In 2002, Bryan and Bill’s paths crossed at an M&A industry event. They quickly recognized they held remarkably similar visions for building a significant merger and acquisition firm. They shared a strong commitment to education, uncompromising ethical standards, and driving passion for helping owners make informed and wise decisions when selling their businesses. And thus, they came together to form Blue River Financial Group.
M&A is a specialized area of business – waters we are very familiar with. There are a universe of transaction options available to owners in the private capital marketplace. This includes generational transfers, management buyouts, shareholder buyouts, majority or minority recapitalizations, mergers of equals, sale to strategic buyers, sales to public corporations, and many more. Blue River matches the needs and desires of middle market business owners with the most suitable transaction types in the private capital marketplace to deliver optimal results.
Bryan and Bill came from different starting points. With undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan, Bryan built a successful career with large organizations (Price Waterhouse Coopers and IBM), where he routinely participated in M&A projects with clients. Bill graduated from Alma College in Michigan and earned his Master of Science in Finance from Colorado State University. He spent his early career in a large family business that ultimately sold to a public company and later acquired multiple companies as a principal.
Nearly 20 years later, Blue River has become a nationally recognized investment banking firm representing principals on both sides of the transaction. Our buy-side practice is among the best in the nation, and our sell-side division delivers routine excellence to business owners. Bryan and Bill remain active in the firm, and their friendship has only grown through the years. Their greatest source of pride is watching other talented people embrace their client-centric values and excel in their careers.
If an owner desires to sell to an underfunded management team, Blue River can find a capital partner to support the transaction. If an owner hopes to maximize value, Blue River knows how to identify, quantify, and justify synergies for specific strategy acquirers to support a premium above fair market value. Once the needs and desires of owners are known, the hard work of identifying and delivering the right solution becomes our focus.
“When selling a business, there are many issues that can suddenly arise. Bill balances things, he weighs them out. I really appreciate that about him. I think he did an outstanding job of preparing us for what he felt could happen throughout the process. And many of the things he prepared us for actually did happen. Bill was always accessible and empathetic, he understood that for our family, this business was like our baby.”
Bryan Berent and William (Bill) Loftis, Blue River’s founders, were called to the merger and acquisition (M&A) industry. A calling occurs when a person develops an unrelenting and unmistakable internal awareness that they are uniquely suited to enter a specific career. A call infuses clarity and driving motivation enabling the callee to prepare for and ultimately pursue professional excellence in that field.
Our team of proven, senior-level professionals possess a wide array of deal/industry experience and a solid track record of creating value for clients. Blue River’s team actively leads all transactions through completion. Our team is committed to providing middle market companies with best-in-class merger and acquisition advisory services.
We’ve successfully completed transactions in most sectors including Energy, Communications, Healthcare, Information Technology, Software, Automotive, Steel, Food & Beverage, Chemical, Education, Building Products, Natural Resources, Aerospace & Defense, Engineering Services and many other manufacturing, distribution and business sectors.
Our research driven approach ensures our efforts are focused, on target and effective. Extensive industry research, used to supplement Blue River’s existing industry knowledge, along with deep client analysis marks the beginning of every client assignment.
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资料来源：企业官网公司介绍页面（复核日期：2026-10-29）。