Cadence M&A Advisors

Securing the maximum valuation for their business is among the primary objectives of owners when pursuing the sale of their company. For family-owned and small and midsize businesses (SMB), however, the focus often extends beyond just financial returns.

Owners invest significant time, effort, and resources in building their companies from the ground up and want to ensure that their legacy is preserved. These owners look for buyers with the same vision to drive their business forward while still valuing the culture and relationships they have nurtured over many years.

Cadence M&A Advisors is a leading investment banking firm with a track record of successfully executing complex M&A transactions. It guides privately-held, family-owned, and entrepreneur-led businesses across industries, including consumer products and retail, tech and software, industrial products and services, distribution, business services, energy, engineered products, and healthcare, in driving optimal outcomes from their transactions.

“We combine unbiased advice with tailored and sophisticated transaction execution to create exceptional outcomes for clients,” says Brian Glass, co-founder and managing partner.

Cadence believes that M&A transactions do not conform to a one-size-fits-all model. Every owner has different requirements and expectations.

Cadence understands this dynamic and utilizes its seasoned team of professionals to conduct in-depth analyses of a client’s company. This discipline allows them to understand their client’s historical value drivers, the owner’s individual family situation and transactional goals, and to lay out the unique value proposition for key buyers.

Based on these insights, Cadence crafts a tailored bidder list and conducts a thorough market analysis for prospective buyers. With over fifty years of experience, the Cadence team has an in-depth understanding of the buyer’s perspective. The team leverages this knowledge to advocate on behalf of owners and negotiate favorable terms that align with their strategic objectives.

Due diligence and meticulous attention to detail help it identify potential risks and opportunities early on, allowing clients to make informed decisions for maximizing value.

“Our ability to secure the highest price and most favorable exit conditions for clients has earned us a reputation as a trusted advisor in the middle market M&A space,” says David Bowman, co-founder and managing partner.

It employs different strategies to highlight the value of a business, including marketing campaigns that help clients convey their compelling brand story. This helps broaden their outreach to numerous prospective buyers, including private equity firms and strategic buyers—both domestic and international.

Its team of experts is well-versed in the intricacies of M&A transactions, including deal structures, valuation, and negotiation, and ensures a smooth transition by managing all tasks. Buyers often take two to three months to conduct their due diligence before signing the deal. Meanwhile, Cadence supports owners in preparing files and performing detailed analyses. Using a virtual data room, it reviews the complex legal files, presents the materials to the buyer, and negotiates conditions on behalf of the clients.

In one instance, a client, who was unhappy with an unsolicited offer, approached Cadence to get a higher valuation. The team reviewed the data and determined that the offer made by the buyer was based on the company’s prior financial condition and did not factor in current growth milestones or compelling new growth initiatives. Cadence prepared a counteroffer reflecting these updates, expanded the outreach to other logical acquirers and ensured that its client received revised offers that were well over 100 percent higher than the initial unsolicited offer.

Cadence has a proven track record of securing the best transaction outcomes for many business owners, thanks to its exceptional leadership team and their more than fifty years of collective experience and deep expertise in the M&A landscape.