Providing Seasoned and Trusted Advice

Sell-Side M&A • Buy-Side M&A • Advisory Services

Sell-Side M&A

Selling companies represents the majority of our transactions.

  • First, we need to understand the owner’s business and personal goals.
  • Then we help our clients address two key questions: who would buy the company and what would they pay.
  • We do this by preparing a list of targeted buyers and a comprehensive valuation analysis.
  • Going to market requires a disciplined process that is designed to uncover and generate interest from multiple buyers.
  • We work with our client’s leadership team to sharpen their presentation skills and address key value drivers.
  • Our process is designed to create a competitive environment of multiple potential buyers that provides the client with high probability of getting a maximum valuation and excellent terms.
  • Finally, we coordinate due diligence efforts and lead the process of negotiating a final purchase agreement, with significant involvement from the client and legal counsel.

Buy-Side M&A

We help larger corporations execute their acquisition plans.

  • We act as advisors to corporate development and M&A teams.
  • We prefer long-term relationships with companies that have a clearly defined need and desire to do acquisitions.
  • Our longest engagement has spanned 17 years resulting in 19 acquisitions.
  • We are experts at creating and assessing a potential group of targets that meet our client’s objectives.
  • Our team helps construct a sophisticated financial model that incorporates purchase price estimates, synergies, expected growth rates and profit margins to provide return scenarios and accretive/dilutive metrics.
  • We assist in negotiations and often act as our client’s main interface with the target companies and/or their investment bankers.

Advisory Services

Developing a path to liquidity.

  • We like to meet business owners when they are just beginning to consider their liquidity options and can provide important valuation metrics that are specific to their industry.
  • Our “Liquidity Steps” report is a helpful primer for owners to understand the steps to successful exits.
  • Our involvement ranges from informal meetings over several years to more structured engagements when a transaction is more imminent.

David M. Melina

LMRC Management & Consulting

 

“In 30 years of managing transactions, I’ve not seen the equal of the Cherry Tree team. Quick and thorough analysis, always responsive, incredibly polite and respectful, and driven by the goal of closing the transaction. Bravo! I hope to be a part of other transactions with this incredibly competent and engaged team of investment professionals!”

Michelle Wolter

VP of Sales and Marketing, Bailiwick

 

On Bailiwick’s partnership with Norwest Equity Partners. “Thank you, Cherry Tree, for seeing us for more than just what our books show. You saw that our Company is so much more than math, process and client lists.”

Cherry Tree’s Guiding Principles

Client Centric

Relationships are Everything
With both our existing and prospective clients, we tailor our services to keep their interests front and center at all times.

Industry Focused

Understanding the Client's Business
Our depth of industry expertise results in rapid and valuable feedback to clients and an awareness of the most likely buyers.

Senior Level Attention

Every Transaction has an Executive Lead
Seasoned Managing Directors interface directly with you and actively lead all aspects of the M&A process.

Industry Focus

EDUCATION

    • Pre-K thru 12
    • Postsecondary
    • Corporate/Training
    • Direct-to-Consumer

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TECHNOLOGY

    • IT Services
    • Technology Enabled Business Services
    • Software/SaaS
    • Information & Infrastructure Services

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INDUSTRIAL

    • Manufacturing
    • Distribution
    • Industrial Services
    • Building Products & Materials

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CONSUMER

    • Consumer Products and Services
    • Food and Beverage Products
    • Direct-to-Consumer
    • Retail

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

DISCLOSURES
FINRA
SIPC