M and A
Merchant Continues M&A Charge, Allies With Aviation Specialist
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It appears that the run of deals being inked by Merchant Investment Management in the wealth space shows no sign of slowing down soon.
Merchant
Investment Management, which has bought a number of stakes in
US wealth firms in recent weeks as part of a strategic build-out,
has added another firm to its collection –
Mountain Capital Investment Advisors, a firm with a strong
aviation industry connection.
Mountain Capital, an RIA, delivers specialized wealth management
services for airline industry clients and other investors who
benefit from more hands-on coaching in their financial lives. The
firm was set up in 2011, and its team draws on their own
experiences as pilots and leaders for the airline industry. The
teams are based in Denver, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Los
Angeles.
The financial terms of the stake were not disclosed.
The firm will use a minority investment from Merchant, as well as
Merchant’s financial services expertise and strategic resources,
to expand its reach through inorganic growth, said co-founder
Brandt Burns.
“The time is right for us to build our business to the next
level,” Burns said, himself a former commercial pilot. “We needed
a growth partner who understood the independent wealth management
space, and was willing to let us be ourselves and do what we do
best. Merchant gives us a very rare blend of support, expertise,
and autonomy, and we’re eager to work with them.”
Mountain Capital was advised by Republic Capital Group.
The deal is an example of a busy M&A period in the North
American wealth industry, mainly affecting registered investment
advisor firms – although multi-family offices also – often driven
by private equity capital, as discussed in this FWR
article
published yesterday. See an interview with the firm
here.