Benchmark International has been awarded the Financial Deal of the Year by The M&A Advisor in the 10th Annual International M&A Awards for facilitating the acquisition of Silexx Financial Systems by the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

The M&A Advisor Awards are widely respected as a pinnacle of achievement in the industry, recognizing excellence in dealmaking, restructuring, and financing, celebrating the contributions and achievements of leading firms and professionals.

The M&A Advisor serves the world’s leading M&A, financing, and restructuring professionals. It was founded in 1998 to publish insights and intelligence on mergers and acquisitions. Since then, they have been serving the world’s premier organization of M&A, turnaround, and finance professionals. It is the preeminent organization recognizing excellence, honoring achievement, presenting thought leadership, and facilitating connections among the world’s leading dealmaking professionals.

The Benchmark team is honored for this recognition and is proud to continually make game-changing deals around the world.

If you are considering selling your business, it is important to dedicate some thought to the type of sale that best allows you achieve your goals. Do you believe a full sale where you walk away from the company after closing is best for you?  Are you the type of person who would work well with a strategic partner that, together, will allow for accelerated company growth?  Is there an amount of time you would like to continue working after the transaction with a plan to slowly exit over time?  Determining the type of sale that appears the most attractive (I only say ‘appears’ because many owners change their mind after learning what the market has to offer and will find a more attractive sale type than what was initially assumed to be the ‘best’) will also allow you to gain an understanding for the most likely type of buyer.

When selling your business, buyers typically fall into two main categories: strategic buyers and financial buyers. The best type of buyer for your business depends on personal goals you hope to achieve from the sale.

Strategic Buyer:

This type of buyer is more likely to pay a premium for a business because their reason for the acquisition is to add to their already existing business. A strategic buyer can be a competitor, supplier or vendor in the same industry.  A strategic buyer can also be a focused on businesses of similar model that service the same sector.  These attributes are commonly referred to as vertical and horizontal markets, respectively.  Using what your company has to offer can help them either expand their footprint or break into a new market.

They are looking for synergies in a prospective merger or acquisition. Synergies are characteristics of the two companies that compliment each other, so that when they are put together, the sum equals more than the two parts individually. In other words, a strategic buyer wants to have a relationship that makes the resulting business more valuable than the two businesses when they stand on their own.

Finding a strategic buyer to work with your business will give you more options in a sale. You can decide to stay on with your business for a transition period, while the new company takes over and for an integration period, eventually allowing you to exit completely, or you can negotiate your continued role in the business as a key player in its continued development.

A strategic buyer can often outbid a financial buyer because of the synergistic relationship they are looking to create in your business. Your businesses together yield increased value, sometimes exponentially, in one way or another.

Financial Buyer:

A financial buyer is looking to invest capital to get a return on their investment. Basically, they want to buy your business outright, make profits from it, and then sell it again to create liquidity. For this reason, a financial buyer is not typically willing to invest the same amount of capital they can invest into your business because they are not adding your business to an already existing company of theirs. Instead, they are buying your company as a whole and working with what you have in place already.

A financial buyer doesn’t have the ability to cut on backend costs that a strategic buyer does. They will need to buy a company with a good working structure and management team in place, since they may not be bringing a team of their own to take over all areas of the business. This allows owners to stay involved with their business to help it grow until the financial buyer decides it’s time to sell again.

The benefit to using a financial buyer is knowing that there is a high growth model in place for your business, and you will most likely play a role in its realized potential before it is sold again. This is a great option for a business owner who is looking for an eventual complete exit from his business.

Choosing the Best Fit

Now, there are some exceptions and looking at different buyers from a less seasoned perspective can make it difficult to understand exactly what type of buyer you are actually facing.  For example, a financial buyer may have a portfolio of business that compliments yours which can allow for a synergistic fit, thereby allowing you to enjoy some of the benefits a strategic buyer brings to the table.  It could also be that a financial buyer recognizes inefficiencies or ‘areas of improvement’ that will allow them to immediately increase the company’s profitability following an acquisition.  On the other hand, a strategic buyer may only want to buyer your business to eliminate a competitor and has no real intention of growing your business after the transaction takes place.  Simply put, they may just want to prevent your business from continuing to eat up market share whether that be by forcing the company to remain static or by closing the doors.When it comes to selling your business, it is important to consider all your options in a sale. You need to find a buyer that will bring what you are looking for to a sale. Selling your business for a high value is important, but is it worth compromising the culture of your business or your employees? You need to decide what is most important to you and let those values be driving factors in your decisions in a sale.

It is tough to find the best fit for your business on your own. That’s why using a sell side mergers and acquisitions firm like Benchmark International is essential. You will have someone on your side who can help you find the right buyer for your needs. You can also learn more about what you can negotiate in a sale and you can discuss what’s most important to you to make sure those needs are met in a sale.

If you are thinking of selling your business, Benchmark International is dedicated to helping business owners like you achieve what they are looking for in a sale.

Benchmark International is proud to be the Sponsors of the Florida Rush Girls 04. 

The Florida Rush Girls 04 have been selected to participate in the National League this year, which is an amazing achievement. This will involve the girls attending National events and competing against many of the top teams in the nation. 

To assist the team with the cost of participation, Benchmark International sponsored the team to help with the cost of participation. If you would like to also donate to help the team, you can visit their Go Fund Me page: https://www.gofundme.com/florida-rush-2004-girls

We wish the girls the best of luck in their 2018-2019 season!

Please show your support and follow the team on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FLRush04Girls
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/flrush04girls/
 

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the completion of a transaction between Logicalis South Africa (Pty) Ltd and the Clarotech group of companies including Clarotech Holdings (Pty) Ltd & Clarotech Consulting (Pty) Ltd. The deal was concluded by the transaction team based at the mid-market M&A corporate advisory’s African headquarters in Cape Town, South Africa in August of 2018.

The Clarotech group of companies specialise in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) providing consulting, physical product and support services to businesses throughout Southern Africa. Operating since 2001, the company satisfies the need for advice, solutions and ongoing service. Clarotech’s aim is to simplify ICT by supplying relevant solutions of value through proven end-to-end methodology.

Logicalis is an international multi-skilled solution provider supplying digital enablement services. The business boasts a well-curated customer base where it advocates for some of the world’s leading technology companies including Cisco, HPE, IBM, CA Technologies, NetApp, Microsoft, Oracle, VMware and ServiceNow. The Logicalis Group has annualised revenues of over $1.5 billion, from operations in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Africa. It is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with revenues of over $4 billion.

The similarities in business strategy, culture and ethos between the two companies have made this acquisition a “natural fit”, says Colin Fair, Managing Director and owner of Clarotech. “For the past few years, the management team has been looking for a company who could be a partner for us, one that would allow us to create something special from the marriage. We have been seeking a 1+1=4 scenario that would benefit our customers and our staff. This is what Clarotech has found in Logicalis.”

Commenting on this, Andre Bresler of Benchmark Corporate South Africa said: “This transaction affirms many analysts’ predictions of a positive climate for M&A in the TMT sector for 2018. Whilst there was defined interest from both up and down the supply chain in this acquisition, the strong cultural fit and clear synergies offered by the ultimate acquirer were evident from the outset. It has been a real privilege to have a hand in such an outstanding result for such outstanding clients.”

On behalf of everyone at Benchmark International, we would like to wish both parties every success for the future.

International M&A specialist, Benchmark International, has successfully negotiated the sale of Mosher Engineering, Inc. (“Mosher”) to C.T.I. Consultants, Inc. (“CTI”).

Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Mosher has been operating as a privately-owned provider of geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing services since 2003. The company routinely engages with owners, developers, engineers, and contractors for various types of commercial, industrial, and residential projects. The company’s sole shareholder, Bill Mosher, boasts over 20 years of experience as an engineer, and previously worked as an executive officer and Principal Engineer at Law Engineering, Inc.

With a strong presence across the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, CTI is a full-service engineering consulting firm with its corporate headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, and branch offices at eight other locations. CTI was founded in 1984 and offers a wide range of services including geotechnical engineering and drilling, construction quality control, structural steel inspection, soils, concrete, and masonry testing and inspection, environmental consulting, quality assurance, roof consulting, core drilling services, and radiographic testing. With a staff of over 175 employees, CTI is able to ensure the smooth continuation of projects and avoid costly delays. The acquisition of Mosher represents an excellent addition to CTI’s growth strategy and further expands on its current North Carolina footprint.

“Benchmark International played an instrumental role in facilitating a successful acquisition,” said Mosher Engineering’s President and Owner, Bill Mosher. “From the beginning, the Benchmark team was diligent in identifying the perfect buyer for my business and brought multiple candidates to the table. Overall, CTI was the ideal fit from an acquirer standpoint and I’d like to extend a big thank you to Benchmark for the hard work and extraordinary effort that made this transaction a reality.“

Trevor Talkie, Senior Associate at Benchmark International, added, “It was a pleasure working with Bill Mosher both through the early stages of our marketing process and right through to the transaction closing. At the end of the day, Bill [Mosher] was able to exit his company on favorable terms and we’re thrilled by this successful outcome.” Director, Tyrus O’Neill, added, “Bill has built a tremendous business and we’re ecstatic to have brought his exit strategy goals to fruition. On behalf of Benchmark International, we wish both parties the best of luck moving forward.”

It is imperative that during an M&A transaction thorough due diligence is conducted, not least because it helps to establish the true value of a transaction.

Due diligence is a term applied to the work acquirers undertake after signing HoTs (Heads of Terms) and falls into three main categories: commercial due diligence, financial due diligence and legal due diligence. It is a review of the seller’s company and includes looking into areas such as potential risks and liabilities, the seller’s competition, middle management and employees, financial status, intellectual property, and assets.

It is not an easy task to conduct, so here are five tips on how to ease the process:

TIP ONE: IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO PREPARE

An acquirer will want to see an extensive list of documentation which can include copies of contracts with suppliers, intellectual property registration, computer systems and data protection, employment contracts and pensions, and much more.

It is wise to draw up a due diligence checklist anticipating what an acquirer will want to know – most will provide this when the time comes but a checklist early on ensures that these documents are prepared and up-to-date.

Being prepared with this information, before an exit is even on the cards, is important as it can help expedite the transaction and make the company look more attractive to potential acquirers – if information can be provided quickly, an acquirer will know the transaction is being taken seriously.

TIP TWO: USE A DATA ROOM

Bringing a business to success is an emotional journey from start to finish. Years are spent making sacrifices and taking tough decisions. So, as you get closer to retirement age, choosing to sell your business can be a bittersweet step to take. You raised your business like a child, and you have grown attached to it. How do you begin to make the decision to sell it?

First and foremost, you need to know your reasons for selling. Perhaps, you started your own business, so you could take control of your life and call the shots. Maybe, it was to provide a better life for you or your family. If you are reaching retirement age, then you have probably made a full circle and came back to those initial reasons. Those same motivators can be the drivers behind your ultimate decision to develop a strategy so that you can exit your company.

You love your business, but you love your family too. Perhaps you feel it’s come time to refocus your time and energy on your personal life. That’s okay, and you have several options at your disposal. Balancing work life and home life can be a challenge. Don’t let your obligations to your business keep you from fulfilling your goals at home.

If the decision to sell is on the table, there are a few paths you can take. A partial sale of your business is one option. This option is intriguing if you aren’t sure if you are ready to leave your business entirely. Bringing in a strategic buyer for your business that can begin working alongside you and help your business grow to its full potential will give you more time for your personal goals, while still allowing you to stay involved in your business. You can take on a less rigorous role without having to step down completely.

Strategic buyers are looking for a synergistic partnership that will allow them to either expand their footprint within a particular market, or one that will give them the chance to break into a new industry. Your business will add value to a strategic buyer’s plans , so they will want to see success in your company. This means your incentives will be aligned and if your company isn’t successful, neither is theirs.

Another option is a sale with an eventual complete exit. A complete sale does not have to happen immediately. You can slowly transition out of your business over time. This is a good option if you want to retire and leave your business completely, but care about your employees and the legacy you’ve left behind after you are gone.   

A buyer who buys your business out right is called a financial buyer. Your business is an investment, and this buyer will need to have a management team in place, most likely your management team. If you want to make sure your business is going to be okay without you, it’s a good idea to transition with the business, so your employees can get acclimated to the changes as well.

Also, if your employees see your commitment and support to transitioning through the changes with them, it will help alleviate doubts they might be having about the sale themselves. When you decide to leave the business you love, you want to make sure you are leaving it in the right hands, and you want to make sure the employees who helped you build it are in good hands as well.

One thing you definitely should not do is tackle a sale on your own. If you are vested in focusing on selling your business and neglect your daily responsibilities within the business itself, you can potentially harm your business because your focus has shifted. Successfully completing a sale takes a great deal of time and understanding of the mergers and acquisitions transaction process. Patience is a virtue, and selling your business will take a little time, but with the right team in place, you can get maximum value for your company.

Benchmark International has been engaged as the exclusive sell-side broker for international companies across all industries. However, in this PDF, we are showcasing our Featured US Opportunities.

If you find the teasers you would like to see, please contact Garrett Spek at Spek@BenchmarkCorporate.com or call 813-898-2373 and provide the six digit 
alphanumeric code.

All of these clients have retained Benchmark International as their exclusive broker and we are not co-brokering any of them so if you have seen them elsewhere, we are the source. That said, we appreciate your passing this list on to any and all serious buyers you may know of.

Featured US Opportunities PDF

Benchmark sells over 100 businesses every year, many involving cross-border deals. If you have specific acquisition interests, please email your criteria to acquirerupdate@benchmarkcorporate.com.  You can also let us know if you would like to sign up to receive future opportunity marketing emails.

Beyond this list, we also have EmbraceBenchmark.com, which showcases a complete listing of our US opportunities.

Looking to Aquire an Exclusive Opportunity in the Americas?
Contact Kendall Stafford at Stafford@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Looking to Acquire an Exclusive Opportunity in Europe?
Contact Bhavina Halai at Halai@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Looking to Acquire an Exclusive Opportunity in Africa?
Contact Andre Bresler at Bresler@BenchmarkCorporate.com 

Cape Town has ranked in the top 31 opportunity cities, placing sixth out of 13 middle-income cities and as Africa’s number one opportunity city, according to a report by PwC.

A study by Private Equity Info has identified the top 10 industries that private equity firms have been acquiring during 2018. Below is a breakdown of the industries along with why they have been so popular with private equity firms.

If you joined us for part one of this webinar last month, you already understand why coming up with the valuation is only one of many key deal points you will need to secure in order make your exit a success. In part two we will examine another six key issues, this time focusing in on those that come even later in the process; after deal fatigue has set in and you feel like you can’t possibly have anything left to fight about or give away.

1. Winning the net working capital fight
2. Your indemnification of the acquirer
3. How the disclosure schedules protect you
4. Can reps and warranties insurance assist you?
5. The inevitable non-competes
6. Meet the Grim Reaper of your sale process - Delays

Register and save your seat! 

If you missed part I, the video can be found here and I encourage you to take an hour to get caught up to ensure you get the most out of part II this month.

Date & Time: 
August 30th, 2018
10:00 am EST

Host:
Clinton Johnston
Managing Director
Benchmark International

WE ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE. 

Call Benchmark International today if you are interested in an exit or growth strategy or if you are interested in acquiring.

Americas: Sam Smoot at +1 (813) 898 2350 / Smoot@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Europe: Carl Settle at +44 (0)161 359 4400 / Settle@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Africa: Anthony McCardle at +2721 300 2055 / McCardle@BenchmarkCorporate.com

ABOUT BENCHMARK INTERNATIONAL

Benchmark International’s global offices provide business owners in the middle market and lower middle market with creative, value-maximizing solutions for growing and exiting their businesses. To date, Benchmark International has handled engagements in excess of $5B across 30 industries worldwide. With decades of global M&A experience, Benchmark International’s deal teams, working from 13 offices across the world, have assisted hundreds of owners with achieving their personal objectives and ensuring the continued growth of their businesses.

Website: http://www.benchmarkcorporate.com
Blog: http://blog.benchmarkcorporate.com/ 

A new study concerning M&A activity in the first half of 2018 by William Fry in collaboration with Mergermarket has shown that 76 M&A deals were undertaken with a combined value of nearly €71bn.

Contributing to the success is Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical’s proposed takeover of Irish headquartered Shire Pharmaceuticals for €67.1bn – the largest ever foreign takeover by a Japanese company.

While megadeals are certainly encouraging, Irish M&A has not just boosted its deal value with one-off transactions such as the proposed Takeda/Shire deal. The number of deals conducted has remained fairly stable since H1 2017’s review, with 80 transactions recorded compared to this year’s 76.

Benchmark International has been engaged as the exclusive sell-side broker for international companies across all industries. Please take a moment to review the Featured International Opportunities PDF.

If you find the teasers you would like to see, please contact Anthony Sourour at Sourour@BenchmarkCorporate.com or +1 813 898 2391 and provide the six digit
alphanumeric code.

All of these clients have retained Benchmark International as their exclusive broker and we are not co-brokering any of them so if you have seen them elsewhere, we are the source. That said, we appreciate your passing this list on to any and all serious buyers you may know of.

Featured International Opportunities PDF

Benchmark sells over 100 businesses every year, many involving cross-border deals. If you have specific acquisition interests, please email your criteria to acquirerupdate@benchmarkcorporate.com.  You can also let us know if you would like to sign up to receive future opportunity marketing emails.

Beyond this list, we also have EmbraceBenchmark.com, which showcases a complete listing of our US opportunities.

Looking to Aquire an Exclusive Opportunity in the Americas?
Contact Kendall Stafford at Stafford@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Looking to Acquire an Exclusive Opportunity in Europe?
Contact Bhavina Halai at Halai@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Looking to Acquire an Exclusive Opportunity in Africa?
Contact Andre Bresler at Bresler@BenchmarkCorporate.com 

M&A is playing an increasingly important role in the changing landscape of the healthcare industry with a growth in these types of transactions globally.

In 2017, the value of M&A deals in the industry rose 27 per cent to $332 billion and the deal count increased 16 per cent.

The US has been particularly prevalent in this area, with a recent study by Mergermarket showing that there were 579 deals for healthcare targets in 2017, the second-highest on record.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce the sale of Warwickshire based manufacturer of riser doors, steel doors and access panels, Profab, to home security specialist, ERA.

Established in 2000, Profab provides to a B2B client base worldwide, with its products featuring in a number of prestigious buildings.

ERA, a division of Tyman Plc, is a specialist in the design and manufacture of window/door hardware and home security alarm systems. In 2017, Bilco UK Ltd, a provider of standard and bespoke roof access hatches, floor doors, ladders and smoke vents, and Howe Green Limited, a manufacturer of fabricated floor access covers, linear drainage, tree pit covers and bespoke metalwork, became a part of ERA, following the acquisition of Howe Green.

Benchmark International is proud to announce that our Chairman, Steven Keane, has won Chairman of the Year 2018 by Acquisition International. Congratulations Steven!!!

M&A Webinar: Now that the Valuation is Set, Here’s Where You will Win or Lose the Deal

Many sellers think they have reached the finish line once the buyer has been selected or perhaps when the letter of intent is executed. Even those who know they haven’t reached that line often believe all key elements of the transaction have been ironed out and all that remains is the “technical” part. To better understand many of the material issues that remain open after the letter of intent is executed, this webinar will walk participants through a wide array of those open issues. 

1. Stock versus asset deals, which is really better?
2. Tax elections = dirty words
3. Monetizing the real estate portion
4. Protecting yourself with employment and consulting agreements
5. Seller notes and earn outs – never say never
6. Escrows, who needs them?
7. Winning the net working capital fight
8. Your indemnification of the acquirer
9. How the disclosure schedules protect you
10. Can reps and warranties insurance assist you?
11. The inevitable non-competes
12. Meet the Grim Reaper of your sale process- Delays

You can also watch it here on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/282908864

Hosted By:
Clinton Johnston
Managing Director
Benchmark International

Benchmark International is delighted to announce the sale of a Rugby-based family bakery firm to Bridgwater Bros.

Founded in 1986 by John and Jacqueline Dwyer, John Dwyer Bakery produces, supplies and delivers one-off and batch baked goods to supermarkets, schools, universities and catering companies.

The acquisition increases Bridgwater Bros’ portfolio of companies to twelve and enables the buyer to focus on expanding on its existing food company, The UK Foodhall, a producer of quality British frozen food. In Bridgwater Bros and The UK Foodhall, Benchmark International sourced an acquirer that adhered to the same values and traditions that have made John Dwyer Bakery a success and all parties involved are looking forward to the future under new ownership.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce the sale of South Wales based VCUK Services and VCUK (trading as Vision Communications) to technology provider, Communicate Better.

The acquisition of telecommunications company, Vision Communications, will enhance its product portfolio of telephony, IT, and vehicle telematics, whilst it retains its brand, management and staff.

Statistics for H2 2018 have shown that the US is a hotspot for deal activity as it has been the recipient of increasing outbound investment, particularly within North West England as, according to Deloitte, nearly 40 per cent of the North West’s transactions involved a US company.

The US’ position as an attractive prospect for investment was highlighted by the A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index’s 2018 report, as it topped the table for FDI for the sixth consecutive year, as well as secured a higher score than the previous year.

As a business owner, you sacrifice a great deal of time and hard work to bring your business to success. As the business grows, your workload does too. You start in the front driving innovation and sales, then you end up in the shadows working on daily operational tasks, often obligatory, just to keep things afloat. You know you’re needed to keep the business running, but you want to make sure it continues to operate efficiently if you aren’t around.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the acquisition of American Precision Fabricators to Alpine 4 Technologes, Ltd.

American Precision Fabricators Inc. is located out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and it is a steel-sheet manufacturing business. It provides assemblies and sub-assmeblies to original equipment manufacturers (OEM). The company supplies several industries with fabricated parts that it creates in-house. It offers several production capabilities with its state-of-the-art machinery. For over two decades, the company has been an industry leader for customers in the OEM markets.

Alpine 4 Technologies, Ltd. (ALPP) is a publicly traded enterprise with business-related endeavors in software, automotive technologies, electronics manufacturing, energy services and fabrication technologies, and industries that support those market segments. This acquisition was important for Alpine 4 Technologies to complete its industry platform strategy.

President of American Precision Fabricators, Andy Galbach, said “Pulling Alpine and APF together would not have happened without Benchmark International’s reach and knowledge of the market. As a first time seller, the team at Benchmark International guided me all the way, from preparing to go to market to the actual closing table. The team was always responsive and always willing to help when needed. I would recommend any seller to engage Benchmark International for the sale of their business.”

Benchmark International Senior Associate, Luis Vinals, shared his thoughts on this transaction: "The Austin, Texas team truly enjoyed working with Andy in preparing the business to market and managing buyer relationships," he said. " We were always conscious that time was of the essence in this deal, and we focused our efforts in finding the right buyer within our client’s time expectations.”

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the transaction between HiWAAY Information Services and 1stPoint Communications.

Since 1995 HiWAAY has provided hosting and email services, data center colocation, internet access and private network services to subscribers from its facilities in Alabama.

"The acquisition of HiWAAY’s assets builds on the success we have had with the acquisition of WebSite Source,” said Erik Levitt, 1stPoint’s CEO. “Access to retail subscribers is a very important part of our business plan. The HiWAAY name is well known in the local market and will provide us the building blocks that we need to service the marketplace in the southeastern United States, which we see as strategically important.”

1stPoint will continue to operate the HiWAAY facility in Homewood and will add the facility to its MPLS network, adding a number of private networking resources to HiWAAY’s existing products. The new services offered to HiWAAY clients will include 1stPoint’s line of collaboration tools, business texting, and more advanced hosting offerings including its virtual desktop environment. HiWAAY services, including email spam protection, will be added to other 1stPoint product offerings.

“This is a great outcome for the customers, employees, and the owners of HiWAAY,” said Jason Mohprasit, one of HiWAAY’s two owners. Mr. Mohprasit and Mr. Chris Campbell grew HiWAAY from 2010 to 2018, migrating the business from a dial-up and DSL provider into an advanced hosting provider. “We are very excited to see 1stPoint’s team take the business to the next level,” added Mr. Campbell.

Benchmark International represented HiWAAY in the transaction and was responsible for the introduction to 1stPoint.

“We are very pleased with the outcome of this transaction” said Robert West, Senior Associate at Benchmark. “The transaction went smoothly and we hope that we can work with Benchmark on future projects,” added Levitt. Benchmark provides growth and exit strategies to businesses interested in creating transformative events.

“We welcome the HiWAAY team and look forward to working with the clients and expanding our relationship with them,” added Kristen Vasicek, the Director of Marketing for 1stPoint, who was involved in the acquisition. “HiWAAY’s reputation as being an outstanding service provider with a nationwide capability but a local touch will help us continue to establish our New Way to Work strategy.”

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the acquisition of Urban Design Group PC to Dunaway Associates LP. Benchmark International worked hard to find a buyer that was a good cultural fit for the business and would allow each of the three principals achieve their personal goals.

Urban Design Group PC is a Texas-based professional firm that provides a full range of civil engineering, urban design, and surveying services to a diverse group of clientele in the Austin market. UDG has been "shaping the urban environment" since 1981. UDG brings 37 years of engineering experience to the Austin, Texas area, and this experience will be beneficial in the years to come through their new partnership.

A professional services company with over 60 years of delivering results and an expansive footprint in the state of Texas, Dunaway was an obvious choice for a buyer. Dunaway provides services including civil engineering, structural engineering, planning and landscape architecture, environmental and surveying. The acquisition of UDG will provide Dunaway with surveying and planning operations , two services the firm offered in its other offices but were missing in Austin.

Laura Toups of Urban Design Group stated “The Benchmark International Austin team brought invaluable results to this transaction for us. They put our personal and professional objectives at the front of their objectives in driving this deal through to the end. They presented us with a variety of potential buyers to fit our needs. In the end, they were able to provide a buyer that would culturally align with our vision. We would highly recommend the Benchmark International team of experts to anyone planning to successfully exit their business.”

Benchmark International’s Transaction Director, Luis Vinals, commented “Clients like John, June, and Laura, are a true pleasure to work with. Throughout the engagement, they were communicative, responsive, and most importantly, straight forward with their objectives. This allowed the team to have a clear mission and effectively execute a plan to bring a successful result. Having a client that is open to collaborating with our process is crucial to achieving success in the open market and our clients were very cooperative. Ultimately, the deal allowed each individual owner to meet their goals. This was a great result all around!”

Over the last few years the architecture and engineering industry has seen a marked increase in mergers and acquisitions activity. Since reemerging from the depths of the recession, the industry has been ripe with activity; with everything from the expansion of the ever growing reach of firms like DLR, Perkins & Will, and HOK, to the merging of small businesses to facilitate the retirement goals of local industry experts. Considering there is typically a few year lag between economic fluctuations and corresponding changes in M&A activity, as the bull market run is approaching nine years, this type of inorganic growth activity shows no signs of slowing down.

As an industry agnostic mergers and acquisition leader, Benchmark International is in touch with leaders from a variety of industries on a daily basis. We’ve seen significant movement from corporate development teams in a number of industries which are beginning to expand their services to grow not only their customer base, but also to gain additional wallet share of their existing clients. This type of cross pollination has occurred in interior design, surveying, construction, architecture, engineering, and technology. We currently are in the midst of closing a transaction which would allow a specialized electrical engineer which focuses on the commercial and healthcare markets to broaden their end market to include the hospitality sector, and their service offerings to include the upstream design, planning, and engineering components of a building’s IT infrastructure needs.

When the mention of selling your business comes up, you might feel a little uneasy about starting the discussion. Your business is your baby, and the thought of letting go can be overwhelming. The truth is; however, failing to plan is a plan to fail when it comes to your business exit strategy. You need to have an exit strategy in place for your business. Everyone thinks of their future, but they don’t always take active steps in the present to prepare for what they want tomorrow. There are many reasons why you should discuss when and how to exit your business. Here are eleven reasons to have the exit conversation now:

1) Anything can happen at any time – This is so true. We cannot anticipate what will happen unexpectedly. For this reason, you need to have an emergency exit plan in place. What will you do if you have something happen that requires you to step down from your business quickly?

2) Family obligations are taking more time from the business – Business owners run businesses and have families all the time, but depending on the size of your business and the size of your family, you may need to spend more time away from the business. If you don’t have a team in place that can run the business without you for a few days, exiting might be your best bet.

If obligations, such as an ill family member, or a lot of educational or extracurricular commitments for your children are taking from your time, you could experience a negative shift in the dynamic of your business. A strategic partner can help you free up some time for your family while still allowing you to take an active part in your business’s growth. This type of partnership doesn’t require an immediate exit from your business and allows you to discuss an end-goal for this exit strategy with the partner you join.

3) Personal health issues are pulling you away from the business – When your personal health is in decline, it can be difficult to continue running the business. A business owner doesn’t need the undue stress caused by juggling an illness and the company.

Furthermore, if you find your health declining, or the health of a close loved-one, your priorities might change. Your view on where your time needs to be spent might be more focused on your personal relationships versus constantly working on growing your business.

Again, spending your time away from the business will have a direct negative effect on your revenue and daily operations. This makes the goal of achieving maximum value more challenging. Therefore, having an exit plan is essential.

4) You don’t have anyone in place to take over the business – You’re a great leader, and you run your business like a well-oiled machine. However, what happens when you’re gone? You need to have a plan in place. If you find your children aren’t interested in taking over, or if you don’t have any children, or if you don’t have a manager in place to take over, you need to know what you will do when it’s time to leave your business behind.

Recent data from the Centre of Management Buy-Out (CMBOR) at Imperial College Business School, in association with Investec and Equistone Partners Europe, has shown that the number of small buy-out (sub-€10m enterprise value) private equity backed transactions have nearly doubled in the UK from H2 2017 to H1 2018, rising from 24 to 48 deals. Statistics also show that there has been strong growth in Europe, increasing by 26 per cent to 168 deals.

The north of England has also shown promising statistics in terms of deal value, increasing from £25m in H1 2017 to £28m in H1 2018.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the sale of Technical Resource Group to White Wolf Capital, LLC.

Technical Resource Group is a Texas-based IT Staffing firm that provides contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire placement services to technical professionals in a number of industries, including transportation, IT, food, financial, healthcare, and government.

White Wolf Capital, LLC is a private equity firm that began operations in late 2011 and is focused on making control-investments in leading middle market companies. It practices a solutions-oriented and flexible investment approach with experience in leverage buyouts, management buyouts and recapitalizations.

In reference to the transaction, Scott Clary, owner of Technical Resource Group, explained his experience with Benchmark International. “I never thought there would be such an aggressive market for my company. The Benchmark International team was very professional and knowledgeable throughout the entire process. Having an experienced M&A advisor, like Benchmark International, allowed us to solely focus on top-quality buyers in the market for our company” he said. “In addition, the Benchmark International team also ensured that any buyers they presented culturally aligned with the values my company stands by.”

Benchmark International Director, Luis Vinals, added “Having a client like Scott, a man who loves his business, is always a joy. Throughout the entire process, he was communicative and collaborative. With the Benchmark Team at his side, Scott was able to procure the deal he desired. Open communication allowed us to have strategic conversations that ultimately lead to a great deal for our client.”

There are a myriad of reasons why you might look to sell your company: retirement, further resources are required to grow, or it is an opportunistic time. Whatever the reason, this is likely to be the pinnacle of your career as the amount of time and money invested into your business will come to fruition when it sells, securing the future for you and your family.

But what happens after a sale? The business which you have invested years into, and the place where you spent the majority of your time, has passed on to somebody else. You may have made a tidy sum of money from the sale, which many people would be satisfied with as they may never have to work again and be able to live in the lap of luxury, but once the holiday of a lifetime has been taken, what then?

And what about how the company will thrive going forward? This is maybe something that you have grown from the beginning, and you want to see its continued success, as well as ensure the future of your employees who have been loyal to you.

At Benchmark International, we understand that there is life after the sale of a business and so structure a shareholder’s exit to suit both them, and the welfare of the company going forward.

The following are companies which Benchmark International has sold and structured the deal to allow for a successful life after a sale for both the shareholder(s) and the business.
ROC NORTHWEST

ROC Northwest had been established for nine years before the shareholders, Hilary and Glyn Waterhouse, decided to sell. They had built up a company which provided education, residential, and domiciliary care services to young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties, autism spectrum disorders, learning and physical disabilities, and those with challenging behaviour issues, from seven properties throughout the north west of the UK.

They had a vested interest in ensuring that the company was sold to the right acquirer, not just to ensure that the welfare of the young people in their care was maintained, but also to ensure that the staff that had been loyal to them remained in employment. As such, a large number of interested parties were presented to ROC Northwest and the shareholders were able to choose the acquirer which best fit their ideals. Commenting on the acquirer’s plans going forward, Glyn said:

“We actually sold the company to a firm called CareTech Holdings PLC. They wanted to keep our managers, they wanted to keep the staff, they wanted to keep the homes. In fact, they didn’t want to change anything about the business. It was very important because once you start a business from scratch, you want that business to succeed; you’ve got loyalty from your staff, and you want the staff to be in place and have their jobs, so it was very important that we found a buyer that followed that ethos and allowed us to continue the hard work that we were doing.”

The shareholders at ROC Northwest wished to sell the company as they were looking at other business opportunities and wanted to spend more time together as a family. As this was the case, Benchmark International negotiated a seven figure deal with the majority forming a cash payment on completion. Now, Hilary has been able to purchase an equine business and has a total of eleven horses, growing from two.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce that it has been named by SME News as ‘Best for Acquisition, Growth & Exit Strategies 2018’ in its UK Enterprise Awards.

Part of AI Global Media, the international provider of corporate news and information, SME News produces quarterly publications with the latest news, features and deals across the UK SME landscape.

The thought of selling your business has been on your mind for quite some time, and now you have made the decision to sell. The business is ready to go and you have been working with your advisor to bring in a suitable buyer. The offer comes in and you have signed a letter of intent. The process is in motion, and this is what you have been waiting for, but what about your employees? Your exit plan has been on your mind, but your employees probably haven’t given much thought to what will happen if and when you exit the business. You have a couple options when it comes to sharing the news of your business sale to your employees.

Share Nothing:

Some business owners opt to not share the decision to sell with their employees at all. This option can be viewed as inconsiderate, but it does alleviate the risk of a mass exodus from the company. There are pros and cons to any decision, but not telling your employees right away and keeping information for yourself allows you to keep them from undue stress.

It’s important to protect the integrity of the deal and the company. This means you need to keep details under wraps. If you spill the beans to your employees, there is no guarantee that the information will stay within your company, and it could be concerning for your client base if they catch a whiff of the pending sale.

This doesn’t mean you can’t put things in place to protect your employees through a transition, of course. You just need to pay attention to their needs and ask your advisor what your options are in a sale. If you choose this route, you need to be prepared to extinguish any rumors and answer employee questions the best you can if they notice any changes taking place.

Keep Them in the Loop:

Some owners think the best policy is to be transparent with employees from the outset. The decision to sell has been made, and you are exploring options. So, you want to inform your employees what’s going on. You can be up front with employees and let them know of your plans to sell and your desire to find the right buyer for the company who will instill the same values you hold as a business leader.

This will need to be handled delicately, so your employees will remain comfortable throughout the process. You will need to drive home the initiative that you are doing what is best for the company as a whole and selling the business doesn’t mean the end of the business but rather the growth of the business. It is important to keep the conversation positive, so your employees will get on board with your plans.

The M&A Advisor announced the winners of the Emerging Leaders Awards on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. The M&A Advisor, renowned globally for its recognition of leading M&A, financing and turnaround professionals, created this event to promote mentorship and professional development amongst the emerging business leaders. Luis Vinals was chosen from a pool of nominees by an independent judging panel of distinguished business leaders.

“The Annual M&A Advisor Emerging Leaders Awards was born as the 40 Under 40 Awards in the United States in 2010 to recognize and celebrate the achievements of young M&A, Financing and Turnaround professionals who had reached a significant level of success and made a notable contribution to their industry and community. With the expansion of the Emerging Leaders program to the United Kingdom, and Europe in 2016, the 2018 US award winners join a truly global network of outstanding young professionals,” said David Fergusson, President and Co-CEO of The M&A Advisor.

On Friday, September 14th, 2018 The M&A Advisor will host a black tie Awards Gala at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan to introduce the Emerging Leaders Award Winners to the business community and celebrate their achievements. The Awards Gala is a feature of the 2018 Emerging Leaders Summit – an exclusive event pairing current and past Emerging Leaders winners together with their peers and industry stalwarts.

Luis Vinals is a Transaction Director at Benchmark International. He leads a team of analysts to help achieve Benchmark International’s clients’ goals of growing or exiting their businesses. Luis has experience in many different industries including, importing/exporting, specialty manufacturing, business services, etc. Luis’s experience in international trade and banking provides a unique perspective to the various transactions that he leads.

Dry powder is currently a hot topic within the private equity industry because the levels of dry powder are at a record high since the financial crisis, with over $1T of committed capital available.

It is the term used for the amount of cash reserves or liquid assets used by an investor for investment purposes, but has not yet been deployed and there are a number of reasons why there is an excess. In part, there are surplus cash reserves as a result of the strength of fundraising – more cash risen, more cash reserves. However, this is a tale of two halves as private equity has not been spending as much in previous years – asset prices have been inflating and private equity firms are reluctant to pay a premium for these assets. In fact, there has been a year-on-year decrease in private equity funding from 2015 to 2017.

July 26th @ 10am EST

Register Now >> http://bit.ly/2Nvampu 

Many sellers think they have reached the finish line once the buyer has been selected or perhaps when the letter of intent is executed. Even those who know they haven’t reached that line often believe all key elements of the transaction have been ironed out and all that remains is the “technical” part. To better understand many of the material issues that remain open after the letter of intent is executed, this webinar will walk participants through a wide array of those
open issues. 

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the sale of Taylor Partnership to Newland Chase.

Taylor Partnership is an immigration law firm specialising in a niche market, preparing and submitting visa applications for students worldwide and managing Tier 4 licences awarded by the Home Office for prestigious, independent boarding schools in the UK that need to maintain compliancy in order to retain the licence.

Newland Chase, a wholly owned subsidiary of CIBT, is a global immigration company providing specialist immigration services worldwide. The group of companies provide best-in-class visa and work permit services for expats and businesses, from large multinational corporations to small and medium-sized companies and start-ups, in more than 180 countries around the world.

After an M&A deal has been concluded, it is unusual for the seller to depart a business immediately. Whether it is a short-term work out or a longer-term growth plan, invariably there will be is a period in which the buyer and seller will operate in partnership.

In all partnerships, be they personal or professional, the ability to achieve the outcomes and aspirations sought relies to some degree upon the compatibility of the individuals. Almost all studies on the essential components and attributes of successful partnerships, unsurprisingly, conclude that the dynamics of a partnership are determined by the same criteria as any relationship, namely, the personalities involved.

The reason for failed M&A transactions has been studied extensively by academics and professionals alike, but these studies contain little to no data comparing the success and failure rates of transactions concluded with the aid of a formal competitive M&A process and those without. However, common to almost all studies of failed M&A transactions, and often deep into the reports, are cursory references to cultural integrations, yet these are rarely addressed or understood during negotiations.

To truly understand whether the fundamentals for an effective and successful partnership exist in a new relationship is not simple, but it is an exercise that can be explored in the context of a process that exposes the business owner—the seller—to choice. It is a common misconception that the M&A processes only generate choices through the creation of price competition.