Merit Investment Bank & Co., a leading middle-market investment bank, is honored to have served as exclusive financial adviser to A Advanced Septic & Construction Services in its sale to management.

Headquartered in Auburn, Washington, A Advanced Septic & Construction Services is a leading provider of septic and sewer services in the state. Founded by Andrew and Josh Gunia in 2006, this service-driven and quality-focused organization has grown dramatically over the past decade, employing more than 100 individuals serving residential, commercial, and municipal customers.

Sean Ostrander, vice President of Merit Investment Bank & Co., commented, “We were honored to work with the Gunia family and the A Advanced management team to create liquidity for Andrew [Gunia] while simultaneously positioning Josh [Gunia] and his team with an incredible team of advisors who will support the growth plan. Josh is excited to expand the business rapidly in the near term and we’re committed to supporting him and the team going forward.”

Merit Investment Bank leveraged its deep network of lender relationships to find the right bank that would be a true partner for A Advanced post-close, supporting organic growth and future acquisitions.

“My father, Andrew, and I started this business from nothing, and we’ve built a company and culture that we’re really proud of,” stated Josh, President of A Advanced. “Merit Investment Bank helped us navigate the shareholder dynamics and find a lending partner in Columbia Bank that allows our team to capitalize on all the opportunities we have in the pipeline right now.”

“We approached Sean and the Merit Investment Bank team after a poor experience with another firm. They were intentional and honest and did what they said they would do. I’m excited for the future of A Advanced under Josh’s leadership, and am grateful to Merit Investment Bank for making it happen,” added Andrew.

“We are both proud and pleased to work with family-owned-and-operated businesses to navigate succession matters and find optimal structures for generational transfers,” said Craig Dickens, Merit Investment Bank CEO.  “Not everyone needs to sell through M&A to create liquidity, and it was important to both Andrew and Josh to ensure that family relationships were honored and preserved throughout this process.”

Legal advisory was provided by Greg Russell and Jonathan Brodin at Peterson Russell Kelly Livengood PLLC out of Bellevue, Washington.

About A Advanced

A Advanced Septic & Construction Services is a diversified full-service provider of septic services in the Northwest Washington region, serving various municipal, commercial, and residential customers. The company executes projects from beginning to end, primarily using in-house resources. Services include septic pumping/service, civil construction, drainfield restoration, residential construction, electrical, and drain cleaning/plumbing. Learn more at www.AAdvancedservices.com.

About Merit Investment Bank & Company

Merit Investment Bank is a leading boutique investment bank focused on serving middle-market, technology-forward companies. Merit Investment Bank executes sell-side M&A, buy-side M&A and capital advisory services. In addition, Merit Investment Bank offers other investment banking services such as debt and equity capital raises, restructuring advisory services, business valuations, project financing and succession / exit planning. Merit Investment Bank Securities, member FINRA/SIPC, is a full-service broker-dealer licensed in 50 states.