Benchmark International has successfully facilitated a transaction between Mills River, NC-based Dover Foods, Inc. and Translyvania Vocational Services, Inc. (TVS) of Brevard, North Carolina. Dover is a manufacturer of high-quality dry mix consumer packaged goods (CPGs), including a high-growth private label business. TVS is a mission-oriented manufacturer of dry packaged goods, selling its products largely through USDA and USAID hunger assistance, food bank, and other programs.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Fastway Couriers’ National Master (Fastway South Africa), Fastway Johannesburg, and Fastpost businesses by City Logistics (Pty) Ltd in partnership with Clearwater Capital (Pty) Ltd.

Benchmark International successfully facilitated the transaction between Lenhart Electric Company and InCharge, LLC.

Benchmark International successfully facilitated the transaction between Dallas Plumbing Company and Air Pros USA.

On 23^rd September, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng delivered his mini-budget, announcing comprehensive changes to tax in a bid to boost economic growth.

Ultimately, the changes are designed to improve the ability of British companies to raise money, attract talent, and grow and succeed.

With increased incentives to invest introduced in one go, as well as a number of tax breaks – what are the changes and how do these directly affect business owners and investment?

Iconic Media Group and The Mayo News today announce that an agreement in principle, subject to normal regulatory approvals and clearance, has been reached to purchase the Westport-based local newspaper.

The Mayo News is one of the longest established newspapers in the country, having been established in 1892. The paper has a proud history of serving the local community with its efforts being recognised by a host of awards including the prestigious European Local Newspaper of The Year prize twice, in 2007 and 2014.

The Mayo News has been in the ownership of the Berry family for a number of decades.

Iconic Media Group is Ireland's largest independently owned regional newspaper and media group. Should the sale be approved, it would increase the footprint of the company, which already owns over 15 local weekly titles. These include The Donegal Democrat, The Limerick Leader and The Leinster Express.

In 2021, the global space market was valued at $388.50 billion and is expected to reach $540.75 billion by 2026. The sector has expanded by an impressive 70% between 2010 and 2020. The space economy is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.84% between 2022 and 2026. Analysts also predict that the space industry will reach $1 trillion in annual revenue by the year 2040, with launch costs lowered by 95%. As the cost of accessing space falls, opportunities for expansion and innovation will increase. The fastest growth is predicted to stem from new space applications and industries.

Deal activity continues to heat up in the cryptocurrency space as the adoption of crypto becomes more mainstream. Last year was a huge year for cryptocurrencies. In 2021, the price of bitcoin was up 49%, Ether was up 390%, and Dogecoin was up a whopping 1,600%. The M&A market for cryptocurrency soared by nearly 5,000% last year. But this is nothing compared to the activity for M&A of crypto companies.

There are two types of buyers: strategic buyers and financial buyers. Commercial lenders, family offices, private equity funds, mezzanine funds, independent investors, and other capital providers are all financial buyers. Strategic buyers include everything else. It can be beneficial to entertain both financial and strategic buyers when you are selling your business. Still, it is important to understand how financial buyers think and what you’re dealing with as you work through conversations and negotiations.

Metaphase Design Group, Inc. is a leader in applying the science of human factors engineering and ergonomics to product design. Metaphase incorporates various areas of specialization in their User-Centered Design Innovation Process, combining them with extensive expertise in Industrial Design and Human Factors research and support.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated a transaction between Vooner FloGard Corporation and Aerzen USA.

In the world of small to mid-market mergers and acquisitions, a number that is very important is a company’s adjusted EBITDA. The adjusted EBITDA is meant to find a company’s true normalized earnings by taking away any outside influences or ownership influences on the company’s bottom line. Some companies do not have to make many adjustments in order to find adjusted EBITDA, while some companies may need many adjustments to arrive at adjusted EBITDA.

Benchmark International represented A to Z Insurance in the company’s sale to Acrisure. A to Z Insurance, headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas, is an independent insurance agency specializing in commercial trucking policies. The agency also offers a variety of personal and commercial insurance policies and represents many of the nation’s leading insurance providers. A to Z Insurance has four locations throughout Texas.

Hexagon Electrical (Pty) Ltd (Hexagon Electrical) designs, manufactures and re-conditions a large range of flameproof and non-flameproof motors, switchgear, transformers, flameproof and non-flameproof enclosures, flameproof auxiliary equipment, and standard and flameproof motors for ventilation fans and dust control systems.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated a transaction between Pennsylvania-based Arora Engineers and Jacmel Growth Partners, a New York-based private investment firm. Arora is a leading professional services firm that provides infrastructure-focused planning, design, program/construction management, facilities management, asset management and technology services primarily to state, local, and federal government customers.

A family business is technically defined as an organization that is owned and operated by at least two members of the same family. Family businesses actually account for around two-thirds of all companies worldwide, and 90% of companies in the U.S. The largest 500 family-owned companies generate annual revenues of $6.5 trillion. Global research has also demonstrated that well-run family companies are more profitable and stay in business longer than other companies, even with the many challenges they face. 

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Middlesbrough-based Doocey North East by Swedish group Netel.

Doocey North East is a specialist utility services provider delivering contract services for telecommunications and fibre-optic networks. Works include the installation of ducts, micro-ducts, access chambers, street cabinets, fibre optic cable installation for local authorities and major private clients. Employing 15 people, in 2020/21 the company recorded net sales of approximately £6.5m.

Founded in 2000, Netel is a leading specialist in critical infrastructures in Northern Europe, carrying out projects as well as services and maintenance for the industry's largest players in power, telecommunications, heating, and water and sewage. The business has a strong local presence via 18 offices and has approximately 660 employees. In 2021, Netel had sales of more than SEK 2.4 billion.

The acquisition marks Netel’s second in the UK within two months as the group rapidly continues its expansion in the growing British fibre market.

What Is the Metaverse?

The metaverse is an immersive digital online environment that links social and commercial activities through technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality to create 3D virtual spaces that mimic reality. Its use is quite broad and can be applied to gaming, work meetings, e-commerce, socializing, or entertainment. The term “metaverse,” which was first introduced in the 1992 novel Snow Crash, is today considered a way to truly redefine the Internet. It is a concept that is still being shaped, but the vision is rapidly evolving. There is not necessarily one single defined metaverse, as various companies are working to shape the idea in their own ways. For example, blockchain tech such as cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are being used to support digital transactions in the metaverse. Video game makers are shifting their online worlds to resemble social networks with a market opportunity to expand to include live entertainment such as concerts and sporting events. With this transformation comes a battle for the share of social media ad revenue. And as the metaverse continues to evolve, it continues to represent a huge business opportunity.

M&A activity in the recruitment industry reached a 10-year high at the start of 2022 with the industry bolstered by the number of job vacancies growing to a record of 1,172,000 in November 2021, according to the ONS, as 1 in 4 workers plan a job change.

Borne from the pandemic, workers quit their jobs due to post-pandemic burnout, changing priorities and the greater number of opportunities that became available.

Benchmark International successfully facilitated the transaction of a Therapeutic Optometrists and Optometric Glaucoma Specialists clinic to MyEyeDr., managed by Capital Vision Services, LP.

The financial health of the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry has rebounded significantly from the negative economic COVID-19 impacts of 2020, poising the sector for a strong M&A market in 2022. The earnings of commercial aerospace firms have recovered, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have announced a series of production rate increases for the years 2023 to 2025, raising the likelihood of supply chain acquisition activity in 2022. Additionally, the defense budgets of both the United States and Europe have remained stable, leading to high demand for defense products and services despite some production offsets due to supply chain challenges. 

PitchBook has released their Q2 2022 Global League Tables, and Benchmark International has once again received several impressive rankings. The firm remains ranked as the #1 Privately Owned Sell-Side M&A Advisors in the World and is ranked as the 10th Most Active Investment Bank in the United States. This ranking puts Benchmark International ahead of other well-known firms, including Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Woodbridge International, and Bank of America Securities.

Benchmark International is also ranked as:

• 17th Most Active Investment Bank Globally
• 11th Most Active Advisor & Accountants (PE Deals Only) in the US
• 12th Most Active M&A Advisors in the US
• 13th Most Active M&A Advisors in Europe
• 14th Most Active M&A Advisors Globally

Last month, small business sentiment in the U.S. fell to its lowest level in nearly 9-1/2 years due to concerns surrounding inflation. Yet, at the same time, demand for labor remains more substantial than expected as companies continue to pursue growth.

Benchmark International has been named 2022’s Best Global Middle Market M&A Specialists by the Global 100. 

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated a transaction between Georgia-based Lyman Davidson Dooley, Inc. (Lyman Davidson Dooley) and Virginia-based Blueline Holding Company, LLP (Blueline). 

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Carlisle-based AndiDrain by Glasgow-headquartered Denholm Energy.

Established in 1990, AndiDrain is a liquid waste management and industrial services company offering a range of services such as tankering, CCTV pipework surveys, waste segregation and recycling, sewer/culvert renovation, and relining.

Denholm is an international services provider supplying leading edge services across industry sectors including oil and gas, marine, defence, petrochemical, renewables, utilities, and distilleries. Employing over 4,500 people, the company has operations in the UK, USA, Caspian, and Middle East and has an annual turnover in excess of £190m.

The move by Denholm Energy's subsidiary, Denholm Environmental Services, further strengthens Denholm’s waste management and industrial services offering. It also expands the geographic footprint of Denholm Environmental from the Scottish Highlands down to the Midlands and adds a comprehensive and market leading range of equipment to the portfolio.

Andrew Little, managing director of AndiDrain, said this about working with Benchmark International:

“I would like to thank Roger, James, Charlotte, Nick and the rest of the team for a job well done with the sale of the company. I can highly recommend Benchmark to anyone who requires a M&A specialist to guide them through what can be difficult times when dealing with due diligence.”

The U.S. economy has weathered more than two years of unique disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the ongoing supply chain problems, Americans now have to deal with the impacts of elevated inflation, higher interest rates, and sanctions because of Russia’s war on Ukraine. These issues are combined with other economic warning signs to raise concerns that the economy is on the verge of a recession.

Benchmark International’s client Wilmac Enterprises, a full-service transportation solutions provider, has successfully sold to RoadOne IntermodaLogisitics in Randolph, MA. 

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Dublin-based Keyhouse by Toronto-based Dye & Durham, one of the world’s most trusted providers of mission-critical software for legal, financial and business professionals with operations in Canada, Australia, the U.K. and Ireland.

Keyhouse is a leading software solutions company providing cloud-based software systems, training and services to solicitors and legal service providers throughout the Republic of Ireland.

Dye & Durham provides legal and business professionals with a suite of market-leading products designed for efficiency, accuracy and instant access to public records.

Brian Sweeney, managing director at Keyhouse, commented: “As part of the Dye & Durham family, Keyhouse will continue to provide leading cloud-based software systems, training and services to legal professionals across the Republic of Ireland, but now backed with the full support and resources of the multi-national Dye & Durham. This acquisition will result in greater integrations with third-party systems from within Dye & Durham, including search facilities, AML, quote conversion and on-boarding applications and compliance modules.”

eSports is a form of video-game-based competition that has seen significant revenue and viewership growth in recent years. Much of the revenue is coming from advertising dollars from brands, such as ads shown during live streams on online platforms, video-on-demand content of matches, or on eSports TV. And competitive gaming is becoming more mainstream than ever. 

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the transaction between McAlister Design, Inc. and Wauseon Machine and Manufacturing, Inc. 

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the transaction between Airflow Service Company and ConnectM.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the sale of Pruvan Inc. (“Pruvan”) to Verisk Analytics. Pruvan, headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, provides Mobile Field Service Management software. The company provides a mobile app for the service industry that connects field technicians and clients with certified photos, videos, and mobile forms. Their offering enables service companies to mobilize their businesses and helps streamline operations.

Join us for the complimentary webinar: What You Need To Know About Selling Your Business To A Strategic Buyer.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce the acquisition of Manchester-based Hargreaves Jones by London-based CCi.

Established in 2005, Hargreaves Jones is a consultancy providing commercial and project management services to clients primarily in the large-scale infrastructure sectors including nuclear decommissioning, electricity generation and distribution, oil and gas, green energy generation, transportation, and manufacturing both in the UK and internationally.

CCi, a Rimkus company, is an independent consultancy with an international reputation for expertise in the insurance and construction industries. Operating from over 17 locations worldwide, CCi has a dedicated team of 115 experts helping to resolve some of the world’s largest and most complex insurance claims and construction disputes.

Rimkus has been established for over 40 years and now operates from more than 110 offices worldwide. It is a provider of engineering and technical consulting services to corporations, insurance companies, law firms, and government agencies. Rimkus also provides architecture, engineering, and construction services for the built environment, including restoration design, facilities risk assessments, and due diligence property condition assessments.

The acquisition will support the advancement of CCi’s expertise to deliver commercial and project management services to clients engaged in capital construction and engineering activities on both large and small infrastructure projects.