Insights

How Private Equity Firms Can Maximize Their Talent Acquisition Efforts

 September 10, 2020

Private equity sponsors have never relied more on stellar management teams to drive return on investment. Yet in their effort to acquire high-impact human capital, funds often unknowingly leverage outdated or inefficient processes that hinder their ability to land true “best athletes.” Chief amo...

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Speaking the Language of Private Equity Sponsors

 August 24, 2020

Private equity insiders rely on a specific vocabulary that defines their technical and behavioral approach to value creation. In this Q&A, Falcon's Rob Huxtable details how the distinct language of private equity can impact sponsor-operator dynamics. How important is it for portfolio company...

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Former Competitive Athletes in Private Equity

 August 18, 2020

High stakes and fierce competition make private equity the ‘big leagues’ of the business world. Fittingly, many former competitive athletes have thrived amidst its pressure-packed environments. Aside from the obvious parallels, how might such a background better prepare an executive to prosper in P...

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Optimizing EBITDA With a Systematic Approach to IT Capitalization

 August 12, 2020

Falcon's Success Stories cast a spotlight on private equity-backed operators and the tools and tactics they leverage to create real value. In each entry, a world-class executive details a practical solution to a critical business issue. To be featured, contact us with the subject line "Success Stor...

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Subtle Signs That Can Derail an Executive-Level Video Interview

 August 11, 2020

Video interviews are a vital component of most modern hiring processes. Executives seeking career advancement should know how the medium can magnify a candidate's attention to detail — or lack thereof. Lindsay Guzowski, Partner at Falcon, leads C-Suite searches for a number of leading middle-market...

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High-Impact Executives Must Master the Art of the Virtual Meeting

 August 06, 2020

Many C-suite executives have been forced to adopt video calls as a replacement for face-to-face interaction. Those who treat this development as merely a temporary annoyance risk becoming a casualty of the remote work revolution. Leaders invested in creating high-performance cultures must understan...

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Race in Private Equity and America’s C-Suite Diversity Problem

 August 04, 2020

America’s moment of reckoning around systemic racism is seeping into the corporate setting. Many high-profile CEOs have issued statements in support of racial equality and social justice, but they do so primarily as White individuals with predominately White teams. A McKinsey & Company analy...

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How Sponsors Think About Platform Multiples & Growth

 July 30, 2020

Fierce competition, historically cheap debt and stunning amounts of dry powder have driven buyout multiples to record highs. Therefore, funds must deploy capital despite risk, or even probability, of contracting multiples in coming years. As such, sponsors will continuously need to increase relianc...

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How to Format Your Resume for a Private Equity Opportunity

 July 28, 2020

Leaders aspiring to a career in private equity must understand their resume is equivalent to the executive summary of a prospectus for a $100+ mm solution.  Best case, flawed resumes create headwinds heading into an interview. Worst case, they derail an executive's candidacy entirely. ...

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How to Diligence a PE-Backed CFO Opportunity

 July 24, 2020

According to Deloitte, sponsor-backed CFO turnover is as high as 80%. A CFO’s ability to select the right opportunity (or wisely avoid the wrong one) is thus essential.  Sponsors and CEOs cannot be counted on to prov...

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Falcon Announces Two Promotions

 July 21, 2020

Falcon is pleased to announce two promotions: Brandon Mihalo and Brandt Slayton, both to Associate. Mihalo has been with Falcon January 2010 and his move to Associate is a well-deserved promotion. He will continue to support the firm's private equity-backed CEO and CFO searches through efficien...

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SURVEY: Just 4% of PE-Backed CFOs Keep Inherited Teams ‘As-Is’

 July 20, 2020

New PE-backed CFOs often find inherited teams lack the expertise and horsepower to maximize return on investment. That was among the key findings in a recent Vardis survey of over 1,250 North American private equity portfolio company CFOs. Only 4% of PE-backed CFO respondents report keeping ...

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Aspiring Private Equity-Backed Executives Need Social Media Savvy

 July 16, 2020

Lindsay Guzowski, Partner at Falcon, leads C-Suite searches for a number of leading, middle market private equity firms. Her research on leadership and culture has been published in prominent peer-reviewed journals. In this Q&A, she details how an executive’s online persona can impact career tr...

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Private Equity Hiring in the Pandemic

 June 19, 2020

Private equity’s requirement for great C-suite leadership is proving to be pandemic-proof. Though platform origination has slowed amidst the Covid-19 outbreak, PE firms continue to pursue elite talent. While Falcon has delivered several high-impact placements in recent months, filling a PE-back...

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Operating Partner Placement with Riverside Company’s MicroCap Fund

 March 11, 2020

FALCON has recruited Eric Harber to join Riverside Company’s MicroCap Fund.  Eric most recently served as CEO of Flowroute which was later acquired by a sponsor-backed buyer. Previously, Eric led Amazon's hyper-growth mobile payment business unit. Eric holds a BS from Stanford and an MBA from Duk...

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Co-investment can be a powerful litmus test for C-suite leaders

 February 24, 2020

As published in Smart Business on February 24, 2020 C-suite level co-investment is a powerful tool, with at least three significant benefits: enhanced financial alignment between C-level leaders and their sponsor, additional wealth creation leverage for the executive and a powerful career decisi...

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FALCON Builds its Content Muscle

 February 17, 2020

Cleveland, Ohio - February 17, 2020 - FALCON is pleased to welcome two leaders to the nest: Brandon Hall joins as Vice President and David Siegel named to Board of Advisors. Hall joins the firm as VP of Content and will focus on driving the development and scale of the FALCON/CEO and FALCON/CEO...

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CFO Placement with Genstar-sponsored OEConnection

 January 13, 2020

Falcon has completed the CFO search for OEConnection (OEC), backed by Genstar Capital, with the recruitment of Christopher Chapman. Prior to joining OEC, Chris was the CFO for publicly-traded Diebold Nixdorf. At Diebold Nixdorf he held a number of senior, global financial roles throughout his 20-y...

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CFO Placement with Riverside-sponsored ALICE Safety Institute

 December 21, 2019

Falcon has completed the CFO search for ALICE Safety Institute, backed by The Riverside Company, with the recruitment of Andrew Ross. Prior to joining ALICE Andrew provided corporate finance, strategy & valuation services for a number of private equity-backed businesses. Earlier in his career...

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Falcon Announces Pair of Promotions

 December 20, 2019

Falcon is pleased to announce two promotions: Joe Gravino to Vice President and Bryan Sienerth to Associate. Gravino has been with Falcon since 2017 and his move to Vice President marks his second promotion with the firm. He will continue to lead execution on private equity-backed CEO and CFO s...

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Behavioral pitfalls that can derail an LBO’s performance

 December 20, 2019

As published in Smart Business on December 20, 2019 Private equity boards and their portfolio company CEOs generally presume alignment through financial elements such as incentive compensation, equity participation and co-investment. However, three specific behavioral challenges can still fes...

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CEO Placement with MPE Partners-sponsored Bettcher Industries

 December 17, 2019

Falcon has completed the CEO search for Bettcher Industries, backed by MPE Parnters, with the recruitment of Tim Swason.  Prior to joining Bettcher, Peter served as President of Barnes Group's Engineered Components Group and VP/GM of a pair of ITW businesses.  About Bettcher IndustriesBettcher...

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CFO Placement with Riverside-sponsored PSI

 November 23, 2019

Falcon has completed the CFO search for Performance Systems Integration (PSI), backed by The Riverside Company, with the recruitment of Todd Thompson.  Prior to joining PSI, Todd served as Director of Finance of Ichor Systems and in a number of corporate finance roles for Xerox.  About...

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CEO Placement with Riverside-sponsored ALICE Safety Institute

 November 19, 2019

Falcon has completed the CEO search for ALICE Training Institute, backed by The Riverside Company, with the recruitment of JP Guilbault.  Prior to joining ALICE , JP served as CEO of Community Brands and CEO of YourMembership.com.  About ALICEALICE is the leading provider of SaaS based...

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CEO Placement with Riverside-sponsored Pro-Vigil

 September 24, 2019

Falcon has completed the CEO search for Pro-Vigil, backed by The Riverside Company, with the recruitment of Peter Evans.  Prior to joining Pro-Vigil, Peter served as CEO of Pristin Inc. and CMO of Optiv Security.  About Pro-VigilPro-vigil provides remote monitoring solutions for a...

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COO Placement with Sentinel Capital-sponsored Apex Companies

 September 17, 2019

Falcon has completed the COO search for Apex Companies, backed by Sentinel Capital Partners, with the recruitment of JP Darwin Nelson.   Prior to Apex, Darwin served as President of Tetra Tech AEG and previously as President of CDM Smith’s North America Unit. About Apex CompaniesApex...

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COO Placement with Insight Partners-sponsored Community Brands

 September 17, 2019

Falcon has completed the COO search for Community Brands, backed by Insight Partners, with the recruitment of David Wirta.  Prior to joining Community Brands, David served as the President of Vology and prior, in an Operating Executive capacity for Vista Equity Partners .  About Commun...

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CEO Placement with Bertram Capital-sponsored Trademark Global

 August 06, 2019

FALCON has completed the CEO search for Trademark Global, backed by Bertram Capital, with the recruitment of John Snowden.  Prior to joining Trademark, John was President & COO of Integrated Supply Network .  About Trademark GlobalTrademark Global is a pioneer in the e-Commerce mar...

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CFO Placement with Bertram Capital-backed Flow Control

 June 04, 2019

Falcon has completed the CFO search for Flow Control, private equity-backed by Bertram Capital, with the recruitment of Hans Van der Meulen.  Prior to joining Flow, Hans was a senior finance executive with private equity-backed Syncreon.  About Flow ControlFlow Control Group is a leadi...

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CEO Placement with Bertram Capital-backed BearCom

 February 19, 2019

Falcon has completed the CEO search for private equity-backed, BearCom with the recruitment of Bob Craycraft.  Prior to joining Bearcom, Bob served as CEO of Permira-backed BakerCorp and prior, as CEO of Warburg Pincus-backed Safety-Kleen.  About BearComBearCom is a leading, value-add...

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CFO Placement with Riverside-backed AdhereHealth

 February 12, 2019

FALCON has completed the CFO search for private equity-backed, AdhereHealth with the recruitment of Gregg Haddad.  Prior to joining AdhereHealth, Gregg was CFO of Avalon Health Services . About AdhereHealth AdhereHealth is a technology solutions leader supporting health plans, self-insured em...

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