ButcherJoseph Advised AME Consulting group on Employee Buyout
August 2020
“ButcherJoseph was an extremely valuable asset for this transaction, especially in the uncertain times of COVID-19. They walked us through each step of the transaction with explanations, and were extremely knowledgeable about the process. We definitely picked the right team!“
Mike McGuire
President, AME Consulting Engineers
Who is our client?
- AME is a Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP), and Telecommunications engineering firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- AME provides consulting services to support the design of complex renovation projects for the federal government, municipal governments, and healthcare companies.
- AME was founded in 2006 and has a team of over 25 employees. AME is the largest Federal HUBZone certified MEP engineering firm in the United States.
Why did AME hire ButcherJoseph?
- AME’s founding partners sought to build a succession plan and to transition the ownership of the business. While AME would have been an attractive sale candidate, the owners wanted to perpetuate the ownership and management of the company within the current employee group.
- ButcherJoseph was engaged to implement the sale of AME to its employees through a 100% Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) buyout, funded with third party debt.
- ButcherJoseph has extensive experience executing leveraged ESOP transactions and maintains relationships with a network of capital providers with experience in the engineering industry, as well as ESOP transactions.
What value did ButcherJoseph deliver?
- ButcherJoseph led a successful capital raise through the pandemic, presenting several options for funding for the owners to choose from, including senior bank debt options, as well as second-lien junior financing.
- ButcherJoseph helped position the company for an optimal sale process and negotiated the terms for the buyout on behalf of the selling shareholders.
- ButcherJoseph assisted the company in designing reward and incentive tools to foster incentive for value creation and entrepreneurial ambition for the next generation of leadership.