Alliance – BRG — M&A Advisory Profile

01Advisory Approach

Sweet Spot

Manufacturing and industrial businesses with $3M-$100M annual revenue, especially precision manufacturers, automotive suppliers, aerospace and defense, fluid power, and automation equipment companies in the Midwest and nationally.

Not A Fit If

Asset-light service businesses, companies requiring complex international capital structures, businesses with significant regulatory or compliance risk, situations outside core M&A and manufacturing expertise.

Partner-level operational expertise (former business owners and managers). Deep vertical specialization in precision manufacturing and industrial automation. Midwest manufacturing corridor roots with national and international reach. Full-service capability combining valuation, marketing, due diligence, and integration.

02Process & Fees

Full-service sell-side advisory: marketing strategy, buyer identification and outreach, valuation, offering memorandum preparation, due diligence support, LOI/purchase agreement review. Confidential process that keeps business owners engaged in strategic decisions.

Alliance – BRG Research

Advisory Approach

Alliance – BRG, Ltd is a boutique M&A advisory firm established in 1994 with a distinctive thesis rooted in operational realism. The firm believes that the best M&A outcomes for manufacturing and industrial business owners come from advisors who have actually managed businesses, understand plant-level economics, and can navigate the complex operational and strategic considerations that characterize successful transactions in this sector. With partners averaging over 30 years of combined deal-making experience, Alliance brings a practical, founder-friendly approach focused on keeping business owners engaged with their operations while managing the transaction process professionally.

Sector Focus and Specialization

Alliance – BRG has carved out a niche expertise in the lower middle market ($3M-$100M annual revenue) manufacturing and industrial sectors. Their transaction history reveals deep specialization in precision manufacturing, including contract manufacturing, metal forming, stamping, machining, casting, forging, and specialty chemicals. The firm maintains particular strength in the automotive and truck supply base, fluid power and hydraulics, aerospace and defense, automation equipment, and industrial services.

What differentiates Alliance is their network depth within these vertical markets. Their geographic footprint centers on the Midwest industrial heartland (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin) but extends nationally and into Canada, enabling them to access both regional and national buyers for their clients' businesses.

Deal Track Record

Alliance has completed over 35 documented transactions across manufacturing and industrial sectors. Notable transactions include:

Precision Manufacturing: Len Industries ($20M, machined transmission components), Triumph Corporation ($22M, precision machined products), Frisby PMC ($20M, automotive and fluid power components), Gentz Industries ($20M, aerospace and defense products), Harding Machine Division ($20M, fluid power components), and numerous mid-market precision machining and metal fabrication sales in the $5M-$14M range (D&S Machine, Advance Precision, A-Ok Controls, Beaver Industries, Reef Baker, Dunn Tool, Anchor Tool).

Specialty Manufacturing: Monnier Inc (FLR pneumatics systems), Hy-Tech Systems ($15M, welding automation), Barnum Brothers ($12M, compression molded products), Haydon Manufacturing ($10M, rolling tanks), Davis Foundry ($7M), and specialty chemicals (Kirchenbauer Inc).

Strategic Divestitures: Multiple transactions for larger companies divesting business units, including three separate sales from Murray Equipment Corp (Electric Motor Base, Conveyor Sprocket, and Chain Tensioner businesses).

This deal history demonstrates Alliance's consistent execution across multiple transaction types: full company sales, divisional sales, equity recapitalizations, and corporate development advisory services. The average deal size clusters in the $10M-$22M TEV range, with smaller engagements as low as $4M and larger ones exceeding $20M.

Process and Fee Structure

Alliance operates a full-service M&A advisory model that includes deal marketing strategy development, buyer identification and outreach, valuation, offering memorandum preparation, buyer contact and management, due diligence support, and letter of intent and purchase agreement review. For acquisition advisory services, they provide comprehensive planning, candidate search, due diligence guidance, and post-closing integration consulting.

The firm structures engagements to maintain confidentiality while keeping business owners actively involved in strategic decisions. They leverage an extensive network of strategic buyers, private equity groups, foreign investors, and individual investors within their target markets.

Buyer Network and Market Relationships

Alliance maintains extensive relationships across the buyer landscape for lower middle market industrials. Their deal history reveals success with:

Strategic industrial buyers across automotive, aerospace, and defense sectors
Private equity groups specializing in industrial platforms
Individual investors and family offices seeking bolt-on acquisitions
Foreign strategic buyers seeking US market presence
Fortune 500 industrial conglomerates (as acquirers of precision manufacturers)

The breadth of their buyer network enables competitive processes and multiple bidders for client companies, a key value driver for sellers in their target market.

Competitive Positioning

Alliance differentiates through several key dimensions:

Operational Expertise: Partners with genuine operational backgrounds understand manufacturing economics, supply chain dynamics, and plant-level KPIs. This perspective is rare among M&A advisors and builds credibility with sellers.
Market Specialization: Deep vertical expertise in precision manufacturing, automotive suppliers, aerospace and defense, and industrial automation creates informational advantages and buyer relationships unavailable to generalist advisors.
Midwest Roots with National Reach: Based in Maumee, Ohio (heart of the Midwest industrial corridor), Alliance has natural access to the region's manufacturing base while maintaining national and international capability.
Client-Centric Confidentiality: The firm emphasizes sensitive, tailored advisory services that allow business owners to maintain normalcy during transactions.
Full-Service Capability: Unlike transaction brokers, Alliance provides comprehensive advisory spanning valuation, marketing, due diligence support, and integration planning.

Not a Fit If

Alliance typically focuses on businesses with revenues between $3M-$100M and enterprise values in the lower middle market range. The firm is not well-suited for asset-light service businesses without manufacturing operations, companies requiring extensive international capital sourcing, businesses with significant regulatory risk, or situations requiring real estate or structured finance expertise outside their core competency.

Team and Organizational Structure

Alliance operates as a partnership of experienced deal-makers and former business operators. The firm structure emphasizes hands-on partner involvement in transactions rather than delegating to junior staff. Partners bring experience from financial, engineering, corporate development, sales, and marketing management backgrounds, enabling holistic business evaluation and operational insight.

Geographic Coverage and Market Presence

Headquarters: Maumee, Ohio (Toledo area suburbs). Primary markets: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ontario Canada. The firm has represented clients as far as California and Arizona and maintains national reach while maintaining particular depth in the Midwest industrial manufacturing corridor.