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March 12, 2020
Jill Arena: Struggling To Find The Right Deal Partner? Take A Deeper Look At Your Process
By Mark Scott
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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 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.
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
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 1, 2019
H. Jack’s Plumbing’s John Langer: Culture Is Key In Service Acquisitions
H. Jack’s Plumbing President John Langer talks about the role acquisitions can play in helping companies in the service industry maintain their reputation for top-notch customer satisfaction.
May 31, 2019
Hyland's acquisition strategy fuels march to $1B in sales
CEO Bill Priemer and M&A chief Justin Torkelson talk about the software company’s acquisition strategy and the role dealmaking has played in putting Hyland on the cusp of being a $1 billion business.
May 17, 2019
Blue Olive’s Ed Weinfurtner takes hands-on approach to investing
Ed Weinfurtner is a dealmaker who likes to get his hands dirty. If the company is being marketed for sale or has a book that pitches the acquisition opportunity, he’s not interested. “I’m trying to find a diamond in the rough,” he says.
April 23, 2019
TalentLaunch's Aaron Grossman eyes $1B business via acquisitions
The CEO talks about the role process and discipline will play in reaching the ambitious goal he has set for his growing stable of staffing firms.
April 19, 2019
Foundation’s David Wood: Understanding Seller’s Needs Drives Better Deals
Foundation Investment Partners' David Wood talks about making smart acquisitions and the discerning approach he takes to dealmaking.
April 10, 2019
Acquisition strategy: Have discipline, retain talent and avoid dishonest negotiators
Investor Lee Zapis shares tips for making better acquisitions, lessons learned from mistakes and the evolving role of culture in the dealmaking process.
April 3, 2019
FNB’s Boyd Pethel: How to invest with a flat yield curve, low interest rates
The economy may be slowing, but there’s good news for investors who are worried about rising interest rates, says First National Bank’s Boyd Pethel.
April 1, 2019
First impressions matter when studying acquisition opportunities
The key to a successful acquisition is a well-planned, successful transition, achieved by working with the key customers, employees and suppliers to ensure that sales and operations continue smoothly.
March 29, 2019
Nordson's Anne Pombier: Creating value through acquisitions
Before joining Nordson, Anne Pombier led or participated in more than 100 transactions ranging from $500,000 to more than $1 billion in size. Now she helps identify and pursue M&A targets that can create value for Nordson on a global basis.
March 28, 2019
4 reasons you need an M&A lawyer
Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, dealmaking involves sharing some of your company’s most confidential information with the other side. Ulmer & Berne’s Howard Groedel explains how experienced legal counsel can guide you through the M&A process.
February 25, 2019
Understand the risk profile of your target company
Oswald's Jeff Schwab explains how he helps clients identify and forecast risks in their deals — and why it’s worth the effort.
February 15, 2019
How Lincoln Electric picks its deals
Last year, Lincoln earned a 20.7 percent return on invested capital – up 4.5 points from 2017. CFO Vince Petrella shares how the manufacturer approaches acquisitions to drive continued earnings growth.
January 30, 2019
Embrace fear and uncertainty
If there’s not something wrong with the business you’re investing in, you’re probably paying too much, says Umberto P. Fedeli.“You take a great company, great quality and great growth, but the value
January 24, 2019
Elements of an effective M&A strategy
John Ensign doesn’t have much downtime. But that comes with the job at MRI Software.Since he joined the real estate software solutions provider in 2010, MRI has made more than 20 acquisitions,
December 6, 2018
Kelsheimer, Ferkovic join forces at Medic Management
A look at the approach Jerry Kelsheimer and Tom Ferkovic used to negotiate the purchase of Medic Management Group, and what’s next for the business.
November 30, 2018
TownHall’s Bobby George
Bobby George consults his list of dealmaking principles on a weekly basis – and uses them to inform his decisions. He talks with us about how he evaluates acquisitions to seize opportunity when it strikes.
November 30, 2018
Learn from your mistakes
Growing your business through acquisition is a highly complex process. One misstep can cost you everything. Our team recently managed through a significant oversight that almost forced us to shut down operations.
November 16, 2018
Lou Schneeberger's advice to first-time buyers
The master dealmaker talks about the best approach to beginning a deal negotiation and key items that experienced dealmakers know to check off their list when making a transaction.
November 16, 2018
Reading people is critical to acquisitions
Greg Skoda examines the risk of not fully exploring the wants and needs of the seller when pursuing an acquisition.
November 2, 2018
Carveout transactions
Scott Becker has been involved with his fair share of acquisitions. And while all come with a level of complexity, a carveout can be the most challenging.
October 5, 2018
The unwritten rules of M&A
Retired RPM President Jim Karman shares the “unwritten rules” that defined the acquisition negotiation and preparation strategy he used for his family-owned furniture manufacturer.
August 10, 2018
SCA has its eye on $300M
Christopher Valerian talks about Sweeping Corp. of America's acquisition strategy and the key steps his team followed to execute on aggressive growth goals.
August 10, 2018
Michael Siegal: How I approach acquisition targets
The Olympic Steel CEO talks about being a chameleon, assessing culture and spending your time well.
June 22, 2018
On the green
Master dealmaker Monte Ahuja talks about his plans to remake his newly acquired golf properties and the role golf has played in his success as a dealmaker.
June 22, 2018
How captive insurance can add value to your deal
Kelly Price about the challenges that business owners face when it comes to negotiating a deal, how captive programs can fit into the mix and what can happen when you sell to a buyer that hasn’t done the proper due diligence.
June 8, 2018
Behind the scenes of the Fairmount-Unimin merger
CEO Jennifer Deckard discusses the relationship of the two companies, the factors that finally enabled them to merge and the powerful role that external M&A advisers played.
June 1, 2018
Ganley Auto Group’s Ken Ganley
Ken Ganley talks about the value that experience can bring to dealmaking and his fondness for taking on challenges when making an acquisition.
May 17, 2018
Target identification
In the follow-up to his popular first column on how culture shapes his M&A strategy, Alliance Solutions Group founder Aaron Grossman explains how he takes the guesswork out of acquisitions by painstakingly finding the right acquisitions prospects
April 20, 2018
Howard W. “Hoby” Hanna IV
Howard W. “Hoby” Hanna IV talks about negotiating deals with a key competitor, the value of developing an M&A formula and sticking to it, and how he responds to market pressure to keep pursuing more acquisitions.
April 20, 2018
ShurTech Brands’ John Kahl
ShurTech Brands CEO John Kahl talks about the importance of listening and the effort it takes to zero in on the right company to acquire.
April 6, 2018
Compass Self Storage’s Todd Amsdell
Todd Amsdell has relied largely on “good old-fashioned hard work and reputation” to build Amsdell Cos. into one of the premier operators of self-storage centers in the country. We spoke with Amsdell about his company’s unique approach to dealmaking.
March 29, 2018
Meritech’s Mary Ann Bednar
Fresh off the acquisition of a competitor, Meritech's Mary Ann Bednar and Ken Vanden Haute talk about the importance of patience in dealmaking and the value of securing market share in a competitive business environment.
March 23, 2018
Jay Lucarelli: Don’t take on debt if you’re not ready
Jay Lucarelli talks about factors that must be considered when exploring a potential deal, why buying more space now will save you a lot of stress later and more lessons learned from his father.
March 2, 2018
How I find great deals
Scott Becker often buys businesses that aren't for sale. The key in initiating these discussions with owners is the opportunity it provides to spell out the strategic benefits available through the business combination.
February 23, 2018
Millcraft's Travis Mlakar
Travis Mlakar, who has led seven acquisitions to expand Millcraft, talks about getting people involved in acquisitions and leveraging their input to shape the success of a deal.
February 16, 2018
Loan Protector's Dennis Swit
Dennis Swit missed out the first two times his employer was up for sale. He wasn’t going to miss the third time. He talks about the challenges he faced buying the company and how he positioned the company to succeed under his ownership.
February 2, 2018
How culture shapes our M&A strategy
Aaron Grossman shares how he focused on the culture he wants for Alliance Solutions Group, before finding companies to buy.
January 26, 2018
David vs Goliaths
When you compete with the likes of Eaton and Parker Hannifin, you better have a good growth strategy. David Carr, president of fittings manufacturer Brennan Industries, makes M&A a core part of his plan, like last November’s acquisition of Versa Fittings.
January 19, 2018
ASW Global’s André Thornton
ASW Global CEO André Thornton speaks about how he lays the groundwork for acquisitions and then takes steps to ensure there is a fit before closing any deal.
January 12, 2018
Ready to pop
We take a deeper look at how Paul Smucker Wagstaff used his experience at The J.M. Smucker Co. to guide his approach to dealmaking and what it all means for the continued growth of Eagle Foods.
January 12, 2018
Chris Adams: How to create a great M&A team
Park Place President Chris Adams shares the details of creating an M&A team and how it has helped drive the company’s push to continue growing.
January 5, 2018
Cohen & Co. fills a void
A look at how Cohen's acquisition of Arthur Bell brings the firm closer to being a $100 million business, strengthens its position in the fund manager market and opens the door to future growth in the space.
December 15, 2017
Stark seeks $4 billion portfolio
We take a deeper look at Stark Enterprises’ growth strategy and the thoughtful approach the company takes to acquiring new properties.
December 8, 2017
MRI: New tech growth star
How Patrick Ghilani crafted his plan to complete five rapid-fire deals to solidify MRI Software’s position as a leader in real estate technology.
December 8, 2017
Greg Muzzillo: Time makes sellers realistic
The Proforma founder shares his experience negotiating with sellers and the risk of veering away from your area of expertise in business.
November 30, 2017
1 team, 6 deals, 12 months
An in-depth look at how Park Place Technologies' Chris Adams provided his M&A SWAT team with the tools it needed to complete six acquisitions in 12 months.
November 22, 2017
Aaron Grossman: Study the data and match the core values
Aaron Grossman talks about how he looks at acquisition targets and why you can't neglect your core business.
November 22, 2017
Small deal, big impact
Our M&A journey began with a relatively small, but challenging acquisition that involved convincing a widow to sell her business to Chromaflo.
November 17, 2017
Ken Ganley drives toward $2 billion
An inside look at how Ken Ganley finally bought Central Cadillac, an extraordinary dealership he had sought for years.
November 3, 2017
Hyland’s game-changing deal
It was the largest acquisition Hyland Software Inc. has ever made — by far, says President and CEO Bill Priemer. The deal to buy Perceptive Software and bring a key competitor under the same roof after more than two decades of battling for business is a game changer for Hyland.
November 3, 2017
Ed Crawford's 3 keys to success
A major part of ParkOhio's growth can be attributed to an eye-popping 86 acquisitions. We sat down with CEO Ed Crawford to talk about three keys to his dealmaking success.
