Alta Mergers & Acquisitions Partners Research
Advisory Approach
Alta Mergers & Acquisitions Partners is a boutique middle market investment banking firm founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York with a Florida office. The firm operates with a thesis centered on providing highly tailored, confidential strategic M&A advisory to both business owners and private equity buyers. Rather than pursuing a broad auction-based approach, Alta focuses on proprietary deal origination and targeted search — a model that prioritizes discretion, strategic fit, and alignment between buyers and sellers in the middle market.
The firm's founding partner and managing director, Ryan Jon Orner, brings more than 25 years of investment banking experience drawn from prominent roles at Merrill Lynch, where he worked in the Financial Sponsors Group and Merrill Lynch Capital, as well as at CIBC World Markets and SunTrust Banks. Over his career, Orner successfully closed 25 leveraged buyouts and recapitalization transactions representing over $12 billion in enterprise value, $7 billion in leveraged loan and high-yield financings, and more than $1 billion in IPO transactions. After leaving Merrill Lynch in 2009, Orner spent nearly five years leading the Targeted Search practice at Chestnut Hill Partners before founding Alta M&A Partners to continue working across targeted search, buyside M&A originations, and transaction advisory.
Partnership & Expertise
Alta's second partner, David Scott Orner, brings nearly 30 years of international and domestic investment banking and finance experience. David is the founder of GlobalView Capital, a middle market private investment and advisory firm focused on the Aerospace, Defense and Government and Transportation & Logistics sectors. He previously served as Managing Director at Pier Six Capital, a middle market private investment firm, and held senior roles at CIT Group's Aerospace & Defense Finance team, ING Capital's Acquisition Finance group, and CIBC World Markets Transportation & Defense Investment Banking group. David began his career at KPMG's International Tax Services practice and is a former U.S. Navy Intelligence Officer with active duty experience and a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He holds a LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law, a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, and a B.S. in Finance and Economics from the University of Tampa. David is a CAIA Charterholder and Moody's Certified Credit Analyst holding a FINRA Series 65 license.
This partnership creates a distinctive combination of capabilities: Ryan's deep expertise in leveraged finance and PE sponsor relationships combined with David's industry specialization in aerospace, defense, transportation, and logistics gives Alta a unique positioning in the boutique middle market advisory space.
Market Position & Process
Alta positions itself as a "smart solution for outsourcing M&A targeted search services to experienced bankers with infrastructure and process proven to deliver actionable targets." The firm works with three primary client types: (1) business owners and sellers exploring confidential sale options, (2) private equity sponsors and strategic buyers seeking proprietary acquisition opportunities, and (3) corporate development teams requiring outsourced research and targeted business development.
The firm's Targeted Search process involves comprehensive research and outreach executed with significant upfront resource commitment. Alta operates with the thesis that the best transaction outcomes come from finding highly strategic, proprietary opportunities outside traditional auction processes rather than competing in crowded processes with dozens of competing bidders. This approach appeals to both sophisticated sellers who value confidentiality and PE sponsors seeking off-market deals with better risk profiles.
Service Offerings
Sell-Side M&A: Alta selectively undertakes sell-side M&A engagements where the firm's industry knowledge, network of buyer contacts, and specific transaction experience can maximize value for business owners. The firm describes its sell-side process as "highly structured" and notes that engagements are executed solely by the partners, each with more than 20 years of M&A success. The process spans multiple phases including information gathering, company preparation and strategy development, marketing and strategic buyer outreach, initial bids and second round selections, due diligence and management meetings, and final negotiations through closing.
Buyside M&A & Targeted Search: Alta works collaboratively with private equity, strategic and corporate buyers as an outsourced research and corporate development function. The Alta Targeted Search process generates highly strategic and proprietary acquisition opportunities meeting specific acquisition criteria. The firm's infrastructure, process discipline, and 50+ years of combined partner experience executing targeted search daily differentiates this service.
Transaction Advisory: Beyond origination, Alta provides transaction execution support including quality of earnings coordination, due diligence support, and transaction management services.
Industry & Geographic Focus
Alta works broadly across industries with particular depth in aerospace and defense, transportation and logistics, food and beverage manufacturing, healthcare services, medical devices, and software/IT services. The firm's typical target company profile falls within the middle market, ranging from $5 million to $250 million in annual revenue. Geographic coverage spans the United States with headquarters on the East Coast (New York) and presence in Florida.
The partnership's background in aerospace, defense and government contracting, combined with their transportation and logistics expertise, creates particular differentiation in these specialized sectors. David Orner's operational experience in aerospace and defense structuring through GlobalView Capital provides industry depth that few generalist boutiques match.
Team & Infrastructure
Alta operates as a lean, high-touch advisory firm with a team of 2-10 professionals, ensuring that partners maintain direct relationships with clients throughout engagement execution. This approach prioritizes personal attention and continuity over large transaction teams. The partners themselves execute engagements rather than delegating to junior bankers.
Ryan Orner, beyond his full-time banking work, gives back as an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Florida State University, where he teaches Investment Banking as core curriculum in the Master of Science in Finance Program.
Competitive Positioning
Alta differentiates from larger investment banks and competing boutiques through: (1) Partner-led execution — both partners maintain direct client engagement rather than the typical bank model of delegating to junior bankers, (2) Confidentiality and discretion — the firm's buyside-focused model and targeted search approach appeal to sophisticated buyers valuing proprietary opportunities, (3) Specialized industry relationships — particularly in aerospace, defense, transportation and logistics through David Orner's portfolio company experience and network, (4) Leveraged finance expertise — Ryan's deep knowledge of PE sponsor financing and structuring, and (5) Operational understanding — both partners have worked with industry players and portfolio companies, not just in financing roles but in strategic advisory.
Not a Fit If
Alta typically focuses on confidential, off-market advisory relationships and is selective about engagements. The firm's selective approach suggests it will decline: (1) Sellers wanting to run broad public auction processes, (2) Situations requiring immediate execution on tight timelines, (3) Transactions below the $5M threshold or above the $250M revenue range, (4) Industries outside the firm's core competency areas.
Deal Experience
Ryan Orner has originated 10+ successfully closed highly strategic middle market M&A transactions as Managing Director of Alta and directed 25+ transformative leveraged buyout and recapitalization transactions during his Merrill Lynch tenure. The firm's overall transaction history reflects successful outcomes in leveraged acquisition finance, recapitalizations, strategic acquisitions, and private equity platform and add-on transactions. While the firm does not publicly disclose individual transaction details, the partner credentials and transaction counts indicate substantial middle market deal completion experience.