Stanley Johnson, president of Anderson Roethle Inc.
Name: Stanley C. Johnson
Title: President
Company: Anderson Roethle, Inc.
City of Residence: Wauwatosa
Family: Married to Jill, two grown chiildren
How does the market look to you? "We are still seeing relatively good deal flow, but economic reports, political leaders’ statements and the business press are creating doubts in the minds of business people considering buying or selling a business. The negative climate, of course, impacts multiples used in pricing deals."
What are you working on now? "We are representing several contract manufacturing companies, a company involved in retailing and a golf course business."
What was the best deal you’ve been involved in? "The sale of a large Wisconsin-based agribusiness that grew vegetables for the processing industry. We were able to find a buyer with a market for a different crop. The result was that we were able to sell the business for twenty-five percent more than our original business valuation. Result: a happy client."
What was the funniest or most interesting moment of your career? "I’ll choose interesting. My most interesting transaction was when I assisted two senior managers in a highly leveraged management buyout of a distribution business. First, we had to convince the owner’s attorney that we could get the deal done. Accomplishing that, we completed the deal in a fairly short time. But the most exciting part of the client relationship arose seventeen months later when the new owners were approached by a publicly-traded company that was looking for strategic acquisitions. I assisted in that transaction as well and what was a relatively modest initial investment was multiplied many times over. Our clients stayed on to manage the business and grew the business into the regional headquarters for the national company."
