The partners of two Minneapolis investment banking firms, Quetico Partners and the Craig-Hallum M&A, have joined together to launch Hennepin Partners to offer financial advisory services to companies valued under $250 million.
The founders of Hennepin Partners include the following partners of Craig-Hallum: Steve Beck, Jamie Frommelt, and Neil Weinstein; and the following partners of Quetico: Jim Clancy, R.B. Kiernat, and Gary O’Brien. Also joining Hennepin from Craig-Hallum are senior bankers Matthew Fitzmaurice, Kevin Janicki, Jared Rance, and Chad Starman along with a number of additional junior bankers from both Craig-Hallum and Quetico.
Hennepin’s founding partners and senior bankers have experience across a range of industries including industrial products and manufacturing, business and industrial services, consumer, food, direct marketing, distribution, energy, financial services, healthcare, retail, SaaS, software, technology and tech-enabled services. In total, the Hennepin team has worked on more than 250 deals between them with clients located worldwide.
Earlier in their careers, the founders of Hennepin worked together as managing directors and group heads in the Minneapolis office of Lazard Middle Market (LMM) which was formed when Lazard acquired Goldsmith Agio Helms in 2007. Over time, as LMM decided to concentrate on larger clients, the Hennepin founders left to form new investment banks to serve the lower end of the middle market, focusing on companies with enterprise values ranging from $15 million to $250 million. One team left in 2009 to form Quetico Partners and the other left in 2012 to establish the Craig-Hallum M&A Group.
“We have all been very fortunate over our careers,” said the founders in a released joint statement, “The opportunity to create Hennepin Partners was one of those rare situations to build on great momentum for all of us – and our desire to work together as a team once again. We’re excited about combining the experience, skills and thinking of two successful groups to offer an unparalleled experience for clients and buyers in the lower middle market.”
Hennepin Partners serves companies valued under $250 million and provides merger and acquisition services, private placements, and strategic advice to entrepreneurs, private equity groups, and corporations. The firm has a staff of 18 professionals and is headquartered in Minneapolis (www.hennepinpartners.com).
© 2018 Private Equity Professional | April 30, 2018
