In this episode, Jamie Claire Kiser – Managing Principal and Director of Advisory Services for Zweig Group – discusses the current state of M&A affairs in the AEC industry.  Jamie Claire originally joined Zweig Group to manage and run the mergers and acquisitions team, and she has a background in business and law. In just the past seven years, Jamie Claire and her team have witnessed and been a part of a flurry of M&A activity, helping firm leaders decide to sell or buy in what many are describing as one of the hottest mergers and acquisitions markets we have seen.Like many industries, there has been a move to consolidation in the AEC space, and there is a right way to do things and a wrong way.  In this episode, Jamie Claire walks us through some things you should consider before even thinking about a merger or acquisition.    In addition, Jamie Claire highlights some of the primary reasons why M&A activity has been on the rise for design firms, including but not limited to:Record backlog.Little to no significant debt.A desire for significant growth.The infusion of PPP funds and their impact on balance sheets.These factors play a role in the challenge to merge with or acquire another firm.  If you have been thinking about M&A for your company, this is the podcast episode to listen to. You may end up rewinding it and playing it twice. Get your FREE subscription to The Zweig Letter.