Good M&A advice comes from people who have sat on both sides of the table and then had to run the business afterward. Dan Goldstein has owned the acquisition process from prospecting to close, participating in approximately 100 acquisitions with a combined market value above $3B, and has built three M&A departments from the ground up. Based in the Chicago area, Dan advises buyers and sellers across the United States.
Buy-side advisory
Acquisition strategy and target criteria, pipeline development, outreach, valuation modeling, due diligence, deal structuring, negotiation, and close. At Synagro, Dan built and prioritized a pipeline of 100+ targets and closed three acquisitions. At WCA Waste, he built a formal M&A department capable of closing three to eight acquisitions a year.
Sell-side and exit readiness
Preparing a company to command a premium: financial packaging, quality of earnings support, management presentation preparation, and alignment on the value creation story and timing. Dan played a key role in the $1.2B sale of WCA Waste to GFL Environmental, and at LRS completed four divestitures generating $170M+ in liquidity at an 11× multiple.
Valuation and negotiation
Valuation depends on the buyer's own cost of capital and expected returns, not just the seller's multiple. Our approach is outlined in What's It Worth To You: Valuing Businesses, and the negotiation principles behind closing deals are covered in Negotiations Is a Skillset for Life.
Diligence and integration
Diligence and integration work best as one continuous effort, not two handoffs. Read more in Diligence and Integration: Why Dancing Together Makes Better Music.
Related services
Many M&A engagements pair with fractional CFO or interim CFO leadership, so one person can own both the deal and the finance function that supports it. Dan's deepest transaction experience is in waste and environmental services.