M&A Advisor Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Brent Baxter, CEO of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), to break down what’s really happening in the middle market M&A landscape.

From rising deal flow and extended private equity hold periods to the growing role of AI in value creation, Brent shares insider insights backed by decades of experience and data from across the dealmaking ecosystem.

We explore why 2026 is shaping up to be a “swell” year for M&A activity, what’s driving renewed momentum, and how investors, operators, and advisors can position themselves for what’s next.

Whether you're an investment banker, private equity professional, or aspiring dealmaker, this episode delivers practical insights on navigating today’s evolving market.

Guest: Brent Baxter
Title: CEO, Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)

• Why 2026 could see a surge in middle market deal activity
• The impact of rising private equity hold periods (4 → 6 years)
• How interest rates and macro uncertainty delayed exits
• Record levels of capital (“dry powder”) driving future deals
• The role of AI in accelerating value creation—not replacing dealmakers
• Sector trends: manufacturing slowdown and recovery signals
• How relationships—not spreadsheets—drive real deals
• Inside DealMAX: 3,400 attendees and 20,000+ meetings
• The “stair-step” model of private equity exits
• Career advice for young professionals entering M&A

• Middle market leads job creation—and PE-backed firms outperform
• Investment banking pitch activity is rising sharply
• AI is becoming central to operational efficiency and valuation strategy
• More capital = more competition = more deal opportunities

• “Deals happen on relationships.”
• “2026 will be… swell.”
• “The one certainty is uncertainty.”

Closing a transaction in today's volatile market requires more than just a willing buyer and seller—it demands a relentless commitment to execution. In this episode, a panel of seasoned experts, including Tom Goldblatt, Derek Swanson, and Steven Nigro reveal the unvarnished truths of getting deals across the finish line.  

From managing "deal fatigue" and screaming sellers to building institutional-grade transaction committees, this session provides Founders and PE partners with a sober, evidence-based plan to protect value. Learn how to identify early red flags and systematize your process for high-stakes deal success. Visit maadvisor.com for more insights. 

#MAAdvisor #DealExecution #LowerMiddleMarket 

Show Notes 

• [00:01:00] Mastering the art of relentless M&A deal execution strategy.  

• [00:05:00] Identifying early warning signs and red flags in new engagements.  

• [00:06:00] Borrowing buy-side best practices via internal transaction committees.  

• [00:07:00] Using proactive client education to eliminate technical friction.  

• [00:08:00] Why certainty of close starts at the selection of the deal.  

• [00:13:00] Managing advisory risk with strategic high retainers on tough deals.  

• [00:15:00] Systematizing internal processes to empower junior deal team members.  

• [00:17:00] Maintaining flexibility on non-core points to preserve deal momentum.  

• [00:23:00] Overcoming due diligence hurdles when records are unorganized.  

• [00:30:00] Managing the buyer’s cadence during critical exclusivity periods.  

• [00:33:00] Navigating deal fatigue and the "eleventh-hour screaming seller" crisis.  

• [00:36:00] Using transparency to manage priorities and meeting commitments.  

• [00:39:00] Why human relationship building remains irreplaceable by AI in closing.  
   

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Before focusing solely on operational checkboxes and financial due diligence, dealmakers often found their integrations derailed by cultural friction and unforeseen crises; however, after adopting Shawn Whiteside and Corey Massella’s leadership-first framework, they can build the trust and resilience necessary to protect deal value and navigate any post-close storm. 

In this masterclass on leadership and resilience, Shawn Whiteside (retired military leader and cyber expert) and Corey Massella (Managing Director at UHY) break down why the "human element" is the ultimate deal-breaker in M&A. From Shawn’s harrowing stories of leading during Hurricane Harvey to Corey’s experience coaching CEOs through 14 years of firm ownership, they reveal the critical role of trust, communication, and rhythm in high-stakes transactions. 

What You’ll Learn: 

• How to build a "48-agency" level of trust before a crisis hits. 

• The difference between being "operationally ready" and "integration ready." 

• Why cyber risk is the most overlooked piece of post-close resilience. 

• The psychology of difficult conversations in the buyer-seller relationship. 

Connect with the Experts: 

• Shawn Whiteside: OneZero Solutions 

• Corey Massella: Managing Director, UHY Advisors 

Main Takeaways: 

• Trust is Not Optional: Trust must be established and nurtured before the deal reaches its highest stress point to ensure the team doesn't "go blank" under pressure. 

• Integration Over Operations: Checking the boxes of diligence is not enough; leadership must understand how the acquired company’s culture will mesh with their own. 

• Resilience & Rhythm: Leaders need to establish a cadence (rhythm) that allows teams to stay focused and resilient during the chaotic post-close period. 

Timestamps: 

• [00:01:45] – Meet the Experts: Shawn Whiteside’s military background and Corey Massella’s accounting and coaching journey. 

• [00:03:55] – The Hurricane Harvey Lesson: Why relationships must be established before the storm. 

• [00:05:30] – The Integration Gap: Why deals fail even when the "checklists" are finished. 

• [00:07:45] – Two-Way Communication: Aligning the drivers of your leadership team with the company's path to market. 

• [00:09:20] – The "Cop Speeding" Metaphor: Understanding how stress affects decision-making in M&A. 

• [00:11:15] – Charging Toward Conflict: How to handle difficult conversations with buyers and sellers. 

In a transaction environment defined by regulatory shifts and economic uncertainty, data-driven intelligence is the only path to certainty. Joe Mantone, U.S. Financial Institutions News Desk Manager at S&P Global Market Intelligence, delivers a sober, evidence-based assessment of the 2025 M&A landscape.  

This masterclass for Founders, PE partners, and corporate leaders reveals why total global deal value has surged 19% to its highest peak since 2022, even as transaction volume remains flat. Discover the strategic logic behind $10B+ "mega-deals," the trend of conglomerates like Honeywell and Kraft Heinz splitting into pure-play entities, and how Private Equity is deploying massive capital into large-cap targets. Protect your value and stay ahead of market headwinds at maadvisor.com.  

#MAAdvisor #DataIntelligence #MegaDeals 

Show Notes 

• [00:01:00] Leveraging S&P Global data to decipher 2025 M&A market trends. 

• [00:04:00] How high equity valuations and Fed rate cuts fueled early transaction hopes. 

• [00:05:00] Analyzing the "screeching halt" in deal momentum following tariff announcements.  

• [00:06:00] Global M&A total value reaches its highest point since 2022.  

• [00:07:00] The Value Gap: Why deal count is flat while total value rises 19%.  

• [00:08:00] The rise of $10B+ deals and the $88B Industrials sector breakout.  

• [00:10:00] Strategic Divestitures: Why Keurig Dr. Pepper and Honeywell are splitting up. 

• [00:11:00] Private Equity’s focus on large-cap deals to deploy record capital.  

• [00:19:00] Managing regulatory sidelines and the "snapback" in large-scale transactions.  

Subscribe to your definitive daily source for premium transaction news. https://maadvisor.com 

Connect with our global community of dealmaking professionals. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-m&a-advisor 

Follow the latest trends and stories from the industry’s influential figures. 

https://www.facebook.com/maadvisor  

Watch masterclass strategies and exclusive interviews on our official channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/Maadvisor

Founders and boutique owners often fear that selling to a global giant means losing the culture and quality that made them successful. In this episode, Chip Register, CEO of Arno, explains how his "super boutique" model uses a "do no harm" integration strategy to reach $1 billion in revenue.  

Learn how to use the "Four Cs" framework—Completeness, Connectedness, Claim, and Quality—to identify high-performing assets that thrive post-acquisition. Transform your M&A playbook by prioritizing talent retention and vision casting over rigid corporate mandates. Watch now to master the art of the "super boutique" at MAAdvisor.com. 

#MAAdvisor #SuperBoutique #DigitalTransformation 

Show Notes 

• [00:01:00] Intro to enterprise digital transformation  

• [00:03:00] Reaching $1B revenue through monthly deals  

• [00:05:00] Defining "Super Boutique" vs. legacy scale 

• [00:08:00] Boutique 80+ NPS vs. global consultancies 

• [00:09:00] The ash heap of failed service M&A 

• [00:10:00] Post-deal cooling in "Arno Next" platform 

• [00:11:00] Hippocratic Oath: "Do no harm" to culture 

• [00:13:00] 90% of employees didn't choose acquirer 

• [00:14:00] Four Cs: Completeness, Connectedness, Claim, Quality 

• [00:16:00] Buying high-performance, not "fixer-upper" firms 

• [00:17:00] Vision casting to protect founder legacy 

Subscribe to your definitive daily source for premium transaction news. https://maadvisor.com 

Connect with our global community of deal making professionals. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-m&a-advisor 

Follow the latest trends and stories from the industry’s influential figures. 

https://www.facebook.com/maadvisor  

Watch master class strategies and exclusive interviews on our official channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/Maadvis

Middle-market dealmakers now face aggressive 30-day sprints instead of 60-day windows. In this episode from the 2025 LID Summit, Dan Lee, Marc McCabe, Jeffrey Michelson, and Erika Highland reveal how to protect value under extreme time pressure. Learn how AI-driven Quality of Earnings (QofE) and Reps & Warranties insurance bridge the indemnity gap.  

Discover why independent sponsors are the new power players in private equity. Turn your diligence into a strategic weapon and close with certainty. Watch now and sharpen your edge at www.maadvisor.com  #MAAdvisor #MiddleMarketMA #DealExecution 

Show Notes 

• Gladstone’s record platform investments despite market volatility 

• The structural death of the 60-day deal window 

• Why sellers demand diligence completion in one week 

• Detecting revenue adjustments through rigorous QofE standards 

• R&W insurance: Bridging the indemnity gap for smaller deals 

• The professionalization of the independent sponsor asset class 

• Leveraging AI to slash QofE timelines to seven days 

• Integrating cyber diligence into core financial assessments 

• Portfolio-wide insurance strategies to boost EBITDA 

• Managing margins through AI-driven headcount reductions 

• Market outlook: Why 2026 will be a year of exits 

Subscribe to your daily transaction news. https://maadvisor.com  

Connect with our global community of dealmaking professionals. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-m&a-advisor  

Get the latest trends and stories from the industry https://www.facebook.com/maadvisor  

Watch masterclass strategies and exclusive interviews on our official channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/Maadvisor

Before achieving his greatest success, Ricardo Lacerda navigated the peak of global finance at Goldman Sachs and Citibank during historic world crises; however, after launching BR Partners in the wake of the 2009 financial collapse, he transformed from a corporate banker into the architect of Latin America’s leading independent investment bank.  

Ricardo Lacerda (Founder and CEO of BR Partners) joins Jack Butler to share a rare look behind the headlines of a lifetime achievement career. From a credit analyst in São Paulo to leading Latin American investment banking for global giants, Ricardo discusses the "village" required to build a firm and the critical role of resilience when the world’s financial markets are in turmoil. 

What You’ll Learn: 

• The essential role of mentorship in reaching the top of the M&A industry.  

• How global events like 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis dictate career pivots.  

• The psychology of moving from institutional safety to independent entrepreneurship. 

• Why "lifting others" is the primary responsibility of a dealmaking leader.  

Connect with the Expert: 

• Ricardo Lacerda: Founder and CEO, BR Partners 

#MAAdvisor #InvestmentBanking #BrazilMA 

Main Takeaways: 

• The Power of the Village: Success in high-stakes M&A is never a solo act; it requires a village of partners, mentors, and family support.  

• Crisis as a Catalyst: Major market disruptions are often the moments that force the most productive and necessary career shifts.  

• Mentorship Responsibility: Senior leaders have a duty to actively lift up emerging leaders in the industry. 

Timestamps: 

• [00:01:45] – The significance of honoring emerging leaders in the M&A industry. 

• [00:03:00] – Why leadership is about lifting others up and building a "village."  

• [00:04:00] – Ricardo’s early days in Brazil and his start at Chase Manhattan.  

• [00:07:00] – The impact of September 11th on his US-focused career trajectory. 

• [00:19:00] – Navigating hierarchy and cultural differences in Latin American markets. 

• [00:26:00] – The decision to leave Citibank to found BR Partners during a global crisis. 

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YouTube: Watch More Masterclasses

In this special keynote from the 2025 FOD Summit, moderator Roger Ado sits down with a distinguished group of industry icons: the original Thomas Farrell Memorial Award Honorees. Featuring Jacob Voorhees (2025 Winner), David Deutsch, Tony Caudle, Bobby Blumenfeld, and Ramsey Goodrich, this conversation moves beyond the balance sheet to the human side of dealmaking. 

Discover the "dairy farm ethics" that drove Jacob Voorhees to build a leading firm, and revisit David Deutsch’s visionary 1984 address at Columbia Business School. Learn why mentorship and a "relational" approach are the true drivers of a career that spans decades. 

#MAAdvisor #MandA #Leadership #BusinessEthics #ThomasFarrellAward

• The 2025 Honoree: Introducing Jacob Voorhees and the significance of the Thomas Farrell Memorial Award.

• Relational Bios: Why Jacob Voorhees leads with his personal story of being born on an Iowa dairy farm to "hippie nomad" parents.

• The Accidental Banker: How a pre-vet student became a "dairy farmer investment banker" for the world's largest milk companies.

• A Visionary Start: Roger Ado revisits David Deutsch’s 1984 Columbia Business School speech.

• The Ethics of Finance: Tony Caudle on balancing his role as a CEO with teaching business ethics as an adjunct professor.

• Industry Stalwarts: Bobby Blumenfeld and Ramsey Goodrich on the evolution of the M&A community.

M&A Alerts: Subscribe to your definitive daily source for premium transaction news. https://maadvisor.com

LinkedIn: Connect with our global community of dealmaking professionals. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-m&a-advisor

Facebook: Follow the latest trends and stories from the industry’s influential figures. https://www.facebook.com/maadvisor

Show NotesYouTube: Watch masterclass strategies and exclusive interviews on our official channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/Maadvisor

Is your deal team tracking the right metrics, or just the loudest ones? While financials tell part of the story, they often mask the "Inhomogeneous Structure" that devalues a target before the ink is dry. In this briefing, we deconstruct the operational roadmap required to bridge the gap between a "good" deal and a "great" one.

👉 Stay ahead of the next cycle. Subscribe to M&A Alerts for your definitive daily source of premium transaction news: https://maadvisor.com.

Executive Summary: Roger Aguinaldo sits down with Henning Bruns and Gizay Unal (Komoto Consulting), along with Behzad Mansouri (Charles Schwab), to reveal the "Signal" beneath the noise in manufacturing acquisitions. Learn why 20% return on sales can hide a crumbling operational foundation and how to stabilize targets through a "four-pillar" approach.

Technical Index (Shownotes):

• 0:00 – The M&A Advisor: Connecting the Dealmaking Elite 

• 02:45 – The Operational "Oddball": Why Financials Aren't Enough

• 05:15 – Inhomogeneous Structures: The Hidden Cost of Redundant IT 

• 08:30 – The Footprint Trap: Consolidation and Geographic Realities

• 11:45 – Automotive Supply Chain: Scaling and Harmonization Potential

• 14:20 – The People Problem: When Leadership is the Barrier to Growth

• 17:35 – Stabilization Pillars: Implementing "Lean" in Modern Manufacturing

• 21:10 – Final Outlook: Building a Forward-Looking Advisory Strategy 

Connect With Our Global Community: 

🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-m&a-advisor 

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maadvisor 

🔹 YouTube: Subscribe for Masterclass Strategies: https://www.youtube.com/user/Maadvisor

#MandA #OperationalExcellence #PrivateEquity #Manufacturing #MAAdvisor

Many investors find themselves caught between aggressive capital strategies and the slow friction of regulatory oversight. In this episode, Wilbur Ross—legendary restructuring expert and former US Secretary of Commerce—shares masterclass lessons from his memoir, Risks and Returns. Discover how to navigate the "speed gap" between private sector execution and government bureaucracy, and why mastering the "three buckets" of operations, finance, and policy is no longer optional for the modern dealmaker. Learn how to identify hidden value in distressed assets and build a resilient strategy for a high-interest-rate environment. Watch now and sharpen your edge at MAAdvisor.com.

#MAAdvisor #DistressedInvesting #Restructuring #WilburRoss

• Why Risks and Returns is the essential field guide for today’s dealmaker

• The 1970s vs. 2025: Comparing high-rate environments and restructuring cycles

• The Speed Gap: Why private sector decisiveness clashes with government friction

• The "Three Buckets" Framework: Integrating Operations, Finance, and Policy

• Lessons from Rothschild: Developing the instinct for bankruptcy and turnarounds

• Why operational improvement is the only sustainable path to PE returns

• The geopolitical lens: How global trade shifts impact middle-market M&A

• Announcement: Exclusive pre-signed memoirs at the 2026 Distressed Investing Summit

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LinkedIn: Connect with our global community of dealmaking professionals. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-m&a-advisor

Facebook: Follow the latest trends and stories from the industry’s influential figures. https://www.facebook.com/maadvisor

Show Notes
YouTube: Watch masterclass strategies and exclusive interviews on our official channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/Maadvisor