Deal by Deal: A Private Equity Podcast

When’s the best time to engage a debt advisor? “Earlier is better,” says Parm Atwal, managing director at Configure Partners, a credit-oriented investment bank. In this conversation with host Greg Hawver, Parm breaks down the life cycle of debt financing based on a hypothetical independent sponsor or private equity fund under LOI with a manufacturing company. Tune in as he shares how Configure strategizes with its clients and what ...

The scenario is this: an independent sponsor is acquiring a manufacturing company for $50 million. Andrew Skowronski, an executive compensation partner at McGuireWoods, outlines the lifecycle of this hypothetical transaction with host Greg Hawver. Guided by assumptions such as a meaningful rollover and a CEO that the buyer likes, Andrew covers practical negotiation strategies, structural considerations between C-corps and LLCs, and...

If compound interest is the Eighth Wonder of the World (according to Warren Buffet), then multiple re-rating is the Ninth, according to the folks at Altaline Capital Management. Rafael Telahun, managing director of the private equity firm’s technology sector, breaks down how Altaline helps service companies transform themselves into technology-enabled assets, capturing multiple re-rating along the way. In this conversation with hos...

Eight years after Ariez Dustoor and his partner launched the investment firm NB Group, Ariez has observed a growing sophistication among independent sponsors. With host Greg Hawver, Ariez discusses why the independent sponsor model offers superior flexibility and opportunity in the ever-changing M&A landscape, including some observations on future use cases for AI applications for market research.

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"When you're doing a sale leaseback transaction, you're not really selling the bricks and the sticks. You're selling a cashflow stream that's backed by a good company," explains Luke Timmis of Signature Associates in this discussion with host Greg Hawver and his McGuireWoods’ colleague Phil Coover. Luke shares how sale leasebacks typically generate a 25-50% premium above appraised property value—unlocking significant capital for pr...

“In terms of the big three numbers – employment, inflation, and GDP growth – our baseline forecast is optimistic,” says Matt Wolf of RSM in this economic outlook discussion with host Greg Hawver. Matt points to a 4.2% unemployment rate, two-and-a-half point inflation, and 2.5% GDP growth. But he also observes that the uncertainty of tariffs is creating “paralysis” among operators and some investors. “There's just too many variables...

Host Greg Hawver interviews Chris Larson of Monroe Capital and Jeff Magny of Lincoln Road Global Management about their buy-and-build strategy in the commercial landscaping industry. Chris and Jeff describe how they work together to finance and execute these acquisitions, the key attributes they look for in a successful buy-and-build strategy, and their outlook for the independent sponsor market in the coming years.

Connect and ...

Grant Kornman, a partner at Align Collaborate, joins hosts Jeff Brooker and Jason Griffith for a primer on tiered carry structures and catch-ups in the private equity market. Grant shares insights about negotiating economics and governance terms, emphasizing the importance of aligning incentives and being a good steward of capital. He highlights the significance of valuations in determining hurdles and sharing percentages, as well ...

Host Greg Hawver welcomes his McGuireWoods colleague Mark Freedlander, head of the firm’s Restructuring & Insolvency Practice Group, and Robert Orr, principal at Sandton Capital Partners, to discuss their recent restructuring of a distressed healthcare business. The team took out the existing senior secured lender and allowed an out-of-court restructuring of the business and its capital structure. As Robert explains, they recog...

Hosts Greg Hawver, Jeff Brooker, and Jason Griffith present the 2024 Independent Sponsor Deal Survey, a treasure trove of data compiled from more than 300 transactions by independent sponsors and capital partners. “One of the things that’s really changing in independent sponsor transactions is that the professionalism, the backgrounds of the folks, and the credentials just become better and better every year,” Jeff observes. “And t...

Recording live from the Independent Sponsor Conference in Dallas, host Jason Griffith invites Oliver Patten and Parker Shields of Sherburne Partners to discuss their experience buying a packaging company. Oliver and Parker cover a range of topics, from stepping in as independent sponsors to building relationships to asking the management team “stupid” – but also thought-provoking - questions that they may not have considered for ye...

Mike Palm of Charter Capital Partners discusses governance and seller rollover in independent sponsor deals with hosts Greg Hawver and Jason Griffith. Their conversation covers the importance of building trust and relationships with sponsors, aligning interests through rollover equity, and navigating board dynamics. Mike emphasizes the need for founder alignment, proactive communication, and trust in dealing with challenges such as...

On this cross-over episode of Deal by Deal and The Corner Series, McGuireWoods’ partners Greg Hawver and Geoff Cockrell welcome labor and employment partner Meghaan Madriz to discuss recent headlines regarding the FTC’s proposed ban and the broader legal landscape for non-competes.

Tune in as Meghaan breaks down the evolving enforceability of restrictive covenants, including non-competes tied to employment agreements, sales of busin...

On this episode of Deal by Deal, co-hosts Jason Griffith and Trey Andrews welcome Jonny Miller and Mario Burstein of Platt Park Capital Partners to discuss their emergence into independent sponsorship.

Tune in as Jonny and Mario discuss how Platt Park came to be, how they secured their first deal, and how they can apply what they learned in their first deal to future deals. Jonny and Mario talk about managing seller expectations, fo...

Recently, the M&A market has cooled since it burned red-hot in the aftermath of Covid. What impact has the slowdown in M&A activity had on insurance products related to mergers and acquisitions?

On this episode of Deal-by-Deal, host Greg Hawver is joined by Matt Heinz of Lockton to discuss developments in M&A insurance products. Specifically, Matt talks about why it’s actually a good time to be a buyer of rep and warrant...

On this episode of Deal-by-Deal, host Greg Hawver is joined by John Huhn, Managing Partner at the Compass Group. Tune in as Greg and John discuss lessons learned during the Compass Group’s successful independent sponsor investing phase.  John also provides key insights for those PE investors seeking to raise a committed fund in the current environment.

Meet Your Guest 

Name: John Huhn

Company: Compass Group

Conn...

On this episode of Deal-by-Deal, host Greg Hawver is joined by Darren O'Brien, Managing Director of Campbell Lutyens, the largest independent private capital advisory firm. 

Tune in as Greg and Darren discuss the hot topic of secondary transactions, a growing niche area. Starting with a high-level introduction to secondary transactions and the secondary market, Darren covers the distinction between LP-led and GP-led secondaries...

On this episode of Deal-by-Deal, host Greg Hawver is joined by investment banker Derek Zacarias from DAK. Together, they explore what the next 12 months may hold for M&A relating to founder-owned businesses, private equity-backed transactions and the broader middle market. This engaging discussion explores the macroeconomic trends as well as more intricate strategies and emerging themes anticipated to play a pivotal role in the...

In this episode of Deal-by-Deal, host Greg Hawver talks to fellow McGuireWoods partner Holden Brooks about antitrust considerations for private equity investors in the middle market (and, interestingly, the lower middle market).

They begin by discussing the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, which requires pre-close filings for deals valued above $111.4 million that also meet certain other criteria — and note that some add-on strategies and oth...