2019 MiBiz Deals of the Year: Highlighting Best Practices

2019 MiBiz Deals of the Year: Highlighting Best Practices

MiBiz presents the 7th Annual M&A Deals & Dealmakers Awards, our yearly spotlight of best practices and excellence related to mergers, acquisitions, capital formation and other types of dealmaking throughout West Michigan. 

We made considerable changes to the format this year compared to previous awards. In particular, we switched from considering nominations by deal size to an industry-based approach to categories, which included manufacturing, professional services, finance/banking, real estate development, economic development, health care, life sciences, technology and nonprofits. 

In the individual awards, we also added an investor category in recognition that West Michigan increasingly has become a hub for excellence in private equity, venture capital, family office investing, merchant banking and angel investing. 

The expanded format means more winners and finalists this year, but more importantly, a chance to highlight more of the best practices that are being developed and honed at companies across the region. 

In selecting this year’s honorees, the judges looked for interesting, strategic and challenging deals that offer lessons, best practices and insight into the local, national and regional economy. The awards are intended to celebrate the excellence, smarts, grit, execution and the occasional bit of luck required to get a deal across the finish line. 

Bottom line: They looked for examples that could offer relevant and engaging stories and provide key lessons for the entire West Michigan business community.

We think this year’s crop of winners and finalists offers up some great best practices that are ripe to be harvested and applied to even more companies and deals. For more on that front, turn the page and read on. 

DEALS OF THE YEAR:

Manufacturing 

WINNER: Structural Concepts Corp.

FINALIST: Medbio LLC

Professional Services 

WINNER: Acrisure LLC

FINALIST: Stafford Media/View Newspaper Group

Retail

WINNER: Fox Motors 

FINALIST: Betten Baker Auto Group

Real Estate Development

WINNER: Orion Real Estate Solutions LLC

FINALIST: Blue Pointe Equities LLC

Banking/Finance

WINNER: Northpointe Bank

FINALIST: Grand Angels

Economic Development

WINNER: Muskegon Area First

FINALIST: The Right Place Inc.

Health Care

WINNER: Ranir Global Holdings LLC

FINALIST: Spectrum Health 

Life Science

WINNER: Vestaron Corp.

FINALIST: Trident Labs Inc.

Technology 

WINNER: Red Level Networks LLC/Conway, Dierking & Hillman Inc.

FINALIST: Tech Defenders 

Nonprofit 

WINNER: Porter Hills/United Methodist Retirement Communities Inc.

 

DEALMAKERS

Executive

WINNER: Robert Schermer, Jr., Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. 

Adviser 

WINNERS: Timothy Horner & Charlie Goode, Warner Norcross + Judd LLP

Investor

WINNER: Jeff Helminski, Auxo Investment Partners

 

Judges

  • Brandon Finnie, managing director at Hungerford Valuation LLC
  • Remos Lenio, partner at Tillerman & Co. LLC
  • Rich Noreen, partner at BDO USA LLP
  • Jon Siebers, attorney at Rhoades McKee PC
  • Stephen Waterbury, partner at Warner Norcross + Judd LLP