintrust's Adam Fuchs talk about the human side of buy-side transactions.

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 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

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 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 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

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

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

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

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 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.

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 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.

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 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

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.

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

Joe Mirabile adds acquisitions to United Safety & Survivability Corp.’s strategy

Joe Mirabile sees acquisitions as accelerators for the growing United Safety & Survivability Corp.

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.