Bethlehem Native Teams With Stark Financial Group To Offer Regional Merger & Acquisition Services



 

Bethlehem Native Teams With Stark Financial Group To Offer Regional Merger & Acquisition Services

Bethlehem, Pa. — Former investment banker Kristi Lutes, who has worked with dozens of middle-market companies across the globe through complex merger and acquisition processes, has brought her experience back to her hometown to help Lehigh Valley business owners.

Lutes, a Freedom High School graduate who earned her bachelor’s in Finance from Lehigh University and her MBA from the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business, has worked on numerous transactions over an eight-year career with investment banks in New York and New Jersey advising clients in the education, healthcare, pharmaceutical, technology, financial institutions and publishing industries.

Her focus in the Lehigh Valley is working with companies in the $1 million plus revenue range where the owner(s) are looking to either transition out or seeking growth opportunities through mergers and acquisitions.

“I have found that in many of these cases the business owners just don’t know where to go for this service,” Lutes said. “Through my experience I am able to offer them a full-service transaction advisory process, including an informal business valuation, confidential marketing of the unique and salient features in their organization, and help them negotiate and structure suitable deal terms.”

Lutes, who is also affiliated with the Bucks County-based Stony Hill Advisors, said she has launched the service through Stark Financial Group because of the company’s holistic approach to macro-financial planning.

“We can help businesses and their owners get to the position where the company is salable, if it is not there already, manage the sale process of the company, and help the owner determine their next steps after the transaction” she said.

“I felt that a business brokering and M&A advisory practice within Stark would help to fully service our small business clients who are considering an exit as part of the strategic planning process we have developed for them,” said Stark Financial founder and CEO Mark Sessanta. “It enables our clients to continue with the “Stark difference” of having all of their advisors under one roof, working as a team, to help them seamlessly accomplish their goals.

“Kristi was the right choice to roll out this initiative because she is familiar with the Stark process and has the background and experience with M&A,” he added.

Lutes said the affiliation with Stark and Stony Hill allows her to work with a broad range of businesses, which is critical in the Lehigh Valley economy.

“The majority of businesses in the Lehigh Valley have less than 10 employees,” she said. “Working with Stark and Stony Hill, I can bring the resources to help owners transition successfully so they can realize a return on their investment and don’t have to just shut down.”

To learn more, please call Kristi Lutes at 610-419-9814 or go to http://starkfinancialgroup.com/strategic-alliances/stark-business-advisors/.

Information and image provided to TVL by:
Stark Financial Group