Overview

Jopling, Inc. was founded in 1990 to provide investment banking services to middle market companies and larger corporations needing assistance with their middle market operations. The firm advises and assists clients in:

 Types of Projects

Most of the firm’s work is for companies with annual revenues between $10 million and $250 million or for larger companies with operations in that size range. Transactions typically  range in value from $10 million to $100 million. The firm has handled assignments throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico and Europe.

Since 2001, the firm has devoted much of its energy to the sale of private post-secondary schools and has developed a reputation for excellence in this industry.

Outside of private postsecondary education, we are functional experts rather than experts in any particular industry. However, industry understanding is important in order to accomplish the kind of projects we undertake. We draw upon any prior experience we may have had in an industry, perform extensive industry research and seek guidance from industry participants and observers, including the client. That having been said, we have had a fair amount of experience in the following industry sectors:

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manufacturing,

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distribution,

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materials handling and

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metals related.

Before bringing a company to market, the decision maker needs to know:

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What are the current market conditions for selling a business in my industry?

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Should the business be reconfigured or sold as is?

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Who are the likely buyers and why should they be interested?

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What is a reasonable price expectation?

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What issues or concerns are buyers likely to raise, and how should such matters be handled?

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What strategic decisions need to be made and what are the considerations in making such decisions?

While management may have a fairly informed view on many of these questions, Jopling brings depth of experience and objectivity to augment management’s view. With the analysis required to answer these critical questions, Jopling can help the client decide when and how the business should be marketed and what, if anything, should be done to improve its value and appeal.

Sale Advisory

Jopling effectively and efficiently manages the process of selling a business. We collect and analyze information on the company and its industry, recast historical financial statements, develop credible projections of future performance and advise the client how to handle issues uncovered in our due diligence. We work with the client in deciding what kind of buyers to approach and how to market the business. We prepare an offering memorandum, identify and qualify prospects, contact approved prospects and help the client decide with whom to go forward. We supervise the buyer’s due diligence and assist in structuring, negotiating and closing the transaction.

Most clients find that the skills and experience required to successfully identify, assess and capture acquisition opportunities are different from those required to operate a business. In addition, it is often prudent to outsource some of the acquisition effort given management’s other burdens, and having an intermediary to serve as a buffer between principals can be helpful. We help clients determine (or confirm) their acquisition strategy and assist in implementing that strategy. This may include, among other tasks, contacting the target, assessing the target’s fit, valuing the target and structuring, negotiating, financing and closing the transaction.

Jopling provides thorough, well-documented valuation reports for situations involving significant or unusual risks. Our valuations are typically used for pre-sale analysis, tax planning and resolution of shareholder disputes. Jopling’s fairness opinions are designed to demonstrate that a client’s board of directors has acted prudently in authorizing or recommending a transaction.

Most of our clients choose us because:

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We come highly recommended or they've worked with us before with good results.

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We specialize in assignments like theirs and our view of the project and our suggested approach makes sense.

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We are independent, usually with no conflicts of interest, especially as related to other service offerings (accounting, lending, research coverage, etc.).

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Their project will be more important to us than it would be to a larger firm (larger firm size is not an advantage on most middle market projects).

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The assignment will be handled by senior personnel, not delegated to junior staff.