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October 10, 2024
Navigating The Sale Of A 100-Year-Old Business
By Adam Burroughs
Bradley Corp. Luis de Leon on the steps take to move a century-old business forward.
September 12, 2024
Learning To Move Past Deal Setbacks
Hackbarth Hospitality Group’s Paul Hackbarth on picking the right opportunities and dealing with setbacks.
August 8, 2024
Post-Deal People Strategies
Millennium’s Mary Burback on strategies for integrating people post acquisition.
July 11, 2024
For Some, Cybersecurity Isn’t a Top-Of-Mind Risk
New Resources Consulting’s Mark Grosskopf on how cybersecurity factors into his acquisitions.
June 5, 2024
Eagle Park Brewing Is Learning On The Grow
Eagle Park Brewing Company's Max Borgardt on how he's handled his company's exponential growth.
May 3, 2024
Recognizing Milwaukee's Smart Business Network Dealmaker Award Winners and 2024 Dealmakers Hall of Fame Class!
Five of Milwaukee's top dealmakers were honored this past week with the Smart Business Dealmakers Dealmaker of the Year Award while one other was inducted into the Milwaukee Dealmakers Hall of Fame.
March 7, 2024
For Bliffert Lumber, People Are Central To A Deal
Bliffert Lumber's Eli Bliffert on the role a target's people play in a deal
February 9, 2024
To Finance A Deal, Get Creative
ARME Group's Ron Beam on the opportunities and risks that come with getting deal capital
January 5, 2024
NVNG's Carrie Thome On Becoming The Investee
Carrie Thome left the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, where, as the Chief Investment Officer, she oversaw a $3 billion investment portfolio, to co-found NVNG Investment Advisors.
December 7, 2023
Tackling The People Part Of Deals
Borgman Capital's Megan Brobson on communication strategies for buyers and sellers involved in an M&A process.
November 17, 2023
How Buyer Type Affects Deal Prep
When running businesses for private equity groups, Kevin Matkin, CEO of Maysteel Industries LLC says what's often important when preparing for a sale depends on the buyer type. For a financial buyer,
October 13, 2023
When Selling, Ask Many Questions
As he was looking into selling Insight Publications, Publisher Brian Rasmussen had a lot to think about. Given his age, energy level, and a sense that, given the nature of his business, he wasn't
September 14, 2023
Candid Reasons Not To Pass Your Business To The Next Generation
How — and why — Thomas J. Young sold Arrowhead Systems, a business he had no intention of selling.
August 18, 2023
An Uncertain Economy Brings The Focus Inward
The uncertainty of the current state of the economy has driven Jim Banovich, CEO of Marsh Electronics to invest into the company and start getting it in position for the next generation and the next
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 12, 2023
Demystifying Alternative Capital Sources
It's very hard to get into a PE fund, says Datassential Inc. CEO Jim Emling. In order to do the kind of work he does within private equity, typically a person would have to have sold to their business
March 24, 2023
Viewing Risk Deal By Deal
U.S. Venture Inc. Associate General Counsel Jennifer Schwitzer on mitigating deal risk.
February 24, 2023
Earn Out Can Be A Dirty Word
Paul Stillmank, former CEO of 7Summits, on earn outs — when they're useful and when they should be avoided.
October 28, 2022
The Unexpected Outcomes of Royal Capital Group’s Community Development
Royal Capital Group Founder and CEO Kevin Newell discovered that when living conditions improve, so do the mental and physical health of those living in the neighborhoods he’s developed. This approach opened a new capital stream through UnitedHealthcare, which is now the largest private investor, providing $5.4 million in equity funding for one of his latest endeavors.
September 23, 2022
Supply chain, HR, take on increasing importance in a deal
Mason Wells Senior Managing Director Jay Radtke on how to be an effective buyer in this hyper-competitive and ever-changing environment.
August 26, 2022
Building a culture of support for startups
Wisconsin Startup Coalition Co-founders Matt Cordio and Peter Welch on the progress the organization has made since its launch in 2020, and how creating a network of support could lead to putting Wisconsin on investors' maps.
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.
June 16, 2022
LPi’s Niche Market Clientele Proves Valuable
We Share and We Gather started as LPi's closed social network for churches. It quickly morphed into an online donation tool for nonprofits. Joe Luedtke spoke about LPi’s carveout of its financial tech arm.
May 27, 2022
Evaluating the current deal market and looking ahead
Speaking at the recent Milwaukee Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, TKO Miller's Joe Froehlich, who was joined by Web Finance Direct CEO Miller Newton for the kickoff session titled, "What’s Over the Horizon? Evaluating the current deal market and looking ahead," moderated by Husch Blackwell’s Chief Executive Paul Eberle, the group offered insight on what they are seeing in the marketplace and how changing market conditions may impact deal flow and structures.
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.