Diligently Striving for Great Outcomes

We enjoy working with business owners to unlock their value creation.

Diligently Striving for Great Outcomes

We enjoy working with business owners to unlock their value creation.

Helping Business Owners Get To Where They Want To Go 

Cherry Tree, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was founded in 1980 as a private equity/venture capital firm. After successfully managing four investment funds during the 1980s and 1990s, the firm expanded into investment banking in 1996, which has become its primary business line. The firm specializes in serving business owners, financial sponsors, and large corporations in their M&A transactions, funding efforts and other advisory roles.

The backgrounds of our Managing Directors and Associates includes extensive M&A transaction and financing experience as well as operating roles as CEOs and CFOs of growth companies. Our leadership team has held positions on over 80 boards of directors and through our previous management of four private equity/venture capital funds, we have developed a unique understanding of how Private Equity firms operate and make decisions. Our firm has advised on over $4 billion of M&A and financing transactions.

Community Involvement

The heart of any great business is its people and culture. At Cherry Tree, we encourage our employees to volunteer and/or contribute to worthy non-profit organizations that can make a difference in the community where they work and in the world in which we all live.
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The Next Chapter

40 YEARS AND STILL GROWING

A business partnership that lasts 40 years is remarkable. But a partnership that thrives throughout the 80s stock market boom and crash, a dot com bubble, a financial crisis, and a global pandemic? A partnership that grows and expands to include new members, new ideas, and new directions—while remaining true to its original principles? That’s unique. That’s Cherry Tree.

“The Next Chapter” Brochure >>

Why Choose Us

Our Philosophy

We are driven by the desire to “help business owners get where they want to go.” This means listening to their stated objectives, understanding their companies and then providing input on timing and likely outcomes. We are ready to assist owners in reviewing the important non-cash components of a transaction and previewing potential buyers. In our transactions we work to maximize valuation while paying close attention to satisfying key employees and important customers, and ensuring a good cultural fit.

Our Approach

We have a “Client-Centric” approach to developing successful transactions for business owners. If our clients do well, then we will too. We develop great outcomes by doing the following: (1) understanding our client’s business and transaction goals; (2) running a discipline M&A process; and (3) developing a competitive bidding scenario to ensure a closing that optimizes valuation and other important deal terms.

Industry Focus

Cherry Tree believes that Industry Focus is a key driver to successfully serving business owners. It allows us to quickly understand a client’s business, strategically position the company, create comprehensive buyer’s lists, and provide real-time, insightful input on valuations. Our Managing Directors have broad experience in the following four sectors: Education, Technology, Industrial, and Consumer.

Managing Director Expertise

Our Managing Directors have significant experience as M&A advisors, former CEOs and CFOs, and board members. Collectively, our leadership team has worked on hundreds of transactions over more than four decades. We are committed to Senior-level attention on all engagements, which ensures our clients always have an experienced advisor leading their transaction.

Jim Horn

Chairman and CEO, Packaging Incorporated

 

“The Cherry Tree team ran a really disciplined and professional process, creating a competitive situation that resulted in several strong options for our Board to consider. We were able to partner with a great buyer who is an excellent strategic fit with our company. The Cherry Tree team was always professional, available and fully engaged during the process, and they continually energized and supported our internal team to develop an exceptional end result for our shareholders, employees and customers.”
Mike Stilwell

Owner, Patriot Converting, Inc.

 

“The Cherry Tree team provided the advice and counsel we needed both before and during the sale process. They were involved every step of the way and were instrumental in us being prepared for the demands which come with selling your company. Their leadership and disciplined approach resulted in a great outcome for our family, employees and customers.”

Cherry Tree & Associates provides investment banking services through our FINRA-licensed broker dealer.

DISCLOSURES
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