Matt Bradbury with Business Acquisition and Merger Associates

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Industrial talk, Scott Mackenzie, Siemens, utility services, M&A, Matt Bradbury, blue collar workforce, data centers, electrical infrastructure, private equity, manufacturing, automation, distributed energy, power generation, smart technology.

00:00

Scott, welcome to the industrial talk podcast with Scott Mackenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting edge industry focused innovations and trends while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So put on your hard hat, grab your work boots and let's go All

00:22

right. Welcome to industrial talk. Thank you very much for joining and supporting this number one industrially related podcast in the universe that celebrates industry professionals all around the world. You're bold, you're brave, you dare greatly, you innovate, you collaborate, you're solving problems each and every day. That's why we celebrate you on industrial talk. We're also brought to you by Siemens smart infrastructure and grid software services. You got to go out to siemens.com find out more. They have everything that you it's a one stop shop. It is a must connect. They're here at distribute Tech because we're broadcasting from distribute tech. They've got a great booth over there, and we are in Dallas, Texas, so we're we're hitting it, and it is in my wheelhouse. I love all things utility. Now we have a great conversation with a gentleman by the name of Matt Bradbury, and we're going to be talking about m&a, and you're saying to yourself, Scott, I don't want to talk about him. Yes, you do. It's important, so let's get cracking.

01:18

How you doing, man, good Scott. How about yourself?

01:21

No complaints. He just walked up and I said, Yeah, let's have a conversation. Having a good conference.

01:28

Awesome conference. First time, second time. First time to this one. We do a lot of industrial service type businesses, a lot in water infrastructure, and we have a client that wants to do a buy and build in the utility services space, and we're looking for a couple of really good utility field service companies. Yeah, and any we're having conversations Absolutely.

01:55

Why? Why would you complain before we get into that conversation about m&a and all the stuff that's going on. Give us a little background on who you are.

02:03

Yeah, I started my firm about 20 years ago now, and we've sold about 215 companies, almost $2 billion of transaction value, and 80% of our clients have a blue collar workforce. So that's manufacturing, distribution, B to B services, were like the regular guy guys,

02:24

well, I like that. Charlotte North Carolina.

02:26

Charlotte North Carolina, yep, big NASCAR area. It's an awesome NASCAR area. Yeah, super big.

02:34

All right. Take us through a little bit about what your expectations are with distribute tech and why you're here, and what does that mean? Why is utilities a very or just this industry in general?

02:47

Important to You? Great question, Scott. We think there's a 20 year tailwind of being behind on keeping the electrical infrastructure up at the level that it needs to be, and the demand that's coming from more data centers, more AI, we're not ready for it. It's funny. I quick segue. I go on an Alaska fishing trip every year, and one of the guys is one of the top five data center leasers for one of the top

03:18

five companies, Reston, Virginia. Is he out of Reston?

03:22

He's out of California, but it's, it's one of the big data center operators. And he said to us last, last July, in this fishing trip, he said, You know, there's no power left. We all have it leased up, and you're going to start seeing more brown brown outs and stuff going on. So we just started doing more research and said, Wow, this is actually really true. Let's get ahead of it. And I was talking to one of my friends, gray Cliff partners. They're out in New York. They're one of the better private equity groups that's out there. We've done a number of transactions with them, and one of the things I like is they're they're wicked smart, but super humble, and have great bedside manner. I mentioned this to you when I approached you, I said, you know, there's a there's a statement. Being in this business for 20 years, about 15% of private group, private equity groups, are absolutely awesome, and they're smart and humble. They have great bedside manner. There's another 15, 20% you don't get hurt, and 65 70% you hope they're not your partner. They just get in their own way. They can't help it. And I love that. I have a great client that wants to partner with management and help them have ownership in the business where maybe they don't have it. Today, you've got an older owner, 60 to 80 years old, and they want to transition to a really good home and give their management team an opportunity to have some equity and ownership in the business. We can take that and then grow it in a buy and build plan across the United States. That's why we're here.

04:52

Yeah, well, it's a mouthful. And have you been to powerjet?

04:58

I am going to power. Power Gen, I have not yet, yeah,

05:01

Clarion, who puts this particular event on, also puts on power Gen. They had it. They fact, it was last month here, yeah, not as big, but the scuttlebutt, the constant conversation was definitely data centers, distributed energy. How do we satisfy that? And then, of course, when you come here, you're looking at, well, that's all great and dandy and wonderful, but how do you manage all of that from the grid perspective, ensure that that lights don't flicker, and you're able to do it in an aging infrastructure. And so there, there are a lot of conversations around inefficiencies within the existing structure, and how do you extract and remove those inefficiencies? As much as you possibly can, you get that same sort of chat.

05:56

I do get that chat. We're our focus is going to be more on the generation and the district distribution side of the business, that there just is not enough power being generated. You know, you look at what Trump's doing with the tariffs and reassuring so much more manufacturing that's coming to United States that's going to be a whole other level of demand that I think the data center it's going to align well, with the data center side, as you

06:23

and I, like all that I do. I enjoy the fact that that is the case. You know, what the problem I see, and I don't have, it's way above my pay grade. Don't get me wrong, is the fact that we're bringing, we're reshoring near shoring, you know, all of this manufacturing and incentivizing these companies to come on over. How do we satisfy them with people? And the reason for that is we're having, I have people conversations all the time. You got that silver tsunami happening, so they They're leaving. How do you retain that tribal knowledge? I don't, I don't have an at an and, and how do we and I love it. It's an opportunity. How do we properly market and communicate to the masses that manufacturing is a wonderful profession. You got to get into it.

07:16

You know? I volunteer at our local technical college and Technical High School. Finally, it's becoming okay and cool again to get into the trades, being HVAC and electrical and plumbing and things like that. We did. We blew it. And I think that that has already started to happen, and people recognize they can make 80 100 $120,000, a year in the trades and have a great career there.

07:43

Not only that, when you start, when you start to roll in, the innovation that is taking place, the automation that is taking place, the the there's, there's a global demand, and it's not, you're not having to, I mean, you, if you're really aggressive. You can, you can travel the world doing what you love, and being able to do, you know, provide those services.

08:09

Absolutely, yeah, absolutely. Again, I think we're at the right place at the right time. There's going to be a tremendous amount of demand for both manufacturing and for the electrical grid and infrastructure that you need to run it, and the data centers and the smart technology and automation that you're talking about?

08:25

Yeah, it did, and we're going to have to do it. It's happening, whether you like it. The area that I think is a pinch point that I I don't have a good answer, is that my understanding, because I was a former journeyman lineman, I climbed the towers and all that stuff is very linear. So I have power transmission, distribution substations, and it just goes down to the the end consumer. But now that we have distributed solutions and we have connected generation, just at the at that level, the system operations becomes so sophisticated and complex, and it just sort of fascinates me, because I know we'll be able to do it, but we don't get many bites at the apple, not to mention The regulatory environment as well.

09:22

It's funny that you say that coming here, you see all of the options that you have technologically to monitor and manage the grid and do those things, and that's above my pay grade. I wonder how those guys figure that out. I really like the guys that get out in the field and they've got to turn a wrench and fix stuff or replace stuff that goes bad

09:42

guy. I had a great conversation with a gentleman by the name of Ken Munson. Riv Riv Riv mas, rivmas. Anyway, he talks about, they're, they're, they're a technology solution, and that tech. Technology solution is such a way that that when I was, when I was doing line work, you'd have call outs. So they have a technology they have a solution that helps make that call out process very good. And then when you start talking about bigger events, how to coordinate, how to be able to very, very frontline focus, but very cool, very cool stuff. That's awesome. So with that said, where do you see things going? What? What's what's on your radar, outside of the fact that you're very focused on trying to look for partners to be able to work what? What do you see?

10:41

I see that the United States is a great place to invest. I love what GE vernova is doing to get us into, I'm going to say smart power generation, and that it can work on renewables, it can work on natural gas, it can work on a whole bunch of other What is it ge vernova? Oh, no, I know that. But what are they doing? They are manufacturing the equipment that does it. So all kinds of, all kinds of generating equipment, along with the technology you talked about, the automation, the monitoring, and you have a one stop solution for the power company in order to add more capacity to their their grade

11:20

and what made it so so unique and so special, when, when I was long ago, when, when a car hit a pole and it caused damage it, then you'd get called out, and then you'd have to figure out what happened and what the material and you did it was, you didn't know any difference, that it was pretty much inefficient. And then when he was talking, it was, it was very fascinating, because I said, yeah, yeah, there's room for improvement, and it's all mobile, on a mobile app, so I don't know, I think you're absolutely spot on, and you do need to go to Power Gen awesome, because that that's it. How do people get a hold of you? My friend?

12:02

12:18

thank you, Scott. Are you out on LinkedIn.

12:21

I'm on LinkedIn too. Yep. Matthew Bradbury, yeah, business acquisition and merger associates,

12:26

yeah, because I'm, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put that link. Okay, so whether you like it or not, thank you.

12:33

All right, awesome. That was Matt. He was fantastic. That was a great conversation. Yes, he's hitting on all cylinders. That is a must connection, please. We're going to have all the contact information for Matt out on industrial talk. Once again, we're brought to you by Siemens smart infrastructure and grid software. Go out to siemens.com find out more. They've got a lot going on. They're all a part of this whole thing that Matt was talking about. All right, stay tuned. We will be right back.

13:03

You're listening to the industrial talk Podcast Network.

13:10

See, that wasn't I was painless talking mergers and acquisitions. Matt, he delivered, he did business acquisition and merger associates. That's Matt right there. Reach out to him all the contact information out on industrial talk. It is a conversation that you have to have, and you need to find trusted individuals to be able to have that conversation. Matt statcard, all chock full of information. Go out to LinkedIn and find out more. He's amazing industrial talk. I keep saying it. We need to do a better job. You need to do a better job at amplifying your voice. We need to inspire the next generation of industrial leaders. It could be in mergers and acquisitions. It could be into utilities, power, Gen, manufacturing. It's up to you. I I give that fall to you. You can come on industrial talk. Tell me about it. Tell the followers about it. All right, be bold, be brave. There greatly. Hang out with Matt. Change the world. We're gonna have another great conversation shortly. So stay tuned.