As companies grow, things naturally get more complicated. More customers, more employees, more moving pieces, and more decisions that need to be made quickly. At a certain point, many leadership teams realize they’ve outgrown the systems and processes that got them to where they are. That’s usually when an outsourced CFO comes in. An outsourced…
Authored By: Patrick Lowry At The ESOP Association’s National 2026 Conference, Daniel Aronowitz, head of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), outlined the agency’s evolving approach to ERISA enforcement and oversight. His comments signaled a potentially more balanced regulatory posture, including reduced second-guessing of responsible fiduciaries and a focus on fair and even-handed enforcement efforts.…
Authored By: Will O’Donnell At the Spring 2026 ASA Fair Value Conference, the opening panel session brought together managing directors from industry leaders at Deloitte, EY, PwC, KPMG, and Kroll to discuss how artificial intelligence (“AI”) is reshaping valuation practices. The conversation offered a candid look at both the opportunities and challenges as firms integrate…
Authored By: Pat Lowry For years, ESOP transactions have operated under a consistent backdrop of regulatory and legal scrutiny—especially around trustee independence, fiduciary processes, and transaction fairness. For trustees, fiduciaries, and business owners, valuation challenges remain a key concern. In April 2026, the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) outlined updated enforcement priorities that point…
Authored By: Pat Lowry Planning Beyond the Present At some point, every business owner and leadership team faces the same fundamental question: How do I develop a succession plan that will help ensure the continuity of the business while providing liquidity to current shareholders? For some, the answer points toward a sale. For others, it…
Investors are surrounded by information. The challenge is turning it into clarity at the moment it matters most. Portfolio companies generate reports, dashboards, and updates at a steady pace. Yet many of the most consequential decisions—whether to lean in, hold steady, or step back—are made with incomplete context. By the time issues surface clearly in…
When Investors Have to Decide Every investor faces moments where a portfolio company forces a decision: lean in, hold steady, or step back. These moments rarely arrive with clear signals. More often, they show up as subtle shifts in burn, margins, or efficiency—easy to dismiss in isolation, but critical in combination. The challenge isn’t identifying…
Authored By: Jacob DiMattia Practical Lessons for Smoother Site Selection Projects The path to a successful site selection project is rarely linear. After supporting more than 1,000 projects across industries and geographies, one thing is clear: the difference between a smooth process and a challenging one isn’t luck—it’s structure, alignment, and decision-making discipline. Below are…
Authored By: Steve Prichett Rollover equity can play a key role in middle-market M&A. If carefully structured, it offers an opportunity for owners to unlock additional value. Understanding how rollover equity fits into a deal and whether it aligns with your long-term goals is essential when assessing your options. What is Rollover Equity in an M&A…
Evergreen Advisors Capital, a middle-market investment bank, announced today that it advised Jovian Concepts, a leading provider of tailored technical services to the U.S. Defense and Intelligence Community, on its sale to Blue Fire Equity (“Blue Fire”), a private investment firm focused on partnering with exceptional founder and management-led businesses. Steve Prichett, Head of Evergreen…