Expertise: M&A/PMI

Stephen Blunck

Senior Consultant, Maven Associates

VP, Serent Capital

Associate, Advent International

Senior Associate Consultant, Bain & Company

MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business

BS, Brigham Young University

Representative Projects

  • Developed and implemented procurement and cost reduction initiatives for multi-billion-dollar public retailer
  • Designed organizational growth strategy and decision-making framework for charter school network expanding across regions
  • Led the merger of two human capital management enterprises to consolidate market share and drive growth synergies
  • Created strategy to accelerate company growth for data center company
  • Implemented value creation initiatives for at-risk healthcare entity, including leadership build-out, growth strategy, and new geography expansion
  • Supported ed-tech company with merger integration, financial operations, capital structure, and tracking against key performance indicators
  • Negotiated with lenders to obtain ~$600M in financing to facilitate company recapitalization
  • Led due diligence workstreams for multiple potential private equity transactions, with combined enterprise value of ~$6B

Expertise

Industries

  • Business Services
  • Healthcare
  • Financial Services
  • Retail
  • Education
  • Technology & Software
  • Human Capital Management
  • Pharmaceuticals

Project Types

  • Growth Strategy
  • M&A Strategy
  • Finance
  • Profit Improvement
  • Organizational Design
  • Due Diligence

Representative Clients

Companies

  • JCPenney
  • Uplift Education
  • TalentWave
  • Professional Health
  • Care Network
  • KEV School Solutions
  • Data Center Co.
  • ATI Physical Therapy
  • InVentiv

PE Firms

  • Serent Capital
  • Advent International

Founder, Corbett Consulting

COO, Array Marketing

Partner, McKinsey & Company

Leader, Wiremold Company

Toyota Motor Company

Manager, CIBC

MSc, Chaminade University

BComm, Carleton University

Representative Projects

  • Integration of 3 “bolt on” acquisitions in electrical conduit manufacturing
  • Led development of Strategy to consolidate and relocate manufacturing in Mexico reducing labor costs by 80% for an Auto supplier
  • Developed and implemented post-acquisition consolidation plan generating over $2MM COGS reduction and multiple real estate opportunities
  • Improved product flow in Hydraulic Systems that reduced labor by 15%, inventory by 30% and Leadtime by 50%
  • Improved call center operations resulting in 20% reduction in required staff and an improvement in the Net Promotor Score (NPS)
  • Created evaluation/audit process to drive continuous improvement across range of businesses that delivered 2 points of EBITDA 3 years in a row
  • Optimized retail store operations that reduced store labor reduction of 20%
  • Redesigned order sequencing and processing to increase “On Time In Full” by 12 points

Expertise

Industries

  • Manufacturing
  • Machining
  • Aerospace and Defense
  • Automotive
  • Call Centers
  • Hospital Operations
  • Retail Operations
  • Purchasing
  • Supply Chain Optimization
  • Mortgage Processing
  • Insurance

Project Types

  • Operations Optimization
  • Due Diligence
  • M&A Strategy
  • Post Merger Integration
  • Organizational Design
  • Profit Improvement

Representative Clients

Companies

  • Caterpillar
  • IBM
  • Livingston
  • International
  • CHS
  • Intercos
  • Thrivent Financial
  • Cobham
  • Argyle Investments
  • Minute Maid
  • Textron

PE Firms

  • TorQuest
  • Carlyle
  • TPG
  • Birchill
  • Sun Capital
  • L Catterton

Advisor, Redstone Road LLC

Executive, Palantir Technologies

Founder, Pure Growth Partners

Principal, Bain & Company

MBA, Wharton School of Business

BA, Economics, Princeton University

Representative Projects

  • Transformed of one of America’s leading luxury brands, resulting in 25% profit uplift, 4x EBITDA increase, and 70% reduction in outstanding debt
  • Drove digital transformation of portfolio of media brands, driving >$20MM savings by integrating edit teams, developing new digital products, transforming customer acquisition, and eliminating under-performing publications
  • Conducted 30 diligences across multiple industries, ranging from 2 weeks <$100MM to multi-month, multi-billion dollar highly complex acquisitions
  • Led diligence process for the Singapore Ministry of Finance to select a best-qualified developer to build the world’s largest casino resort
  • Led successful bid for large regional payments processing system, including developing proprietary forecasts for evolution of credit and debit markets, and extensive diligence of legacy internal IT systems
  • Developed 100-day plan for successful post-merger integration of two, multi-site heavy industrial manufacturers
  • Created new opportunity screen for one of the nation’s leading CPG manufacturers
  • Created, launched, and marketed celebrity-backed beverage, from initial concept through formulation, testing, and successful distribution in 40k doors

Expertise

Industries

  • Media
  • Technology
  • Luxury
  • Consumer Products
  • Retail
  • Data & Analytics
  • Payments
  • Financial Services Technology (Fintech)

Project Types

  • Growth Strategy
  • M&A Strategy
  • Marketing
  • Business Development
  • Organizational Design
  • Due Diligence

Representative Clients

Companies

  • Meredith Company
  • Mack Weldon
  • David Webb
  • Conde Nast
  • Anomaly Corporation
  • American Kennel Club
  • Dresser-Rand
  • Vocativ
  • MTV Viacom
  • NASDAQ
  • SourceMedia

Companies

  • Blackstone Group
  • Bain Capital
  • Advent International
  • Warburg Pincus
  • Silver Lake

Founder, Miami Strategica LLC

Partner, GoGlobal Advisors

Founder & President, The Engaged Minds Factory

SVP, Sales and Strategy, Jenzabar

Principal, Hamilton Boston LLP

Senior Manager, EY Corporate Finance

Manager, Bain & Company

Engineer, IBM

MBA, INSEAD

MS, Mechanical Engineering, Technical University Munich

Visiting Scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Representative Projects

  • Led the post-merger integration of two information services companies with 300 FTEs
  • Developed a turn-around strategy for a big box retailer in Chapter 11
  • Led the org design and process design for a green field company launched to provide closed-loop payment solution to the U.S. government
  • Led the ramp-up of a near-shored Shared Services Center consolidating 20 payment processing operations around the globe for a global energy company
  • Led the Agile transformation of a global software company
  • Led the post merger integration of the dispersed IT groups of an acquisitive global company into a coherent organization, provided strategic talent management support to lay foundation for a cloud migration
  • Built the valuation model for the acquisition of a container manufacturer for a strategic buyer
  • Led the development of an operational strategy for an LTL road hauler
  • Developed a go-to-market strategy with individual sales goals for the tax division of a Big 4 company with >1000 partners and principals
  • Led the post merger integration of a PE sponsored roll-up of 5 ERP software companies

Expertise

Industries

  • Consumer Products
  • Financial Services
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail
  • Software
  • Technology

Project Types

  • Strategy Development & Implementation
  • Performance Improvement
  • Sales and Sales Management
  • Organizational Design
  • Strategic Talent Management
  • Post-merger Integration

Representative Clients

Companies

  • Coca Cola
  • Ford
  • DHL
  • Compaq / HP
  • Sabre
  • World Fuel Services
  • Banco Santander
  • ThyssenKrupp
  • Caldor

PE Firms

  • TPG
  • Investcorp
  • Welsh Carson

Partner, Startup Capital Ventures

CEO Grassroots Enterprise

CEO WorldPages

BCG – Co-founder of high tech. practice, now largest in firm

Sr. Engineer, Beckman-Coulter

MBA, Stanford University

BS, Electrical Engineering, UC Irvine

Representative Projects

  • Led project for Microsoft to develop MSN with Bill Gates
  • Co-led project for Disney to develop retail presence (Disney Stores)
  • Developed a restaurant model for optimization of size, pricing, hours, etc.
  • Led project for Chevron to evaluate larger convenience stores at gas stations
  • Led project for Snap-On Tools to evaluate entering aerospace rivet industry
  • Led hub & maintenance base strategy for Air Canada
  • Led project for ATT to develop it’s first commercial broadband project
  • Led project for National Semiconductor to evaluate building a new semi fab in Silicon Valley

Expertise

Industries

  • Airline
  • Energy
  • Manufacturing
  • Telecom

Project Types

  • Growth Strategy
  • M&A Strategy
  • High Tech
  • Startups
  • Process Re-engineering
  • Turnaround
  • Internet Privacy & Policy

Representative Clients

Companies

  • Microsoft MSN
  • Disney Retail 
  • Disney Movie Distribution
  • Chevron Chemicals
  • Chevron C-Stores
  • Snap-On Tools
  • National Semi
  • AT&T
  • Westinghouse
  • Forte Hotels (UK)
  • Hawaii Restaurant
  • EPRI
  • PG&E 
  • GM
  • Petronas (Malaysia)

Founder, Galileo Preschool

Co-Founder & Director of Strategy, EarlySpark

COO, Identified

PE Associate, H.I.G. Capital

Consultant, BCG

MBA, Stanford University

MA, Education, Stanford University

MS, Comp Sci / Electrical Engineering, M.I.T.

BS, Comp Sci / Electrical Engineering, M.I.T.

Representative Projects

  • Created a 5-year roadmap for a global non-profit to solidify their change model and scale their organization
  • Implemented a global restructuring of a Fortune 500 company through several worldwide workshops, redesigning the organization layer-by-layer starting with the CEO down to the front-line workers
  • Designed and executed a successful sales strategy workshop for Sales VPs and Executive Leadership to boost global revenue
  • Conducted multiple PE due diligence projects in the craft, healthcare, manufacturing and transportation spaces
  • Developed and implemented the user growth blueprint and analytics platform for a B2C Internet platform
  • Designed a large-scale research study (RTC) and secured Stanford faculty to oversee the study and publish the findings 
  • Developed a profit improvement plan for autobody chain
  • Built a growth strategy for a national home décor company
  • Designed educational assessments for preschool and elementary school students, following global assessment standards
  • Developed a data pricing model for a biotech company

Expertise

Industries

  • Consumer Products
  • Financial Services
  • Manufacturing
  • Technology

Project Types

  • Growth Strategy
  • FP&A
  • M&A
  • Profit Improvement
  • Organizational Design
  • Due Diligence

Representative Clients

Companies

  • Global Fortune 100 Bank
  • Fortune 500 Biotech Company
  • Fortune 500 Materials Manufacturing Company
  • EarlySpark, a global non-profit focused on transforming education in India
  • Top Systems, the leading banking systems provider in Latin America
  • DCWV, leading paper craft company and numerous acquisition targets

Managing Director, MHT Partners

Senior Consultant, Bain & Company

Communities Product Manager, AOL Netscape

MBA, Stanford

BA, Humanities and Managerial Studies, Rice University

Representative Projects

  • Evaluated investment and divestiture opportunities to manage cashflow strategy for a public company in a rapidly consolidating news media industry
  • Developed detailed post-merger integration plan to identify operational and financial synergies and to maximize revenue in a $120 million merger of business logistics services companies
  • Managed buy side program with multiple add-on acquisitions for SaaS education platform resulting in successful $300 million portfolio exit
  • Led due diligence for $100+ million acquisition of a high margin niche business, radically expanding the services portfolio of a tax services company
  • Developed valuation model enabling one of largest deals in UK history, a $35 billion merger of global consumer goods conglomerates
  • Performed detailed long-term scenario modeling for global beverages M&A during a period of intense industry consolidation, enabling development of growth and defensive strategies for a $5 billion alcoholic beverages producer
  • Led profitability study to segment market, prioritize customer base, and evaluate channel economics for a US automotive manufacturer.
  • Developed detailed analysis of top 50 acquisition targets for a geopolitical/ macroeconomic think tank influential in governments and institutional investors

Expertise

Industries

  • Consumer Products
  • Financial Services
  • Food and Beverage

Project Types

  • Growth Strategy
  • M&A Strategy
  • Due Diligence
  • Market Analysis
  • Post-merger Integration
  • Market Segmentation

Representative Clients

Companies

  • Blackboard (Archipelago Learning)
  • Freeman Company
  • A. H. Belo
  • Ryan LLC (tax services)
  • Diageo (Guinness)
  • FEMSA (Heineken)
  • Ford
  • Navistar
  • Hewlett Packard
  • Del Monte Royal
  • Norton Rose (law M&A)

PE Firms

  • Providence Equity Partners
  • Carlyle Group
  • BV Investment
  • Castanea Partners
  • JH Whitney

  • CDO, LA Promise Fund
  • Manager, Mattel Corp. Strat.
  • Consultant, Bain & Company
  • Business Advisor, Peace Corps
  • Analyst, JP Morgan
  • MBA, Wharton, University of Pennsylvania
  • BA, Business Economics, Brown University

Representative Projects

  • Developed a three-year strategic plan for a financial services client (1.5 years+) with ~$45B in managed assets. Worked on product development, strategic planning, advisor productivity, Salesforce effectiveness, and organizational design engagements
  • Completed five acquisitions for a PE-backed industrial goods company. Identified targets in adjacent markets, led prospecting, and prepared investment memorandums 
  • Identified additional revenue opportunities for a leading ridesharing platform by assessing the market size of the music and sporting event industries
  • Led strategy and implementation of key organizational turnaround initiatives at LA’s largest charter (~$200M) network of 25 schools 
  • Analyzed and prioritized 50+ R&D investments for a ~$64B beverage company 
  • Conducted due diligence for an automobile manufacturer acquiring a large RV competitor. Acquisition was the largest transaction in the company’s history
  • Analyzed competitors and industry trends to create a competitive intelligence report for a leading cruise company

Expertise

Industries

  • Automotive
  • Consumer Products
  • Financial Services
  • Food and Beverage
  • Industrials
  • Nonprofits
  • Private Equity
  • Retail
  • Tourism/Hospitality
  • Transportation Services

Project Types

  • Growth Strategy
  • M&A Strategy
  • Market Intelligence
  • GTM Strategy
  • Organizational Design
  • Due Diligence

Representative Clients

  • Alliance College-Ready Public Schools
  • AlphaSights
  • Aramsco
  • Ares
  • Authen Activewear
  • Avantax Wealth Management
  • ChromoLogic
  • Financial Recovery Technologies
  • Pepsi
  • Singer
  • Uber
  • Viking Cruises
  • Winnebago

  • COO, J&S Audio Visual
  • VP, Apple Leisure Group
  • Principal, Plutus Capital
  • Principal, SunTx Partners
  • Consultant, Bain & Company
  • J.D. University of Virginia Law School with emphasis on M&A
  • B.S., B.A. Southern Methodist University Dallas

Representative Projects

  • Developed cost reduction initiative for large public property management company based in Toronto/New York.  Led business process outsourcing plan for several back-office functions including HR, Payroll, F&A, Call Center.
  • Consolidated back-offices functions of three PE-backed travel companies and 10 different business departments including Operations, Call Center Customer Service, F&A, Rate Loading saving $6mm annually.  
  • Oversaw divestment of large $250M E-commerce business for a PE backed company which included winding down operations and data-centers.
  • COO of $100M+ PE-backed hotel services business encompassing 400+ employees.  Oversaw FP&A and all aspects of Operations. Created Key Performance Indicators, vision, and strategy for group.
  • Created continuous improvement office which identified bottlenecks in a $1B+ Canadian copper mining operation,  increasing production by 18%.
  • Developed outsourcing plan for large software application company identifying over $20M in annual savings.
  • Created Centralized Procurement office for major aero-space defense contractor which consolidated purchasing efforts with company’s largest suppliers saving 12%.

Expertise

Industries

  • Airline
  • Business Services
  • Defense
  • Mining
  • Private Equity
  • Real Estate
  • Retail
  • Technology
  • Tourism/Hospitality
  • Transportation Services

Project Types

  • SG&A Reduction
  • BPO
  • Operations Optimization
  • KPI Dashboards
  • Business Process Transformation
  • M&A Assessment/PMI
  • PMO

Representative Clients

Companies

  • Brookfield Properties
  • Apple Leisure Group
  • Woolworths (Australia)
  • Ned Bank (South Africa)
  • Teck Industries (Canada)
  • Sabre Group
  • Rio-Tinto (Australia)
  • Expedia/Travelocity
  • Freeman Industries
  • United Airlines
  • Lockheed-Martin

PE Firms

  • Plutus Capital
  • SunTx Capital

  • FounFounder, Practiko, LLC
  • Managing Director, WM Partners 
  • Co-founder, PadInMotion
  • Principal, Bain & Company
  • MBA, Harvard Business School
  • MSc, Economics, LSE
  • BA, Economics, ITESM

Representative Projects

  • Co-led the creation of a ~$300M fund focused on nutritional supplements. Sold to Clorox for ~$700M. Rolled up five nutritional supplement players, doubling revenue and increasing EBITDA 10x within three years. 
  • Created a customer focused growth strategy for a major pharma company focused on customer driven growth doubling stock value within 12 months
  • Co-founder of PadInMotion, providing tablet technology for patients at hospitals, achieving exponential growth in first five years
  • Developed detailed growth strategy (brand-pack) to reactivate growth for a beverage company in a mature market to reach >8% CAG
  • Redesigned organization of major retailer in Mexico to double LATAM business in 5 years with lower costs
  • Redesigned new commercial model to boost efficient growth for a major pharma company
  • Developed multiple R&D and growth strategies for a variety of mid and large pharma customers across different therapeutic areas such as oral contraceptives, cardiovascular, and ophthalmology
  • Conducted due diligence and created an expansion strategy for a network of radiotherapy centers

Expertise

Industries

  • Chemicals
  • Consumer Products
  • Education
  • Financial Services
  • Health & Wellness
  • Healthcare Services
  • Industrials
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Retail

Project Types

  • Growth Strategy
  • M&A Strategy
  • Post-merger Integration
  • Organizational Design
  • Marketing
  • Profit Improvement
  • Due Diligence
  • Strategy Implementation

Representative Clients

Companies

  • 3 of the top 5 pharma companies
  • National chain of pharmacies
  • Mid size pharma
  • Network of radiotherapy centers
  • Leading mass retailer
  • Global beverage company
  • Leading multinational food player
  • Global beer company
  • Leading international green house operator

PE Firms

  • Top tier PE firms
  • Mid size PE firm
  • Founding member of WM Partners focused on health and wellness
  • International producer of specialty chemicals