Blue River Announces Record Number Of Closed Deals in 2022

January 12, 2022 – Blue River Financial Group announced a record-breaking year in 2022 dealmaking activity. The company experienced dynamic growth in 2022, and nearly doubled the number of closed transactions from the previous year. Blue River closed 26 deals across various sectors such as Distribution, Business Services, Manufacturing, Software, Technology & Engineering.

For the buy-side, 2022 marked a new standard of productivity. Despite a changing M&A landscape, Blue River clients demonstrated steadfast commitment to achieving acquisitive goals.

Sara Clevenger, Blue River Principal and Buy-Side Practice Leader, stated, “Acquisitive appetites remain strong across a multitude of industries, and the use of M&A as a lever for growth remains forefront in our clients’ strategic initiatives. We were thrilled to launch multiple add-on strategies for some of our longest-standing PE clients, alongside new platform searches for some of the most reputable sponsors in middle market Private Equity.”

The buy-side division launched add-on strategies for several corporate acquirers, assisting their teams in devising a hardened and systematic approach for acquisitive success well into the future.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the success achieved across our buy-side team in driving repeated, consistent results in the form of strategic and actionable transaction opportunities,” Sara said.

The sell-side guided middle-market business owners prepared to take advantage of 2022’s historic premiums.

Thomas Hagan, Managing Director and Sell-Side Practice Leader, stated, “We were excited to close deals in technology and software, ecommerce, business services, and distribution. For many of our clients, these transactions are the culmination of a lifetime’s work and represent a significant portion of their net worth. We are excited about the prospects for 2023. “

To support the company’s growth, Blue River made nine additions to the team in 2022. The Sell-Side division welcomed Thomas Hagan and Jack Zollinger. The Buy-Side division welcomed David Lipman, Stephanie Studt, Nicole Levy and Stephen Pucek. Blue River also hired Maryann Hagan in Accounting and HR; Jennifer Guzman in Research; and Taaron Sundby in the Alternative Opportunities Division (AOD).

The company was also pleased to promote several people who demonstrated exceptional leadership skills. Christopher Caron and Rich Phillips have both been promoted to Managing Director and Buy-Side Segment Leader in 2022. Additionally, Josh Baran was promoted to Director of Research; Kyle Rutz was promoted to Director; Evan Haigh was promoted to Vice President and Daniel Sundby was promoted to AOD Leader.

“Doubling the deal volume of the firm is no small feat, and certainly couldn’t be accomplished without many in the organization stepping up and performing above and beyond expectations. Last year’s promotions reflect this truth. Additionally, doubling in size required increasing the professional staff to insure we continue to provide the highest quality service to our clients. We feel incredibly fortunate to have so many talented individuals join the team. They ramped up quickly and provided immediate impact to the organization and our clients.” said Bryan Berent, Managing Partner.

2022 was also a year of notable recognition. M&A Source named Blue River the Top M&A Firm of the Year in the 10+ person-firm category for achieving the highest total enterprise value of completed deals in 2021. In addition, it named Blue River’s co-founder, William Loftis, Advisor of the Year and Platinum Club Award recipient for transactions totaling more than $15M. UK-based Global Advisory Experts (GAE) also honored Blue River as the Middle Market M&A Advisory Firm of the Year in Michigan, US for its outstanding performance in 2021.

William (Bill) Loftis, Managing Partner, noted, “Five essentials drive Blue River’s success: 1) outstanding clients, 2) the right team, 3) cultural passion to gain and share knowledge, 4) embedded commitment to excellence, and 5) unwavering ethical standards. When shaken together and pressed down, the mixture produces superior outcomes for buyers and sellers of privately held businesses. We experience no greater honor than when professional acquirers and business owners entrust their transactional needs to our care. “

January 2023 marks Blue River Financial Group’s twentieth anniversary.

“On a personal level, Blue River’s growth continually humbles me. My partner and I planted a vision over 20 years ago and it grew into a mighty tree thanks to the people who made it happen. To paraphrase the psalmist, ‘Blue River is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.’ The Lord’s blessing has certainly been upon us,” Bill said.

About Blue River

Blue River Financial Group is a middle-market investment banking and M&A advisory firm headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. With over 20 years of experience across 50 global industries, Blue River has become one of the nation’s premier providers of buy-side, sell-side, and valuation services. It assists public corporations, private equity groups, and other institutional acquirers in deal-sourcing, negotiating, and closing transactions, and guides business owners through the selling process.

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