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Northern Feed & Bean Case Study
Northern Feed & Bean has been recapitalized with Fenix and Open Prairie.

Transaction Description:

Recapitalization

Case Study

The Challenge

- For over 65 years, Northern Feed and Bean has been serving bean growers, commodity dealers and feed lots in Northern Colorado with secure supply and exceptional service.
- As tenured specialists in the Pinto and Mayocoba bean markets, NFB has deep relationships with the regional grower base and strategically located facilities for storage and distribution.
- NFB retained Merit Investment Bank to perform a valuation to assist with succession planning and subsequently decided to pursue a sale of the business.

The Solution

- Merit Investment Bank identified a variety of strategic and financial buyers with interest in the business; however, many did not meet the needs of the seller.
- Merit Investment Bank leveraged our process to source an off-the-radar buyer that met the needs of the sellers and ensured continuity of the Company, its brands and dedicated staff going forward.
- Merit Investment Bank assisted in facilitating diligence, structuring the transaction, sourcing capital providers and ensured a transaction closing with a diverse group of stakeholders.
- Merit Investment Bank worked closely with the buyer to facilitate the sourcing of both debt and equity capital to fund the recapitalization.

The Results

- With the emergence of several deal complexities, including the death of a shareholder and a global pandemic, Merit Investment Bank maintained momentum and facilitated collaboration between buyer, seller and other stakeholders to ensure a successful closing.
- Merit Investment Bank’s focus on post-LOI facilitation of closing, a time when many investment banks take a step back, was critical to achieving an above-market result for our client.
- Our tenacity, creativity and resources allowed us to add significant value to the process and achieve an outcome unlikely without our involvement.

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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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