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February 3, 2023
ChromoCare's Hugh Cathey On Lessons That Shaped His Career
By Adam Burroughs
In a more personal interview, Hugh Cathey, CEO of ChromoCare, a genetics testing firm, spoke on Smart Business SmartTalk about his successes and missteps, who and what helped shape his career, what motivates him and more.
January 27, 2023
Tough Decisions In Family-Led Businesses
Herschend Family Entertainment started in 1960 in Branson, Missouri by Jacob Herschend's grandparents. They leased a cave and made it available for tours. As it increased in popularity, they built
January 20, 2023
The Dos and Don’ts in Today’s M&A Landscape
Chuck Morton, Partner, Venable LLP, has been recognized for decades as one of best middle-market deal lawyers in the United States. During his time as an M&A attorney, he’s seen business leaders make some excellent choices and some not-so-brilliant decisions. He sat down for a discussion on the Smart Business Dealmakers Podcast to elaborate.
January 20, 2023
Jared Paquette Examines His Firm With The Eyes Of An Investor
After 20 years working in private equity, Jared Paquette recently struck out on his own, launching Conanicut Capital, a PE firm focused on the lower middle-market. "I went to a great lower-middle-market firm for about 10 years. And what I found in going to the lower middle market is you get much closer to the founders and the owners of businesses," he says. "Some of the best deals that I've been a part of are ones in which you're really working as the first institutional pool of capital."
January 6, 2023
Rocco DiLillo On His M&A Legacy
Rocco DiLillo on the many businesses he's built, bought and sold, and offers advice to entrepreneurs looking to experience similar successes.
December 16, 2022
Entrepreneur Focus: Jennifer Tescher
Financial Health Network President and CEO Jennifer Tescher on her company, its mission and the challenges it faces.
November 23, 2022
Former Medtronic CEO Bill George On How Ego Can Crush A Deal
Harvard Business School Senior Fellow and former chairman and CEO of Medtronic Bill George on the M&A lessons he's learned over his career.
November 18, 2022
Entrepreneur Focus: Kathryn Finney
Genius Guild Founder, CEO and Managing Partner Kathryn Finney shares her entrepreneurial journey and the impact she's been able to have through it.
November 11, 2022
WJ Connell's John Stephenson On What He's Leaving Behind
WJ Connell's John Stephenson on what he learned from his first job, how mentorship has impacted his career, his regrets and his motivations.
October 28, 2022
Despite Two Retirements, Ralph Della Ratta Is Still Going
Kirtland Capital Partners' Ralph Della Ratta on what he's learned from his four decades in M&A, his keys to success and how that experience will be brought to bear in his newest role.
June 17, 2022
Argo Fresh's Clint Lewis: Running A Public Company With A PE Partner
In AgroFresh, Clint Lewis is leading a public company that has a private equity investor. 'It's a unique dynamic," Lewis says.
June 10, 2021
George Nemphos of Nemphos Braue
Podcast: The founding member of law firm Nemphos Braue shares his thoughts on the activity he’s seeing, deals he’s been closing for clients, and what’s different from the deals that got done in 2019 and early 2020.
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.
May 7, 2021
Thomas Hillman and Jim Eberlin share lessons learned
Thomas Hillman, managing partner at Lewis & Clark Capital, and Jim Eberlin, founder and CEO of TopOPPS offer their perspective and approach to dealmaking, as well as some of the lessons they’ve learned over their decades-long careers.
February 12, 2021
Truck Centers’ John Hopkins on moving the family business forward
While he expects to participate as an acquirer, Truck Centers’ John Hopkins is structuring the family business so that selling remains the furthest thing from the family's mind.
January 8, 2021
Dealmaker Conversations: Hugh Cathey
ChromoCare CEO Hugh Cathey shares his insights on the M&A market and his outlook for future dealmaking.
October 23, 2020
Chris Adams on how the pandemic, presidential election are affecting M&A
Park Place Technologies Chris Adams offers his sense of what’s likely to be on the minds of dealmakers through the balance of a year plagued by uncertainty.
October 2, 2020
Kassel Equity Group's Brett Motherwell on balancing dealmaking opportunity and risk
Kassel Equity Group Managing Partner Brett Motherwell talks dealmaking during the pandemic and the importance of careful deal structures to mitigate M&A risks.
May 21, 2020
Jay Katarincic shares the methods behind early stage VC investing
With early stage investing, it’s not about hitting every single time in order to have a successful fund, says Jay Katarincic, managing director of venture capital firm Draper Triangle. That's because it's often more art than science.
May 15, 2020
Prairie Capital Advisors' Ken Serwinski: Dealmakers Continue To Operate With An Abundance Of Caution
Buyer’s market, or seller’s market? In this time of global pandemic, how about neither, says Prairie Capital Advisors Co-founder and Chairman Ken Serwinski.
May 15, 2020
PMCF’s Joe Wagner: Dealmaking Community Continues To React, Respond To COVID-19
Dealmaking has been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but activity hasn’t stopped, says Joe Wagner, managing director and partner at Plante Moran Corporate Finance.
April 24, 2020
Smart Business Dealmakers Podcast Debuts
The Smart Business Dealmakers podcast, which will post updated episodes periodically during the week, features interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and advisers from across the markets we serve.
April 24, 2020
Leery investors = More Scrutiny
Podcast: CLA partner Bo Butters sees increased scrutiny on deals in the wake of the coronavirus, but he also expects there will be operators who are unwilling to untangle their businesses from the mess caused by the pandemic, creating opportunities for buyers.
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.
April 24, 2020
Metz Lewis’ John Lewis: Caution is the new normal
John Lewis expects employers to remain cautious in terms of deal activity, long-term commitments and employee compensation during this unprecedented time.
April 23, 2020
KJK’s Jon J. Pinney: The Deal Market Will Recover, But Big Changes Are Likely
The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing to life doomsday scenarios that even seasoned dealmakers like Jon J. Pinney dismissed as the stuff of Hollywood.
March 19, 2020
Banner Solutions’ Brendan Deely: Kick The Tires A Little Harder To Find The Right Deal
Dominating strategy always wins out over dominant personalities as Brendan Deely is assessing potential acquisition targets.
March 18, 2020
Vivek Gupta: A deliberate deal process will pay off for buyers
The more time you spend selecting the right acquisition and utilizing a thorough diligence process, the more likely you are to get better returns down the line, says Mastech Digital President and CEO Vivek Gupta. Based on his past experience, he provides advice for other buyers.
March 6, 2020
Pittsburgh 2020 Dealmaker of the Year Awards
Smart Business Dealmakers recognized some top deals and dealmakers in the Pittsburgh region at the Smart Business Dealmakers Conference on March 5. Here are the 2020 Dealmaker of the Year Award winners.
March 4, 2020
Randy Markey: Integrity, Character Matter More Than Just About Anything in Dealmaking
Randy Markey's No. 1 tip for an effective investment strategy: Make sure it's an opportunity you can explain to your grandmother.
