Our Merchant Banking group works in any sector with companies with $3 million to $50 million in EBITDA.

We occasionally fund quasi-startups. We like stock as payment for our relationships, including advisory board service.

If the entrepreneur or CEO needs a quick plan for achieving his or her objectives — maybe for a sale of the business to our group, or a merger — we do triage: we move quickly to present a simple plan.

We don’t flip companies. We don’t participate in auctions. We’re not brokers. We’re not an investment bank. We are principal investors who can be engaged for business development.

We’ve been called on to provide crisis P.R. We’ve been invited to offer turnaround strategies. We’ve provided management. Made contacts for strategic relationships. Created financing options. Worked on board-building in creation of new businesses. Consulted on accomplishing specific objectives. Provided other types of support to entrepreneurs and CEO in return for equity participation.

Our seasoned group includes people with experience from the traditional Fortune 100, family enterprises/offices, venture and private equity.

What is Merchant Banking?

Merchant banks actually began in the Middle Ages with Italian grain merchants. There was a great deal of competition between Jews, Muslims and Christians to loan money to the Lombardy merchants in the grain business along the Silk Route. Christians and Muslims were at a disadvantage because they were prohibited from charging “usury” rates which gave the Jews a slight advantage.

In today’s marketplace a merchant banker is an individual or small group who form an entity to become principal investors in a business. This is quite different from investment banking firms, brokers, or broker dealers.

Our Chairman, Dr. Michael K. Clifford, has developed over the years a group of individuals who band together in a merchant banking relationship to either merge or acquire businesses run by successful entrepreneurs.

“Every seven seconds, another baby boomer turns 50,” Clifford says, “bringing them closer to a time as business owner when they must consider succession planning.”

An entrepreneur’s children are often little interested in the core business.

“For some reason,” Clifford says, “my circle of friends and acquaintances find ourselves in a position of helping business owners explore all of their options for the transfer of their business.”