Eric Doden

The state of Indiana paid for half of his machine. Johnny Goode from MSP Manufacturing describes how he takes advantage of grants in order to acquire equipment and grow his business. 🎥 Full video coming soon.

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A new rule is impacting cash buyers using LLCs or trusts. If you're on the selling side, your tasks remain the same, but understanding how this affects your buyer's timelines and required documentation is crucial. Thinking of buying or selling in Metro Detroit and need guidance through these changes? I'm here to help navigate it all. Watch the full video on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g3KcKAus If you have questions about the buying or selling process, I’ve created a couple of free guides you can download at your convenience: 📖 Home Buyer’s Guide: https://lnkd.in/gFx-CAMM 📖 Home Seller’s Guide: https://lnkd.in/gA4jHmrT

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Most business owners and CFOs still think the outdated way to refinance their commercial bank credit facility works today. Spoiler alert. It does not! Today, leaders must have a strategic capital plan in place to request working capital and/or fixed asset financing from banks. Because the wrong presentation, the wrong conversation, incorrectly formatted financial statements, or worse yet, talking to the wrong commercial lender, will absolutely impact liquidity, flexibility, covenants, and control for years when not managed correctly. Recently, a Midwest printing company refinanced and increased its working capital facility to $6.5MM. The outcome didn’t come from luck or shopping banks. It came from outsourcing the entire capital refinancing project to Green Zone Capital Advisors™, which allowed the owner to focus more of their time on operational growth. Here’s where #GreenZone made a real difference: ✅ Maximized capital availability without overreaching. ✅ Structured the credit facility around how the business really operates. ✅ Aligned with the right lending partner to support the next phase of growth This is exactly why I built Green Zone Capital Advisors™. Commercial Bankers, PAY ATTENTION. Green Zone found a way to say "YES" more often compared to when I was a lender. FACT! Most CFOs and operators should not be spending weeks translating their business into banker language or guessing how credit committees think. Commercial credit facility management has now become a very complex specialized job that should be outsourced to a #capitalmarkets expert! This is how very smart successful CFOs are managing their credit facilities instead of relying on the old system that continues to fail great companies. 📌 Full case study published in ABL Advisor / ABF Journal: https://lnkd.in/gNP3v6yX #WorkingCapital #CommercialBank #ABL #CFO #CEO #MiddleMarket #PrivateEquity #RelationshipManager

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Plante Moran Financial Advisors’ David Stahl shared his insights on how family business owners can prepare for a sale and help ensure long-term financial success. Read the full article via Family Business Magazine. https://ow.ly/A9s050X9lNE

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Capital fuels growth. Yet too many West Michigan businesses find it hard to raise the money needed to scale. We celebrate entrepreneurs, but do we back them? Community banks, investors, private equity and capital doesn’t just sit in spreadsheets. It decides what gets built and where. If we want more jobs, we need more bets placed here at home. To achieve this, we have to earn it as a community.

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Big Shoulders Capital Funds Milwaukee Forge Revival - Inside of Three Weeks   Big Shoulders Capital (“BSC”) recently completed a sale-leaseback transaction in connection with the sale of Milwaukee Forge, a 132,000 square foot, 8 acre forging and heat-treating company in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood.   We were brought into the process by the prospective buyer and had three weeks from the initial outreach to underwrite the collateral, structure the sale-leaseback, and close alongside the sale to Milwaukee Forgetech.   The company was sold out of receivership to a new ownership group called Milwaukee Forgetech, Inc. As part of the court-approved sale, BSC acquired the real estate and equipment and simultaneously leased them to Milwaukee Forgetech, the new operating entity.   This is an example of what Big Shoulders Capital does best: partnering with operators on time-sensitive transactions to forge a path out of imminent closure for long-standing manufacturing businesses.

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Plante Moran Wealth Management’s Cheri Stein,CPA CFP® CIMA® shared her insights on how wealthy families are navigating the risks and rewards of giving during their lifetimes. Read the full article via Professional Wealth Management. https://ow.ly/Yovs50X7NWA

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📣 Attention Ohio Real-Estate Investors & Wholesalers! Big change is coming with SB 155 — here’s what you need to know, and how you can leverage it with the right funding and strategy via AIIZ Funding. ⸻ ✅ What SB 155 does • The bill creates a new section in the Ohio Revised Code (5301.95) specifically focused on residential-real-estate wholesaling. • It requires that a wholesaler must provide a written disclosure to the property owner (seller) before entering into a contract that conveys an interest in residential real estate. • The disclosure must state, in bold (at least 12-point font): • That the person is a wholesaler and does not represent the seller. • That the wholesaler intends to assign the contract to a third party for a profit. • That the seller may be receiving a below-market value offer and is advised to seek legal or real-estate professional advice. • If the seller has not signed this disclosure, the contract could be cancelled by the seller before closing. • Failure to provide the disclosure may be treated as an unfair or deceptive act under Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act. ⸻ 🧐 Why this matters for you • If you’re wholesaling or plan to wholesale in Ohio, you must be compliant with the new rules (once SB 155 is enacted) or risk having your deals voided or challenged. • For investors (including you working with AIIZ Funding), this means more transparency in the deal structure and fewer surprises on contracts. • It also raises the baseline for deal legitimacy — which can mean less competition from players who were relying on loopholes, and therefore potential better deals for those playing clean. • If you find a seller who was approached by a wholesaler without this disclosure, there might be an opportunity — either for remediation, renegotiation, or stepping in properly. ⸻ 📊 What we at AIIZ Funding want you to do • If you’re wholesaling, make sure your contracts in Ohio include the required disclosure before signing with the seller. • If you’re investing, use this as a filter: look at deals where the seller has that disclosure (or ask for it) so you know the contract chain is solid. • Use AIIZ Funding to get the capital you need to move quickly when compliant deals show up — whether fix-&-flip, buy-and-hold, or JV strategies. • Stay ahead of the changes. Even if SB 155 hasn’t taken full effect yet, it’s time to operate with it in mind now — so you’re ready when it’s active. ⸻ 👉 Ready to act on compliant wholesale or investment deals in Ohio with confidence? Message us “OHIO DEALS” or comment below and we’ll walk you through how AIIZ Funding can back your deal fast and smart.

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Rising healthcare and benefit costs can quietly erode profitability — especially for business owners approaching a transition. If you’re a business owner or an advisor to business owners, I’d love for you to join us. As Vice President of the EPI Central Ohio Chapter, I’m excited to promote our upcoming chapter event on Tuesday, March 17, featuring Brandt Stiggins. We’ll be discussing “Innovative Paths to Managing Healthcare” and exploring data-driven benefit strategies that help employers control costs, improve cash flow stability, and strengthen enterprise value ahead of an exit. Registration details are in the link below. We’re finalizing the attendance list now and hope to see you there. Looking forward to a great discussion and valuable insights for business owners and advisors. Darren Cherry, CEPA® Mary Patton Renee Milyiori, CFP®, CPWA® Brett Thornton Greg Daugherty Michael Butler Josh Curtis Michael Bonasera Matt Bowers #EPI #BusinessOwners #HealthcareStrategy #ExitPlanning #EmployeeBenefits #BusinessOwners #HealthcareStrategy #ExitPlanning

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Huntington Bank’s 2026 Commercial & Industry Outlook paints a positive picture for business owners this year. A few highlights: ✔️ Strong growth driven by higher-income consumers ✔️ Short-term interest rates expected to decline ✔️ Slowing immigration impacting labor and economic dynamics What does this mean for business owners? It may be a strong time to sell. A healthy economy, strong buyer demand, and falling rates can all support higher valuations. At Legacy Business Transitions, we guide owners through the sale process to simplify complexity and help maximize deal value. Full report in comments.

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🎄 DEAL CLOSED: Christmas Came Early — Essential Services Giant Sold at Strategic Premium The Raivax Group is proud to announce the successful sale of the Midwest’s largest integrated essential services platform—a multi-division powerhouse delivering electrical contracting, HVAC, plumbing, and roofing services across commercial, residential, and municipal markets. Christmas came early for the founder, team, and acquirer—when this operationally complex, multi-entity platform secured its ideal strategic partner just before year-end. 🔧 The Business 6-state footprint, 500+ technicians deployed daily Recurring contracts with public agencies, REITs, and Fortune 500 clients In-house dispatch, tech-enabled ops, and regional training hubs High-margin, essential infrastructure services Top emergency response vendor for dozens of counties/utilities Not a contractor—an infrastructure backbone for the region. 🧠 Industry-Specific Challenges Multi-division carveout: untangling books, systems, and labor Licensing & bonding complexities across state lines Prevailing wage & union workforce diligence Storm-recovery revenue volatility raised buyer concerns Roofing warranty liability required careful modeling 100+ vehicle liens coordinated with multiple lenders Technician retention strategy critical to continuity 🔍 Our Process The Raivax Group ran a precision-targeted process focused on infrastructure strategics, roll-ups, and PE-backed platforms. 70+ buyers approached 14 NDAs signed 8 management meetings 4 competitive final offers The winning bidder: a strategic operator backed by a national infrastructure fund, built to scale, digitize, and preserve continuity. APA signed just before the holidays—a true Christmas miracle. 📈 The Outcome 💰 10.3x trailing EBITDA—well above sector norms 💵 Majority paid at close — no seller note, no earnout 🤝 Founder retained equity stake + advisory board role 👷‍♂️ Key management received equity—a top priority for our client 🔒 Full team retained with performance incentives ✅ Zero disruption across clients or contracts 🎯 What It Took ✅ Reframing from “contractor” to infrastructure operator ✅ Advanced structuring across licenses, unions, and liabilities ✅ Tactical diligence prep around revenue seasonality and labor continuity ✅ Narrative control around outdated systems and scale-readiness ✅ Seamless deal execution—with special thanks to Miller Law Firm, whose legal acumen helped steer this transaction through every curveball A generational platform. A high-stakes exit. A holiday close. Another transformational outcome delivered by The Raivax Group. #MergersAndAcquisitions #EssentialServices #InfrastructureM&A #ElectricalContracting #HVAC #Plumbing #Roofing #UnionWorkforce #FounderExit #PrivateEquity #StormRecovery #TheRaivaxGroup #ExecutionMatters #DealMakers #HolidayClosing

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The Illinois Bankers Association offers great programming. SomerCor's Darin Gehrke will be presenting on important U.S. Small Business Administration updates related to manufacturing capacity building and resources that can help commercial bankers better support their manufacturing clients. SBA Office of Manufacturing and Trade #BuyBuildRefi #SBA504

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A great business plan means nothing if your business isn’t active. Before applying for funding or grants, make sure your business is reactivated and compliant with the state. Stay ready — so you never miss a funding opportunity. Let’s get your business plan and status aligned for success. #BusinessFunding #BusinessPlan #GrantReady #SmallBusinessTips #BusinessConsulting #EntrepreneurSupport

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School District Savings Made Simple Kentwood Public Schools partnered with Tenurgy after a recommendation from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and saw firsthand how easy a utility audit can be. With no upfront costs and minimal time required from staff, the district moved forward and quickly saw results. Within weeks, Tenurgy gathered historical data, delivered a detailed review, and uncovered significant utility savings. The Tenurgy team handled the paperwork, allowing Kentwood Public Schools to start realizing savings on the very next billing cycle. For schools seeking to reduce costs or verify the accuracy of their utility bills, Tenurgy provides both savings and peace of mind. 👉 Read the full testimonial and see how a risk-free utility audit could help your district: https://lnkd.in/gTXRCQRj

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