Deal-making is off to a strong start in 2021, and private equity continues to play a large part in that equation. Private equity firms have long been attracted to distribution and, for some distributors, selling part or all of their companies to private equity is an attractive exit strategy.
John Schweig, Chairman of the Board at BlackHawk Industrial and Operating Partner at private equity firm Snow Phipps, joined hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein for a peek under the covers of how these firms evaluate distributors, from people and processes to market opportunities. Schweig was previously President of Grainger International and Chief Strategy Officer for Grainger and was the former Chairman of both Board of Kele, Inc. and Service Champ.
Ian Heller is the Founder and Chief Strategist for Distribution Strategy Group. He has more than 30 years of experience executing marketing and e-business strategy in the wholesale distribution industry, starting as a truck unloader at a Grainger branch while in college. He’s since held executive roles at GE Capital, Corporate Express, Newark Electronics and HD Supply. Ian has written and spoken extensively on the impact of digital disruption on distributors, and would love to start that conversation with you, your team or group. Reach out today at iheller@distributionstrategy.com.