60 min listen
Family-Owned and Acquisitive: 7 Acquisitions in 7 years
Family-Owned and Acquisitive: 7 Acquisitions in 7 years
ratings:
Length:
60 minutes
Released:
Sep 5, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
In today’s episode, Peter Lehrman sits down with Chris Gallagher, CEO of Gallagher Fluid Seals, a family-owned distributor and manufacturer of fluid sealing products. Chris worked in the family business on the factory floor in his teens and returned to the business after a significant chapter in strategy consulting. In January 2017, the company executed the next phase of its succession plan, with Chris’ uncle retiring and Chris becoming Gallagher’s next CEO.
In a wide-ranging and highly authentic conversation, Chris discusses:
The stop and start acquisition history of Gallagher and why that’s changing
Lessons learned from the first acquisition Chris led
How Chris navigates family-owned shareholder dynamics
Techniques for winning deals and building relationships in M&A
Re-investing in Gallagher versus distributing dividends
Strategies for effectively sourcing and integrating acquisitions
The impact of outside board members on Chris’ development as a CEO
We hope you enjoy the episode, which is produced by the team at Axial (www.axial.com). Axial is an online deal sourcing platform that makes it easy for business owners to confidentially research and connect with top-ranked M&A advisors and capital partners. I am your host, Peter Lehrman, founder and CEO of Axial. In every episode, we aim to explore the vast world of small business M&A, interviewing both the proven and the emerging owners, operators, investors, and advisors whose strategies and methods for building successful private companies are being put to the test.
If you enjoy the podcast, give us a review on Apple or Spotify. If you’d like to go deeper, head to Axial.com, where there are dozens of recorded Axial member roundtables, downloadable tools for dealmakers, M&A advisor rankings, and lots of other useful information for owners exploring exits and acquisitions. If you’re a business owner, professional acquirer, or M&A advisor, you can start using Axial for free at Axial.com.
Resources:
Chris Gallagher LinkedIn
Gallagher Fluid Seals
Peter Lehrman LinkedIn
Axial Website
In a wide-ranging and highly authentic conversation, Chris discusses:
The stop and start acquisition history of Gallagher and why that’s changing
Lessons learned from the first acquisition Chris led
How Chris navigates family-owned shareholder dynamics
Techniques for winning deals and building relationships in M&A
Re-investing in Gallagher versus distributing dividends
Strategies for effectively sourcing and integrating acquisitions
The impact of outside board members on Chris’ development as a CEO
We hope you enjoy the episode, which is produced by the team at Axial (www.axial.com). Axial is an online deal sourcing platform that makes it easy for business owners to confidentially research and connect with top-ranked M&A advisors and capital partners. I am your host, Peter Lehrman, founder and CEO of Axial. In every episode, we aim to explore the vast world of small business M&A, interviewing both the proven and the emerging owners, operators, investors, and advisors whose strategies and methods for building successful private companies are being put to the test.
If you enjoy the podcast, give us a review on Apple or Spotify. If you’d like to go deeper, head to Axial.com, where there are dozens of recorded Axial member roundtables, downloadable tools for dealmakers, M&A advisor rankings, and lots of other useful information for owners exploring exits and acquisitions. If you’re a business owner, professional acquirer, or M&A advisor, you can start using Axial for free at Axial.com.
Resources:
Chris Gallagher LinkedIn
Gallagher Fluid Seals
Peter Lehrman LinkedIn
Axial Website
Released:
Sep 5, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (25)
Steve Cook and the Making of an Operator-First Private Equity GP: My guest today is Steve Cook, Executive Managing Director at LFM Capital. LFM is a Nashville-based private equity firm founded by operators and engineers. Their focus is on niche manufacturing and industrial services businesses. LFM was founded in 2014 to invest in private, lower-middle-market manufacturing companies. Steve co-founded LFM Capital and brings over 29 years of operating experience, having served in a variety of senior executive and functional roles in manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, technology, and sales. Prior to founding LFM, Steve was a Principal with TVV Capital, Chief Operating Officer of MFG.com, and prior to MFG, Steve spent 11 years as a Southeastern regional Senior Director with The Dell Corporation. We’ll hear from Steve about how he began his career at Dell straight out of MIT and was a self-described type of brash “Iceman” character (from the movie Top Gun) when he got out of flying by Masters in Small Business M&A