Coady Diemar Partners Research
Advisory Approach
Coady Diemar Partners is a boutique investment bank founded in 2004 by former Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse bankers. The firm operates with a clear thesis: provide objective, conflict-free M&A advisory services to the lower middle market, leveraging deep industry expertise and institutional-quality execution without the conflicts inherent in larger full-service banks. The firm's senior partners—all former senior bankers from major Wall Street firms—are intimately involved in every engagement, ensuring clients receive hands-on attention from experienced professionals rather than junior staff.
The firm's positioning emphasizes independence and objective advice. As a registered broker-dealer but without underwriting, trading, lending, or funds management operations, Coady Diemar can provide unconflicted advice to management teams and boards of directors. The firm's philosophy centers on building lasting relationships through candor, creativity, and practicality. In select circumstances, the firm demonstrates its conviction by committing its own capital to client transactions.
Sector Focus
Coady Diemar has deliberately concentrated its practice on four industry verticals where the team possesses deep operational knowledge and transaction experience: Cleantech & Mobility, Healthcare, Industrials, and Business Services & Software. This sector specialization is not superficial—multiple team members have been covering clean technology since 1999, and the investment banking team averages over a decade of experience in their respective focus industries.
Within Cleantech & Mobility, the firm is active across solar, hydrogen, energy efficiency, green buildings, energy storage, electric vehicles, wind, autonomous vehicles, and smart grid technologies. The firm has executed over 35 transactions in this sector alone. In Healthcare, the firm focuses on healthcare information and technology service companies, helping them navigate consolidation, technology adoption, and margin improvement through M&A and private capital transactions. The Industrials practice leverages team members' operational backgrounds to serve companies navigating trade policy shifts, supply chain security challenges, and advanced manufacturing technology adoption. The Business Services & Software practice serves a sector that continues to attract substantial private equity and venture capital investment.
Deal Track Record
Coady Diemar Partners has completed 175+ transactions with an aggregate transaction value exceeding $100 billion across 22 countries. The firm's deal history demonstrates consistent execution across its focus sectors. Notable transactions include advising Bruce Supply on its sale to Ferguson Enterprises in 2023, representing Metrus Energy in its sale to Energy Capital Partners in 2022, and advising Giner ELX in its sale to Plug Power in 2020. The firm has a strong track record in clean energy, having advised on the sale of Optimal Energy to NV5 and representing Magnax in a €16 million capital raise.
In the healthcare sector, the firm advised CustomArray on its sale to GenScript Biotech in 2017 and previously represented ORTHOsoft in its sale to Zimmer Holdings in 2007. In industrials and business services, the firm has advised on transactions including IDEX's sale of its Micropump business unit to CEME Group, RKD Group's acquisition of Summit Marketing, and the sale of Lake Group Media to Data Axle. The firm has also completed numerous capital raises and strategic advisory assignments, demonstrating versatility beyond sell-side M&A.
Process & Fee Structure
Coady Diemar runs institutional-quality sell-side processes with exhaustive buyer outreach. The firm maintains relationships with over 2,000 active private equity firms and strategic acquirers globally, enabling targeted identification of the most qualified buyers for each engagement. Typical sell-side engagements span 6-9 months from engagement to close, with comprehensive support including quality of earnings preparation, management presentation coaching, and structured data room management. The firm's process is characterized by broad buyer outreach—often 200-400 targeted contacts per engagement—compared to industry averages of 50-100.
While specific fee information is not publicly disclosed, the firm's fee structure likely follows industry-standard practices for lower middle market investment banks, typically involving monthly retainers credited against success fees calculated as a percentage of transaction value. The firm requires exclusivity for its M&A engagements.
Buyer Network
Coady Diemar's buyer network is a core competitive advantage. The firm maintains relationships with 2,000+ active private equity firms and strategic acquirers built over decades of transaction execution. The firm is particularly well-connected in the clean energy private equity space, with demonstrated relationships at firms like Energy Capital Partners, O2 Investment Partners, and Gemspring Capital. Strategic buyer relationships span Fortune 500 industrials, healthcare technology companies, and international acquirers, reflecting the firm's cross-border capability with transactions across 22 countries.
Competitive Positioning
Coady Diemar differentiates through several key attributes: First, the firm's sector specialists combine investment banking experience with operating backgrounds—several professionals have worked as operating executives in their focus industries. Second, the firm's independence eliminates the conflicts inherent in full-service investment banks, enabling truly objective advice. Third, the firm's exhaustive buyer outreach process reaches 2-4 times more qualified buyers than typical lower middle market processes. Finally, the firm's senior partner engagement model ensures clients work directly with experienced professionals rather than junior staff.
Not a Fit If
Coady Diemar is not a fit for businesses below $10M in enterprise value, founders seeking limited processes, or situations requiring public capital markets access. The firm's focus on specific industry verticals means it generally declines engagements outside its areas of deep expertise.
Team
The firm's leadership team comprises experienced investment bankers with significant Wall Street backgrounds. Clifford G. Adams, Jr. (Managing Director) has over 25 years of investment banking experience and previously served as a Vice President at Credit Suisse First Boston. J. Scott Magrane, Jr. (Managing Director) spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs & Co. and has 35+ years of experience advising power and energy companies. Jonathan S. Anzaldo (Managing Director) spent over a decade at Credit Suisse executing M&A transactions across industrials, healthcare, chemicals, and real estate. J. Brian Mullen (Senior Advisor) spent 22 years at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Credit Suisse, most recently as a Managing Director in CSFB's European Investment Banking Group. Colin R. Knudsen (Senior Advisor) co-founded Coady Diemar and previously spent 18 years at DLJ and Credit Suisse as Co-Head of the firms' Internet Infrastructure Services Group. The team averages 27 years of experience.
Geographic Coverage
Headquartered at 270 Lafayette Street in New York City, Coady Diemar serves clients across North America with transaction capability spanning 22 countries. The firm's broad geographic reach is enabled by its international buyer relationships and cross-border transaction experience, particularly in European markets where team members have previously worked in London and other financial centers.