Private Equity

We have assisted private equity clients through dozens of projects related to transportation and logistics, including 3PLs, carriers, technology providers, warehousing providers, equipment suppliers, port terminal operators, eFulfillment providers, and brokers.  We have also assisted private equity clients in understanding the supply chain issues for their manufacturing and distributing investment companies.

Acquisition Diligence

  • Market and competitive analysis
  • Target competitive positioning and growth prospects
  • Target customer satisfaction
  • Customer unmet needs
  • Growth opportunities (organic and add-on acquisition)
  • Capital plan validation
  • Operations and technology assessments

Pre-Bid Advisory

  • Industry and competitive overview and assessment
  • Target selection
  • Valuation assistance

Post-Acquisition Strategy

  • Organic growth planning
  • Selling strategies - target segments and value propositions
  • Potential add-on acquisitions
  • Productivity improvement, cost take-out
  • Investment strategy

Pre-Sale Advisory

  • Understand value to strategic buyers
  • Financial trade-off of options to position for strategic buyers
  • Assessment of options for achieving scale

Case Studies

  • PE Acquisition

    Private Equity client was considering acquring a trucking services company.  Client needed a better understanding of market size and growth for service offered, how the target acquisition company added value to its customers, and competitive positioning.

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  • Post Acquisition Growth Strategy

    Private equity client and their newly acquired transportation company wanted to develop a growth strategy.  Based upon our industry knowledge, contacts, and given that we had performed the market and competitive acquisition diligence we were asked to assist in the process. 

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Related Viewpoints

Creating Value in Specialty Distribution

For many PE-owned distribution companies, COVID has stressed supply chains. The good new? This is a great time for portfolio companies to restructure supply chains and lower transportation, warehousing and inventory costs. From a PE’s perspective, this frees up cash in the short-term, and increases EBITDA forecasts to enhance a sale price in the long term.

Creating Value with a Distribution Business

The distribution business model continues to evolve and create value for manufacturers and end customers. Today, better managed distribution businesses should leverage current logistics technology to achieve better financial results.

How to Beat the High Cost of Shipping

With remarkably high costs of shipping this year, creative solutions are needed to stop the bleeding. Lee Clair and Bob Sabath go into depth on ideas for shippers to consider in order to reduce their supply chain costs and streamline efficiency.

Lee Clair eCommerce Trends Presentation to Stifel

Lee Clair Extended Freight Update Presentation to Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI)

Lee Clair Multimodal Supply Chain Panel at eyefortransport's 15th annual Supply Chain Summit

Lee Clair Presentation to TD Securities Inc. Clients

TD Securities Inc. hosted Lee Clair. Mr. Clair's presentation discussed how eCommerce is impacting transportation and logistics.

Lee Clair Rail Growth Strategy Presentation to Stifel

Lee Clair Trucking Market Trends Presentation to Intermodal Association of North America (IANA)

Lee Clair Truckload Freight Update Presentation to Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI)

Leveraging Market and Competitive Diligence Post-Close

Over the years, PE’s began to ask us to leverage our market and competitive diligence work as a foundation and assist them and their new investment management team in developing a new post close strategy.  In so doing much of our PE work is now beginning to look like our traditional strategy assignments.

Understanding EBITDA Post-COVID

Disruptions from the COVID era resulted in non-linear performance, which has made it difficult to understand expected future EBITDA performance, and thus valuation.