The Cleveland
investment bank
for middle market owners.
Carleton McKenna & Co is an independent investment bank headquartered in downtown Cleveland. Since 2001, we have advised middle market business owners across Northeast Ohio and the broader Midwest on the sale of their companies, capital raising, and strategic value creation. Over 500 transactions closed. $3 billion in aggregate value. Senior bankers on every engagement.
Why Cleveland Matters
Cleveland is the
middle market.
Northeast Ohio is home to one of the densest concentrations of middle market manufacturing, industrial, and family-owned businesses in the country. Carleton McKenna & Co was founded here in 2001 because Cleveland deserves an investment bank that understands its businesses, its operators, and its buyers.
From our office at 600 Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, we have closed transactions across precision manufacturing, construction, business services, consumer products, and healthcare. Our buyers come from Cleveland, Chicago, New York, and beyond. Our sellers are the operators who built something meaningful here in Northeast Ohio.
What We Do
Three services for
every stage of ownership.
Sell-Side M&A Advisory
Exclusive sell-side representation for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio middle market companies. We run a disciplined, custom-built process to surface the right buyer at the right price. Every engagement is custom-tailored to the client. Nothing here is templated.
Capital Advisory
When growth requires outside capital, we source and structure the right solution from the right partners: senior debt, subordinated financing, mezzanine, or equity. Our network spans Cleveland banks, Chicago private credit, and national institutional investors who understand the middle market.
Strategic Advisory
For owners not yet ready to transact, we benchmark your business against comparable transactions, identify value gaps, and build a roadmap so that when the moment comes, the process goes in your favor. Led by Managing Director Mike de Windt, with 30 years of private equity investing experience.
Whether you are six months from a sale or six years out, the conversation should start the same way: confidentially, with senior people, focused on what is best for you and your business.
Sectors We Serve
Deep expertise in
four sectors.
Specialty Manufacturing & Industrials
Precision manufacturing, value-add distribution, fluid power, automotive components, industrial services, and test and measurement.
Learn More →Construction
General contractors, specialty contractors, environmental services, infrastructure, electrical contracting, and built environments. Director Chuck Fenske leads our construction practice.
Learn More →Business-to-Business Services
Professional services, BPO, staffing, logistics, tech-enabled services, engineering services, and distribution.
Learn More →Consumer
Food and beverage, hospitality and lodging, consumer products, multi-unit concepts, branded product manufacturing, and craft and spirits.
Learn More →Cleveland Track Record
Proof, not
marketing claims.
From the Team
Carleton McKenna & Co led our deal team with expertise, finesse and attention to execution. Chris, Nora, and Brandon consistently outpaced the process, ensuring Emerald's culturally vital interests were heard and addressed. They navigated maximizing our economic outcome while artfully ensuring our B-Corp certified enterprise would retain its commitment to business as a force for good.
The Carleton McKenna team was invaluable for bridging differences between the parties and was a force multiplier in getting this transaction completed.
Since 2020, CM&Co has played a pivotal role in guiding Webster through strategic buy-side acquisitions, contributing significantly to our inorganic growth and value maximization objectives.
We engaged with CM&Co in late 2021, based on several recommendations from other professionals and they were able to set Board expectations. They did a marvelous job of managing the due diligence process, were always quick to respond to our questions and exhibited great patience to match our short time frame to get a deal done.
Their professionalism and insightful approach were invaluable getting to a closing with a mutually beneficial transaction structure.
CM&Co not only made this process more likely to succeed and smoother, but they also increased the value received, effectively self-funding their compensation many times over.
Carleton McKenna got us the price we were looking for. At the end of the day, I did not feel we left any money on the table.
If you don't use a professional organization like Carleton McKenna, you're going to struggle and it's going to be a long, drawn-out process. You might let a good opportunity pass by just because you didn't have the right partner.
They really took the time to understand the family dynamics, and to me, that was really important and part of the success of the deal.
The pitch for our business was competitive; we interviewed several investment banks. Carleton McKenna separated itself through preparation, clarity, and relentless follow-through. They created competition, kept buyers engaged, and provided more value-added support throughout our negotiations than I've experienced with other investment bankers - they've become a true partner in the process.
Visit Us
Downtown Cleveland.
One block from Public Square.
Suite 2510
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
The Carleton McKenna & Co office is located in the heart of downtown Cleveland's financial district. We are walking distance from the Justice Center, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, and major Northeast Ohio law firms. Convenient access from Tower City, the RTA Red Line, and I-90.
Hours by appointment, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. We meet clients in our offices, at their place of business, or wherever is most convenient and confidential.
raise, or strategic advisory engagement?
Start with a confidential conversation. Senior bankers will share what buyers are paying for companies like yours and what your path forward looks like.