Kip Ritchie speaks on panel at BizTimes Media’s annual M&A Forum

Potawatomi Ventures CEO, Kip Ritchie spoke on the BizTimes Media’s annual M&A forum panel alongside other business leaders in the WI area, including: 

•  Blake Knickelbein, Shareholder, Corporate Law Practice, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. 

• Terry Smith, Co-Founder & Partner, Willis & Smith Capital 

• Jerry Voors, Former Owner/President, Arrow Sewing, Elkhorn, WI 

• Moderator: Ann Hanna, Managing Director & Founder, Taureau Group LLC  

 This forum helps buyers and sellers learn what they need to know as they consider their options and move through the process. Each year, it provides valuable insight on a host of buy-sell concerns, from exit strategies to finding the perfect acquisition. 

Potawatomi Ventures is 23 years old and still very much in growth mode, focused on the buy side at this stage in the maturity of the business. Historically, Potawatomi Ventures has been an opportunistic strategic buyer, using M&A as a tool to build a diverse portfolio of operating companies . The company’s ambition is to become increasingly programmatic in its approach to complement its commitment to organic reinvestment. 

 
“Design a thoughtful process for evaluating potential targets and stay true to the process,” Ritchie shared during the panel. “Don’t get discouraged when you don’t find the right buyer or seller in the first 6 months – great transactions can be measured in years. Sacrificing success criteria or business strategy is unlikely to produce results everyone will be happy with long-term.”