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April 18, 2024
Recognizing Detroit's Smart Business Network Dealmaker Award Winners and 2024 Dealmakers Hall of Fame Class!
By SBN Staff
We celebrated the accomplishments of the 2024 class of winners April 18 at the Detroit Smart Business Dealmakers Conference. Together, they provide a strong picture of the Detroit business community.
January 12, 2024
Financial Issues To Consider When Doing International Acquisitions
Gentherm closed two deals in July of 2022. One was a German multinational that added to the company's automotive space. The other was a domestic acquisition in China for its medical business. The deal
October 27, 2023
The Search For Clean Deals
No deal is perfect, but Dan Weingartz, CEO of W&P Management, says that it's just gotten to where there needs to be cleanliness across everything — the financials, the strategy, the leadership and
September 22, 2023
How Not Listening To Advice Benefitted SkySpecs
SkySpecs CEO Danny Ellis has raised a few rounds of funding — six in total — and has learned several lessons from the experience. "A lot of mistakes in the early days," Ellis says. "We probably over
August 25, 2023
People On A Deal P&L
As Detroit Manufacturing Systems sets out to make acquisitions, people are top of mind, says then CFO, now EVP of Sales, Purchasing and Strategy Scott Cieslak. "One of the first things we had to do
March 31, 2023
Sylvester Hester On Partnership And Job Creation When Launching LM Manufacturing
LM Manufacturing President and CEO Sylvester Hester on launching the business, how the opportunity came about and the importance of being a job creator in Detroit
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.
December 23, 2019
Detroit 2019 Dealmaking Year In Review
With 2019 just about over, we’re taking a look back at some of what we learned this year.
December 12, 2019
Rob Dube: Being Mindful Is Key To Being An Effective Dealmaker
It seemed like a good deal, but things changed quickly for Rob Dube when he sold imageOne. Fortunately, he got it back and learned a valuable lesson about mindfulness.
November 25, 2019
Peninsula Capital’s Ty Clutterbuck: How To Find Your Way To A Great Deal Opportunity
Achieving synergy in business doesn’t have to be about making cuts. Through dealmaking, it can be a path to growth opportunities, says Ty Clutterbuck.
November 21, 2019
Henniges Autmotive’s Larry Williams: Keys To Working Effectively With Private Equity Ownership
Larry Williams has used simple, honest dialogue to build strong ties with each PE firm that has owned Henniges Automotive.
November 13, 2019
Huron Capital’s Brian Demkowicz Shares His Secrets To Good Dealmaking
Brian Demkowicz has a process for everything, enabling Huron Capital to continually make the right call on dealmaking opportunities.
November 5, 2019
O2’s Jay Hansen: M&A Works Best When Both Sides Are Ready To Deal
Dealmaking works better when there is M&A expertise on both sides of the table, says the private equity firm's managing partner.
October 3, 2019
TriPower Capital's Robert Sharpe: Capitalizing on Underserved Markets
The TriPower founding partner talks about his eye for making deals in the food and beverage space and one of the most common problems with today’s business landscape.
August 29, 2019
Peninsula Capital's Ty Clutterbuck
Peninsula Capital Partners' Ty Clutterbuck talks about his approach to making and assessing acquisition opportunities.
July 24, 2019
Stephen Polk On Buying, Selling And The Power Of Data
Former R.L. Polk CEO Stephen Polk talks about the sale of the business, his Highgate family office investing platform and his continuing love for data-driven processes.
July 18, 2019
Dave Zilko On Selling Garden Fresh Gourmet
Dave Zilko talks about how the Garden Fresh Gourmet deal got done, the emotional toll that dealmaking can take and the move Campbell’s made earlier this year to sell the business.
July 9, 2019
Don Nystrom On Dealmaking Pitfalls
Don Nystrom, CEO of Dynamic Aerospace and Defense, shares his insights into the common mistakes to avoid in the dealmaking process.
June 6, 2019
Arsenal’s Maria Thompson: Investors Want Businesses That Solve Problems
Investors aren’t looking for unique business opportunities, says Arsenal venture partner Maria Thompson. They want business models that solve problems, preferably big ones.
April 18, 2019
ASPIRE Dealmakers Conference Photo Gallery
The Westin Book Cadillac was the site of Detroit's biggest CEO-focused dealmakers event on April 11. The ASPIRE Dealmakers Conference featured panel discussions with some of Detroit's top dealmakers, as well as extensive networking opportunities to meet with entrepreneurs, investors and advisers who make deals happen in metro Detroit.
April 5, 2019
Huron Capital’s Brian Demkowicz: Dealmaking is back in Detroit
The PE firm's co-founder explores the method that fuels his dealmaking productivity and the role Midwestern values play in the firm’s success.
March 29, 2019
Chip McClure finds deals in unloved world of Tier 2, Tier 3 suppliers
By founding Michigan Capital Advisors, he has created a private equity firm that addresses the lack of access to capital that prevents suppliers from keeping up with customer demand and diversifying beyond the auto sector.
March 8, 2019
Atlas Oil founder Sam Simon: How to maximize your deals
The master dealmaker talks about his humble beginnings, his approach to investment opportunities and the importance of being a disciplined dealmaker.
