Updated Dec 15th, 2025
Early December in Wisconsin is sharp and unmistakably winter. Inside the Brookfield Conference Center, that cold faded quickly as registration took place for the 14th Annual MBBI Private Equity Connection, hosted by MBBI Wisconsin.
Over 300 attendees filled the room, with dealmakers and intermediaries arriving from across the Midwest. Some arrived for the day, while others booked nearby hotels for themselves or their teams. Networking began immediately as coat check and greetings unfolded and attendees moved into the main conference room.
This article highlights key moments from the full day private equity event, bringing together professionals from across state lines for networking and breakout sessions. The program centered on economic conditions, deal strategies, and fresh perspectives heading into the new year.
Ahead of the general program, the day began with a dedicated Women in M&A Pre-Conference Meetup, highlighting the growing presence of women across private equity, advisory, banking, and transactional roles within the Midwest deal network. Founding participants of the Women in M&A group welcomed newer participants as the group reflected on its inaugural year. The gathering carried forward into the broader program, contributing to a day shaped by familiar relationships and new introductions.
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As the Women in M&A meetup concluded, attendees filtered into the main conference room, where the broader program was already taking shape and tables began to fill. Andrew Price, President of MBBI Wisconsin, took the stage to open the program, acknowledging sponsors, speakers, and the steady momentum MBBI has built across the region. As lunch was served, Price reflected on the strength of the Wisconsin chapter and the broader organization’s growth across five state chapters.
With the room settled and the program underway, attention turned from connection to context. Dr. Brian Jacobsen, Chief Economic Strategist at Annex Wealth Management, delivered the economic update to an audience deeply engaged in middle market activity. Dr. Jacobsen addressed the past several years of volatility and sector specific performance, including inflation cycles, interest rate adjustments, and shifting consumer trends.
Overall, Dr. Jacobsen’s outlook toward 2026 pointed to continued growth in small and middle market deal activity across the Midwest. While the environment remains complex, opportunity persists for disciplined operators and well capitalized buyers positioned to manage cost structures and capital availability.
Following a short networking break, as attendees refilled coffee cups and navigated a spread of fresh cookies, the room reconvened for the next session.
Scott Hansen, two time best selling author and keynote speaker, took the stage to focus on the operational realities that determine whether businesses scale or stall. He addressed common constraints that emerge over time, including the importance of placing the right people in the right seats and the risks associated with the owner trap.
Hansen also referenced themes from his latest book, Scale Up, which attendees received as part of the program. The discussion reinforced how operational discipline, leadership structure, and execution systems shape value as businesses grow.
The most anticipated segment of the day followed with the MBBI Shark Tank Panel, placing attendees inside a simulated transaction involving a metal fabrication company specializing in complex machine assemblies for aerospace and defense applications. The materials presented mirrored what would be expected in a real process, including financials, operational detail, and growth considerations.
Four private equity groups independently evaluated the opportunity and presented their perspectives. The discussion was led by Brady Paschke, a leader in CLA’s Deal Services group and an MBBI board member, who moderated the panel, guided the discussion, and managed audience questions throughout the session.
Panel participants included Tom Nye, founder of the ’burg family capital, llc; Michael Healy, CEO of Gardner Standard; Kelvin Kraft, co founder and partner at Wisconsin River Partners; and David Bartelme, founder of Endura Capital. Each brought a distinct investment lens to the same set of facts, contributing to a range of perspectives on structure, risk, and execution.
The panel revealed how different assumptions around EBITDA, growth potential, risk, and capital structure can lead to materially different views of the same opportunity. Panelists then walked through the transaction as it would unfold in practice, outlining sources and uses, senior and mezzanine financing considerations, and the role of management rollover and equity incentives. The discussion extended to insurance structures, transaction costs, and post close ownership scenarios, with comparisons between asset and stock purchase structures and varying approaches to management alignment.
The value of the session was not in identifying a single outcome, but in comparing approaches. Attendees were able to observe how different groups frame risk, allocate capital, and prioritize outcomes when working from the same set of facts. The MBBI Shark Tank Panel format continues to resonate with attendees by mirroring how deals are discussed, structured, and pressure-tested in real transactions.
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As the conference concluded and the cocktail bar opened, conversations continued across private equity professionals, intermediaries, and operators, with many picking up from earlier in the day or resuming relationships built over years.
The 14th Annual MBBI Private Equity Connection continues to serve as a practical checkpoint, where economic context, operating priorities, and transaction thinking are revisited in real time by the professionals who carry those discussions forward.
MBBI hosts events and programming throughout the year that bring together dealmakers and M&A professionals across the Midwest. The cornerstone Annual Conference, Grit to Growth: Winning in Uncertain Times, will take place January 29, 2026, in Oak Brook, Illinois, featuring a keynote address by Coach Matt Doherty. Additional details and registration information for the conference, along with other upcoming events, are available at mbbi.org/events.
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