Value Creation Strategies

How We Create Value With You

Our Perfect Storm

It starts with relationships and caring. Our values are what stitch us together.

When we stay true to ourselves and our mission, everything else good simply follows. Our Value Creation efforts begin with building trusting relationships with CEO’s and management teams. It’s the foundation to how we collaboratively come up with the best solutions to grow your business. We listen, and then we listen more.

Our entire effort is all about creating value by helping to drive and deliver real measurable results that matter to our portfolio companies and can ultimately result in better returns for shareholders and investors.

Our Operating Partners Team

Chris Antonello

Operating Partner

Bob Miller

Operating Partner

Don Stockton

Operating Partner

Kevin McMahon

Operating Partner

Jason Mizelle

Operating Specialist

Plexus Operating Partners have years of large company experience and have also run lower middle market companies. They know what good looks like and know how to make it happen in a smaller company. They use their grounded-in-reality experience to gain credibility with management teams and work collaboratively to help drive portfolio company results.

Executive Partners in Residence

Dominik Elsaesser

Executive Partner in Residence

EPIRs are former CEOs who work with the Plexus team on thesis driven opportunities and actively reviewing our deal pipeline in search for their next assignment.

What We Look For

Plexus is actively looking to engage with pioneering operators who can provide a thesis or investment opportunity. Our regularly held “Search for Operators” events are designed to help operators better understand how they can work with Plexus to make this a reality.

Please contact Chris Antonello to learn more about how Plexus partners with entrepreneurial operators, and for access to the LinkedIn Group: Plexus Operating Executives.

Value Creation Method

So, how do we create value? Creating value in lower middle market companies is a repeatable “method”. If you do not have a method, it is called “hope.” We call ours the Value Creation Method. When you boil it down, we believe creating value in small businesses is about three things:

  • Having a Strategy & Execution Plan To Drive Growth & Execution
  • Developing Great Leaders And Leadership Teams
  • Having Infrastructure Excellence To Scale The Busines

When done correctly, these three areas of focus help drive value at exit.

Driving Growth & Execution

Driving growth begins with a strategy. We develop this strategy in collaboration with the CEO and management team prior to close and call this the Value Creation Plan. We apply our proven value creation modules based on the requirements of the Value Creation Plan.

Plexus value creation modules

We continually hone our Value Creation Modules to drive real, measurable results. These proven modules are delivered via the Operating Partners, the Toolkit Partners or our Education and Training programs:

  • M&A Strategy and Execution
  • New Product Development
  • Organizational Effectiveness
  • Strategy Planning and Execution
  • Board Governance
  • Sales and Marketing Effectiveness
  • Operational Efficiency

ToolKit Network partners

Toolkit Partners are well-versed and highly experienced, trusted third party specialists whose know-how may increase shareholder value through their area of expertise. Think of them as an extension of our Operating Partners, but applied at a portfolio company for a defined period.

Developing Leaders and Leadership Teams

We have found that small businesses don’t have the access to leadership best practices and learning – and when you are expecting them to double in size, they need it most! Professionalizing and improving leadership are key elements to multiple arbitrages in the lower middle market. Having a core belief in People, we wanted to make this actionable and is why we developed the Plexus Leadership Institute (PLI)

Plexus Leadership Institute

The Plexus Leadership Institute equips portfolio business leaders with the tools needed to drive growth in their respective organization. Your Plexus Operating Partner will work with you to tailor a Human Capital Plan for your organization’s success. Elements may include:

  • For you: CEO Coaching & Immersive Training
  • For your Leadership Team: Tailored Training & Based on Measurement Needs
  • For your Organization: Organizational Diagnostics & Monitoring
  • For Human Resources: Selection of New Talent & HR Certification

CEO Conference and Webinars

Sometimes, being the CEO of a small company can be insular and having access to leadership development and best practices hard to come by. Plexus hosts an annual CEO Conference and webinars tailored to the needs of lower middle market CEO’s. Peer group learning like those mentioned sharpen skills to help you have an even bigger impact on your business.

Institutionalize Businesses

We are investing in your business to grow it! That growth doesn’t happen without careful consideration to putting the right infrastructure, organization, and resources in place. This includes the people, systems, and capabilities.

Finance Center of Excellence

Typically, one of the most impactful ways to create value in a formally family run business is by improving the critical finance function. The goal is reliable and useful information produced with a repeatable capability. When done properly this can have a significant impact on improving a company’s value. This is why we created the Plexus Finance Center of Excellence (PFCOE). Elements of the PFCOE include:

  • Reporting (KPI, Dashboard, etc)
  • Planning, budgeting, forecasting
  • Process standardization
  • Information systems
  • CFO – role / capabilities
  • Finance org development

Looking to speak with Chris Antonello?

Click here to email chris