Introduction to the “Buy and Build” M&A Strategy: What It Is and Why Everyone Seems to Be Doing It

According to a recent Pitchbook report, Buy and Build deals accounted for 67.1% of all middle market M&A deal activity -- an all-time high. But what is a “Buy and Build” strategy and why have companies -- particularly Private Equity firms and Private Equity-backed companies -- embraced it so enthusiastically?  At its core, a “Buy and Build” strategy is one in which a company seeks to expand and extend its operations through strategic add-on acquisitions of other companies in the same or adjacent sectors.  While the strategy has probably been around as long as M&A has, the statistic above illustrates that it is now the cornerstone of many firms’ M&A strategies.

In this One-Hour Briefing, experts will discuss:

• An overview of the buy and build strategy (10 minutes)
• What are the basic elements of a buy and build strategy? (10 minutes)
• Why has buy and build become such a popular strategy? (10 minutes)
• What are the pitfalls of a buy and build strategy? (10 minutes)
• What are the keys to a successful buy and build strategy? (10 minutes)
• What is the future of the buy and build strategy? (10 minutes)

Program Level:  Overview

Intended Audience:  In-house counsel, outside attorneys, compliance, finance and other allied professionals involved in M&A deals and buy and build strategies

Prerequisites:  None

Advanced Preparation:  None

Moderator:

Joseph Ehrlich

Brown & Brown Specialty Risk Solutions

Faculty:

Francis A. Finelli

The Carlyle Group

Brian Kirkpatrick

Universal Engineering Sciences

Eric Tajcher

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP