Case Study: M & A

Fast-growing facility services conglomerate sought an acquisition in the commercial roofing sector and wanted an M&A advisor to ensure a smooth process and keep relationships healthy between the parties.

Challenge

A $180M diversified facility services firm had an aggressive growth strategy: the firm sought to acquire a new business within six months. Pursant was engaged to identify acquisition targets in the roofing industry—a targeted area of growth—and lead the client through the acquisition process.

Solution

Pursant quickly narrowed the pool of potential deals to several promising parties, and moved to the negotiation phase with the company with the best strategic and financial fit. During negotiation, Pursant helped intermediate and diffuse challenging discussions between parties that might have derailed the deal or irreparably damaged the relationship had they been conducted directly.  By removing stress, smoothing over emotions and ensuring clear communication, Pursant enabled the buyer and seller to reach a mutually beneficial agreement and close the deal in an accelerated fashion.

Insights

Many M&A firms can help execute transactions, but most miss the importance of the softer side of the deal. Typically, merger discussions start out cordial and then there is relationship erosion: the seller becomes emotional; the buyer becomes suspect. Pursant knows that buyer and seller will need each other post close, so it is imperative that we keep those relationships healthy.