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Transaction Description:

Located in Palatka, Florida, Herrington Industries operated a C&D waste landfill and dumpster rolloff businesses serving the Central Florida market.

Case Study

The Challenge

• Herrington Industries was operated by a father and son team since its founding in 1999.
• The Herringtons wanted to exit the businesses completely after close to pursue other business ventures.
• The family wanted to sell the businesses only if they achieved their price and deal-structure terms; they were prepared to hold onto their businesses if needed.

The Solution

• The Merit team undertook extensive efforts to understand the Client’s value drivers. These steps included multiple site visits, interviews with the management team, review of regulatory issues and conferring with the landfill’s external engineer.
• With the Client operating two intertwined businesses held by five legal entities, the collection and synthesis of financial information proved to be paramount importance. MIB advised the Client to hire a vetted interim CFO who helped clean up the internal financials and satisfy the acquirer’s diligence requests.
• Once under LOI, the due diligence and preparation of disclosures was comprehensive and detailed. The MIB team worked closely with the Client to ensure the process was smooth and deal momentum was maintained, allowing the Client to continue running its operations.
• MIB negoatiated with the acquirer to provide a creative deal structure to meet the sellers objectives.

The Results

• MIB ran a robust deal process that resulted in more than 125 executed NDAs. MIB found a Hybrid Buyer (Private Equity Owned Strategic Acquirer) for Herrington Industries that would honor the legacy created by the Herringtons and that had experience in executing a smooth transition for the employees.
• MIB achieved a “outlier outcome” exceededing the Clients’ original valuation expectations and guidance provide by Merit.
• MIB was able to work with the Buyer to ensure the transaction was closed efficiently and timely, which enabled the Herringtons to seize time-sensitive business opportunities.

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What our clients are saying

Meet Our Clients

Jeff Rubenstein

"The team at Merit Investment Bank works hard and puts in a lot of time and energy. And because of that, they're talking to people with a lot more sincerity than just putting out a deck. They went deeper and not only understood our strategy, but they understood how to pitch the right strategy to the folks on the other end of the transaction. They explained our business so a potential suitor understood how it could be integrated into their business.

Merit Investment Bank thought of a more strategic transaction and they built a better story. It's what's created more offers and what made the offers higher."

Tom Fleck

"Merit Investment Bank not only did everything they promised, they provided significant strategic guidance required to help us navigate the path of getting this transaction across the finish line. Their patience, tenacity, and professionalism when things got tough was the difference in completing this transaction for us."

Chris Noorda

“I greatly appreciated Merit Investment Bank’s expertise and guidance throughout this process and appreciated, even more, their attention to the intangible things that were important to me and my company beyond just getting a deal done.”

Marco Allegretti

“I enjoyed working with Merit Investment Bank—they made an enormous contribution in such a complex but successful transaction. I would be happy for the chance to give a reference in the future for what a great job they did!”

Bill Adams

"I wanted to work with an Investment Banking firm that was going to be able to understand our business, get to know me and my team, and then not only help us secure the investor, but help us find the right investor because they understood what we really needed. We got that and more with Merit Investment Bank. Their strategic guidance, patience, and diligence were critical in getting this transaction finished, and was the difference maker in this process.”

Howard Perea

"We are thrilled with the outcome Merit Investment Bank delivered for our family through the sale of the business. With their guidance, we were able to unlock significant shareholder liquidity while positioning the employees of the company for continued success within a growing platform.

D. Roberts

"We hired Merit Investment Bank over other investment bankers because of the responsiveness to our questions, aggressive approach to winning, persistence in following-up, and the many creative ideas the team presented. Merit Investment Bank added significant value beyond just running a process."

Dave Carr

"Unlike many investment banks I've worked with during my career, Merit Investment Bank was attentive at all stages of our transaction, which really made a difference in achieving a great outcome."

Mike Olson

“Through the broad auction, Merit Investment Bank got us another 75% above the offers that originally came in. We still have a piece of the company and I’m still able to run it. I feel good that our key employees are going to be secure in the future. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

Keith Jackson

"The team at Merit Investment Bank have provided invaluable assistance in stabilizing and growing my company. They’ve helped with both short-term challenges and long-term planning. Their experience running multiple businesses like mine and vast network of contacts have brought value to my company and to me personally. If you want help taking your business to the next level, I highly recommend Merit Investment Bank."

Carl Peterson

"As a business/transactional attorney, I have had the opportunity to work with many investment bankers in the M&A arena. The Merit Investment Bank team is, without question, the best in the local middle-market space. They make clients feel comfortable by both listening to and provide thoughtful advice for legal counsel. Most importantly, they are able to negotiate a great deal.

Quite refreshingly, Merit Investment Bank puts the needs of the client above closing a deal – something very rare in the M&A world. I give my highest possible recommendation to the Merit Investment Bank team."

Gary Goeldner

"The Merit Investment Bank team has provided my company with professionalism and valuable counsel on multiple transactions. They listened to our needs, and as business operators themselves, they understood the opportunities open to us and the challenges we faced to grow. They fought hard for us at every stage. We would absolutely look to them for our future investment banking needs."

Walt Maas,

“The Merit Investment Bank team has extensive M&A and capital-raising experience in the middle market, both as investment bankers and entrepreneurs. They are great to have on an engagement team and are committed to helping clients succeed, whether buying or selling a business or sourcing capital to scale a growing business.”

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