Superior Investment Bankers
Ed Croft above tells a compelling story about the Croft & Bender investment banking firm. Its combination of senior-level banking skills with two co-investment funds under management is a unique advantage that has generated extraordinary results over the firm’s thirteen-year history.
Prior to forming the firm, Ed Croft and Ted Bender each had over 20 years’ previous experience at The Robinson-Humphrey Company, Inc., the Atlanta-based investment banking and brokerage firm that was for decades the Southern powerhouse in its field. It was acquired by Shearson in 1982 and was the launching pad for most of the great bankers in the region. (RH is now part of SunTrust.)
The focus of Croft & Bender is companies with demonstrated growth potential and generally $5M or more in revenues. At this size and above, the firm’s bankers and analysts can run a thorough “process” to raise money or accomplish an M&A transaction at the best valuation to be found in the marketplace. Croft talks about two companies in particular where this was demonstrated, SnagAJob and Cypress Care.
The tombstones below each link to a case study that you should find interesting. These are among a number of transactions that C&B closed in 2009, a year when arguably nothing was easy. I have personally observed the often-times 24/7 nature of the investment banker’s role in getting deals done. It’s a people game as much as a numbers game, and in an environment of such economic uncertainty as we’ve experienced recently, all skills are tested.
If your company has achieved some scale and proven it can grow, Croft & Bender can let you focus on the business and finance you to the next level or find you an exit if desired. They more than earn their keep based on their extensive connections in the financial markets, their process, and the ultimate valuation premiums that can result.