Entrepreneurs - Excellere Partners

The Destination for Entrepreneurs

Over time, our success will be measured by the success of the entrepreneur and the enduring legacy that is created together.

Excellere was created around the aspirations of the entrepreneur and the needs of the emerging company. To support this vision, we have built a culture that is as passionate about the entrepreneur’s success as our own; we provide value-added capabilities that have exponentially more potential to create value than capital; and we view our management teams as our customers, delivering exceptional service to our portfolio companies.

At the intersection of our culture, core values, and investment strategy are our guiding investment principles. These principles are the foundation of the partnership we forge with the business owners and leaders of our portfolio companies to create companies that are admired by competitors and customers alike.

Shared Vision

Developing a shared vision is vital to achieving enduring success.

Customer Focus

Nothing is more important than building value in the eyes of the customer.

Alignment

Providing significant equity upside for managers and employees creates greater alignment and, in turn, motivation.

Service

Excellere strives to provide management with the resources to achieve their full potential and succeed.

Excellence

We will strive together to achieve operational excellence and maximize shareholder value.

“When it came to selecting a partner to help grow our business, there were two critical factors that we considered. First, it was culture. We wanted a partner that mirrored our unwavering commitment to doing things the right way... be it for our patients, referral sources or for our employees. Second, we desired to join forces with a firm that would help us grow and enhance our company in a manner that included additional resources beyond capital. With Excellere Partners we have found both of these elements and we couldn’t be more excited about our future together.”

Chuck Bell
Founder

“We had two primary objectives for our transaction with Excellere. We wanted to diversify our net worth and find a partner to help us take our business to the next level. Excellere became instrumental in developing our growth strategy, improving our core processes and aligning our organization to become more scalable. Excellere was an invaluable extension of my team and I could not be more pleased with our partnership – we accomplished great things together.”

Vishal Lal
CEO

“I learned three powerful lessons as an owner of a rapidly growing business. First, you must invest, and continue to invest, to grow. Second, the manner of that investment may change over time and you need to be disciplined but flexible. And, third, always choose your partners well, based on a foundation of integrity, excellence, and shared vision and commitment. We embarked on a nationwide search and chose Excellere Partners above all others; together, we are turning yesterday’s dreams into today’s realities. In short, Excellere delivers even more than they promise.”

Ann Costello
Co-Founder

“We are grateful for the partnership created with Excellere. From our first introduction, it was clear to our senior management that AxelaCare and Excellere shared similar values and a passion to be a best in class provider. We looked at Excellere as more than just a capital partner. With their experience in multiple healthcare segments, they helped us refine our current core strengths and add others to expand our value proposition with the goal of having an even greater impact on the patients we serve.”

Ted Kramm
Co-Founder and CEO

Concord Technologies

“Concord has been built on a commitment to provide solutions that help our customers use their data securely and efficiently,” said Chris Moore, founder and CEO of Concord. “We continue to experience tremendous growth and have sought a partner with a proven track record of helping high-growth companies scale into industry leaders. We are thrilled to partner with the Excellere team and believe their unique combination of healthcare expertise and their value creation process will help to position Concord properly for the massive growth that lies ahead.”

Chris Moore
CEO

“We elected to partner with Excellere given its proprietary value creation tools and processes that we will leverage to help accelerate our growth and solidify our position as the premier provider of outsourced oil and natural gas engineering services. Excellere’s successful track record and experience supporting entrepreneurs with aggressive growth strategies focusing on the customer will prove invaluable as we seek to further enhance our service offerings, expand our capabilities and enter new markets.”

Todd Poulson
President

“When we considered our liquidity options, we wanted to find a financial partner with a track record and the ‘know how’ to help us realize our dream of expanding nationwide and becoming an industry leader. During our partnership with Excellere, we invested heavily in our infrastructure and grew the company ten-fold in size. Excellere’s passion for our vision has inspired our entire team.”

Frank Alderman
Co-Founder and CEO

“We were very fortunate to have found a capital provider like Excellere whose team is totally committed to the over-achievement of our business goals. The Excellere team understands what it takes to build a best-in-class industry leader in the insurance sector and have already helped us immensely in pursuing our strategic objectives.”

Kieran Sweeney
Chairman

“At PhyMED, we saw an opportunity to parlay the success of our proven model – focused on the provision of quality anesthesia care, service and patient safety – by expanding the breadth and depth of our services. The Board and senior management decided the time was right to find a partner that shared our vision for growth and passion for delivering unparalleled quality care to a broader market. We believe we found all that and more in Excellere as evidenced by their commitment to help the company achieve its goals and take it to the next level”

David Whitten
Chief Executive Officer

SePRO Corporation

“An exciting opportunity exists for SePRO to create additional value to customers across the markets we serve by expanding the breadth and depth of our products and services. It is clear to us that Excellere supports SePRO’s commitment to solving its customer’s most complex challenges. SePRO anticipates the Excellere partnership will enable the successful next phase of the company’s growth.”

Bill Culpepper
President & CEO

“Excellere was chosen as our partner of choice due to their knowledge of our industry, partnership approach, and demonstrated ability to assist our company in our quest to become an industry leader.”

Allan Bly
CEO

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Creating True Partnerships

Excellere believes that enduring success is created when a transaction becomes a true partnership.

If you are a successful entrepreneur and considering a recapitalization transaction, selecting the right investor is an extremely important decision.

When the time is right for you to consider an outside financial partner to lead a recapitalization transaction, how do you choose the right one? Below are five questions that you should consider as part of your decision making process.

Does the private equity firm share my company’s culture and values?

In our experience, culture and people are everything to entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs carry the burden of each employee’s professional and personal lives. This responsibility, coupled with a fear that a new partner may spoil what makes the company special and thrive, requires great care when selecting a private equity partner.

From Excellere’s core values to our process driven approach and focus, the firm was created to be an additive and complementary partner. As such, we strive to achieve the entrepreneur’s vision and create a legacy for the company’s founder(s) and team.

Is the private equity firm devoted to my industry or just an opportunist looking for the next good deal?

A fundamental component of Excellere’s investment strategy is our industry focus. It allows Excellere’s professionals to immerse themselves in a particular industry, and gain a deep understanding of opportunities and challenges.

During a transaction, this industry focus creates greater certainty and, after the close, greater alignment and a shared vision for the business.

A knowledgeable business partner like Excellere leads to collaborative decision making and communication, hallmarks of good partnership.

Does the private equity firm bring more than capital to the table? Is it tangible and real or just “hot air”?

When Excellere was formed, each of the founders committed to build a firm of substance, a firm that adds real value. To accomplish this objective, Excellere created the Value Creation Process, an entire system of best practices, tools, resources, and knowledge sharing that provides a roadmap to execute a buy and build growth strategy.

We believe that the power of this approach is profound. Imagine connecting the combined wisdom of 60-plus companies across dozens of industries and countless situations. Excellere believes that providing a roadmap and learning from the past is an essential part of consistently creating opportunity and value.

Does the private equity firm have a reputation and track record of being a good partner?

Most, if not all, entrepreneurs share a common desire to find a private equity firm that focuses on the big picture, rather than the day-to-day business and, as we have heard, offer assistance without interference.

During your evaluation process speak with the CEOs and managers with whom the private equity firm has already worked. Ask about their level of support, the firm’s consistency and, most of all, the firm’s integrity. In a nutshell, you need to know if they do what they said they would do.

Excellere is very proud of the partnerships we create and would be happy to share all our references with you as part of your evaluation process.

How attractive will the private equity firm’s equity incentive program be for my managers & employees?

Along with accessing liquidity and a source of growth capital, entrepreneurs seek to reward loyal managers and employees for their contributions to the business.

To provide this extraordinarily important element to a transaction, Excellere designed a unique equity incentive program that can be widely distributed among many layers in the organization.

Along with significant participation, the equity incentive program provides managers with an immediate ownership opportunity and capital gains treatment, adding a greater sense of ownership and wealth creation potential.

By considering these questions, you will more likely find the right partner that best satisfies your personal and financial goals.

Value-added Capabilities

Excellere provides its entrepreneurs and managerial partners with proven resources and tools that are practical and enhance the business’ infrastructure, scalability and growth potential.

We confront the challenges of managing a rapidly growing business. Excellere’s proprietary capabilities were assembled to help managers confront these challenges while maintaining the aggressive pursuit of their strategic vision.

Project Expert Network

A proprietary network of technical experts who complete various initiatives at the direction of portfolio company management. More »

Value Creation Process

A living library of tools and methodologies that documents successful value creation techniques, and provides a roadmap for successful execution. More »

Industry Focus and Expertise

Excellere focuses on a select group of industries, ensuring that we are a knowledgeable and additive partner, not just a passive investor.

Excellere begins its industry selection process by identifying sectors that exhibit extraordinary growth from favorable macro-economic and demographic trends and will benefit from consolidation through Excellere’s buy-and-build investment strategy.

Combined with the firm’s significant investment experience, Excellere diligently and systematically researches possible industry segments, reaching across a vast network of relationships and participating in industry events.

This provides four primary benefits:

Certainty

Our historical experience and deep industry knowledge significantly reduces false starts and uncertainty during a transaction.

Agility

Emerging businesses must be agile. An informed partner like Excellere creates opportunities to develop a thoughtful shared vision for the business while preserving the organization’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Consistency

Excellere also provides a greater sense of perspective and balance as the company encounters challenges and attempts to exploit opportunities. A knowledgeable business partner such as Excellere empowers collaborative decision making and communication.

Value-Added

As an investment firm focused on a select group of industries, Excellere understands the business and, therefore, can be more value-added and supportive.

Focus Industries

Healthcare »

Business Services »

Industrial Growth »

Recapitalization

Excellere understands the unique challenges entrepreneurs face when your tolerance for risk declines and you contemplate the future of your business.

As the owner of a highly profitable and growing business, you are a successful entrepreneur. For a variety of professional and personal reasons you may be considering your liquidity options. Choosing the best option will likely be the most important financial decision you ever make – especially since you may encounter this opportunity only once.

So how do you access the value in your business without compromising your personal, business, and strategic goals? Conventional options for owners include:

Selling the Business Outright

Selling to a competitor, strategic buyer, or financial buyer provides immediate liquidity. An outright sale, however, may not address all of your personal objectives if you are not ready to retire, if you want to participate in maximizing the potential growth of your business, and if you want to reward your senior management team and key employees. Further, your concern for the future well-being of your management team and employees may not be adequately addressed.

Taking the Company Public

An initial public offering (“IPO”) potentially provides a high market valuation and capital to grow. Small cap, publicly held companies however, that have no sell–side analyst coverage or market makers make it more difficult to achieve liquidity and maximum value.

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”)

An ESOP allows owners to gain some liquidity and provides potential tax benefits. It involves additional debt, guarantees, and administration costs. It also may limit the ultimate growth of the business, and leave management transition issues unresolved as well as a structure that is difficult to reverse.

Excellere Recapitalization Structure

Another option is a recapitalization transaction with Excellere. We believe a recapitalization transaction may offer “the best of all worlds” as you consider the future of your business.

A Recapitalization (“Recap”) is a hybrid transaction in which a private company sells a majority or minority interest to a private equity investor such as Excellere. In a Recap, the entrepreneur receives substantial cash, retains significant ownership and typically remains an active leader in the business.

By investing equity and arranging the necessary financing, Excellere facilitates the Recap so that management continues running the business. As the financial partner, Excellere supports the business, significantly enhancing the company’s growth potential, and providing the security of dedicated capital funding.

For the entrepreneur, one of the greatest source of pride comes from the equity incentive program that is created as part of the recapitalization transaction. At the Recap’s closing, an equity incentive program is established, providing meaningful future ownership to the managers and employees who contributed to the businesses’ growth. This enables the entrepreneur to reward loyalty with ownership potential, and create opportunity for financial wealth for the future leaders of the business.

A recapitalization can be the best of all worlds to an entrepreneur. It offers liquidity, continuity of the culture, capital to realize business goals, and, importantly, significant financial upside for the entrepreneur’s management team.

Recapitalizations offer entrepreneurs continuity, a source of future capital and immediate financial liquidity