John Kielich, CPA, and LeAnne Foster, CPA, have launched a new mergers and acquisitions consulting firm to help owners of privately held businesses sell their company or find another business to acquire.
Tom McRae also serves as an advisor at the Milwaukee-based firm, which is focused on companies in the lower middle market space of between $1 million and $30 million in revenue.
Kielich and Foster previously worked as a team at Kolb + Co. M&A Advisers (now part of Sikich LLP) and together have more than 30 years of experience in M&A services. Foster most recently was a consultant and portfolio manager at Park Place Capital Management Inc. and Kielich most recently was a financial advisor at PNC
Investments.
“Water Street Advisors is really a continuation of what we started (at Kolb), but under our own model,” Kielich said.
“We would rather assure our independence—that you can decide what you want to do and not do,” Foster said.
There are a lot of companies in the lower middle market space to work with, and the demographics of ownership in that market point toward baby boomers selling in droves over the next 15 years, Kielich said.
Water Street Advisors focuses on serving the technology, veterinary, dental, service, manufacturing, distribution, IT and software, and food and beverage industries.
