ETA Insider Podcast

Booth alum Charles Mullenger, CEO of Ethos Evacuation Strategies d/b/a MedSled, discusses the correlations between leading a team in a military environment and leading in a corporate environment, and what aspects of his military background that have translated to the business. Charles also shares how his Midwestern roots played a role in this search, his advice for young CEOs, and important factors to keep in mind when looking for the right business.

Chicago Booth alum Michael Curry, CEO of Krueger Gilbert Health Physics and Apex Physics Partners takes us through his entrepreneurial journey from bootstrapping a custom clothing company in the early 2000’s to a successful partner-led search. Now an operator in the health physics landscape, Michael reflects on the importance of servant leadership throughout his ETA journey.

Steve Swinney, CEO of Kodiak Building Partners, speaks to the importance of finding balance between the pace of acquisitions and maintaining an operational focus to build a great business – all while mastering the cyclicality of the construction industry. Additionally, Steve shares lessons learned on the importance of managing a united culture through his over 21 acquisitions.

Chicago Booth alum Phil Colaco, global leader for the corporate finance advisory practice at Deloitte, draws parallels between Deloitte’s investment banking arm and the ETA search. Phil elaborates on strategies to maximize chances of success in a search, the importance of partners, and trends in lower-middle market acquisitions.

Ivan Zinn, founder and managing partner of Atalaya Capital Management, elaborates on the evolutionary changes in the credit industry as it relates to the launch and growth of Atalaya Capital, trends in the corporate credit landscape, and considers the intentional use of human capital as a means to drive impact and outcomes.

In this episode, David Rhodes, a technology consultant and active ETA investor, discusses how he advises search entrepreneurs when they have interest in a software-driven company. David emphasizes the importance of evaluating the product, process and team, and highlights some of the challenges and opportunities presented by SaaS.

Darrin Shillair, president of Specialty Sales LLC and founder of Eagle Tower Capital, is an experienced searcher with a background in operations and management consulting. He discusses choosing a self-funded search, focusing on local, smaller-cap targets, navigating SBA 7(a) financing, and building deal flow through local networks. Short, practical stories about his 15-month search and acquisition journey.

In this episode, our host Brian O'Connor is joined by Dan Kessler, partner at Cyprium Partners, and Ken Sander, former chairman and CEO of Kellermeyer Building Services. The pair work through the mechanics of a management buyout (MBO) and discuss how Cyprium Partners worked with Ken's team to facilitate the MBO of Kellermeyer Building Services.

Mark Agnew, president and CEO of Lou Malnati’s and adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Chicago Booth, speaks about his journey with Lou Malnati’s and the lessons he’s learned as president and CEO of the company. Mark stresses the importance of making every experience a learning opportunity and developing a strong company culture. He attributes the success of Lou’s to the commitment of the people working at the company and their ability to innovate and lead from within.

Successful entrepreneur Rob Swanson, former founder and CEO of RAS & Associates, shares his experience founding a company, driving growth through sales and employee development, and ultimately exiting the business. As an operator, Rob’s insights into his sales and growth strategy for RAS & Associates serves those in the ETA community that have, or are looking to operate a business.