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Experience

Industries We Know

Our Managing Directors and Principals have been involved in a wide range of assignments and ownership across the following business criteria: manufacturing, trucking and transportation, retail, mechanical contracting, commercial printing, wholesale distribution, banking, real estate, modular and manufactured housing, and cross-border transactions in China and Hong Kong.

Manufacturing Trucking & Transportation Retail Wholesale Distribution Mechanical Contracting Printing & Publishing Banking Real Estate Modular & Manufactured Housing Digital & Blockchain Vertical Software Healthcare Assisted Living China & Hong Kong

Cross-Border · The Giant Deals

Doing Business In China & Hong Kong

Through a strategic collaboration, our firm supports international companies acquiring businesses, establishing operations, or creating sourcing and manufacturing partnerships in China and Hong Kong.

Typical Transactions Facilitated Through Our Collaboration $50M – $500M+

Typical acquisition deals facilitated through our collaboration range from $50 million to over $500 million, and often involve transactions with publicly listed companies in Hong Kong. Whether the goal is to acquire a Chinese company, set up an operational presence, build manufacturing relationships, or establish production facilities, our team provides end-to-end guidance: acquisition strategy, comprehensive financial due diligence, audit and tax consulting, and regulatory and licensing support.

3,500+Professionals in the collaborative network: accountants, attorneys & support personnel

Beijing · Shanghai · ShenzhenCollaborative representative facilities in key business hubs

Hong KongExperience with transactions involving publicly listed companies

For high-stakes transactions, we provide expert assistance with financial structuring, legal and accounting firm referrals, and support for navigating regulatory registration processes, helping clients capitalize on growth opportunities in China while maintaining full legal and financial compliance.

Cross-border services are provided through a strategic collaboration with independent local professionals. Figures describe the typical range of transactions facilitated through that collaboration; every transaction is subject to evaluation, agreement, regulatory approval, and closing conditions, and no outcome is promised or guaranteed.

Discuss a Cross-Border Transaction Read the Full Service

Hong Kong Harbor and skyline fully lit at dusk — Hong Kong · Gateway to $50M–$500M+ cross-border transactions

Practice by Practice

Where We Have Owned & Operated

Not observed from a distance. Our principals have owned, operated, restructured, and sold companies in these industries, and that experience informs every engagement.

01 · Manufacturing

Manufacturing

Our services cater to any type of manufacturing company, regardless of product type or industry. Whether you operate a traditional manufacturing business, produce consumer goods, or run a highly specialized process engineering firm, we can provide valuable insights and assistance for your specific needs, including companies with intricate technical processes or specialized product design and development.

In a sale or acquisition, it is essential that the management team, other than the sellers, remains actively involved during and after the transition. That continuity preserves company culture, sustains client relationships, and keeps the business operating efficiently while new ownership takes over. Our goal is to facilitate that transition so the business’s core leadership stays intact.

Discuss a Manufacturing Transaction →

Automated robots on an automotive assembly line — Seamless transitions · Expert guidance

02 · Trucking & Transportation

Trucking & Transportation

We have a great deal of experience in the trucking industry as a result of our principal’s ownership of one of the nation’s largest trucking enterprises, with $900 million in revenues, and the acquisitions of numerous other transportation businesses. We are long-time specialists and can be your one-stop source for consulting needs across the sector.

Equipment appraisals & financial analysis
Receivable collections & creditor negotiations
Turnaround & reorganization consulting
Excess equipment sales and value analysis
Creditor committee consulting
Business sale valuation estimates, provided free
Business sale valuation estimates (free)

Discuss a Carrier Transaction →

Custom chrome show truck with sleeper and polished trailer at sunset — Long-time specialists in the trucking industry

Special Buying Group · Trucking & Transportation $500,000,000

Federated Freightways Holdings, LLC was established through a collaborative effort between our firm and trucking companies to build a nationwide network of strong regional motor carriers. FFH is actively seeking mergers and acquisitions with motor carriers that align with its strategic goals, with a vision of building a billion-dollar-revenue motor carrier group. Its acquisition approach is built on flexibility: a “hands-off” posture toward daily operations that preserves each company’s identity, leadership, and autonomy, with senior management typically retaining an ownership interest.

The figure reflects capital allocated for trucking acquisitions by the buying group and its participants; it is not capital managed, held, or invested by Sterling Cooper, Inc. Participation and any transaction are subject to evaluation, agreement, and closing conditions.

Request a No-Obligation Carrier Evaluation

03 · Retail

Retail Business

Our principals bring extensive experience in retail business acquisitions, having successfully led high-profile deals such as the acquisition of a New York Stock Exchange-listed department store chain through a tender offer. In retail, market dynamics and timing are key, and our track record reflects a deep understanding of both the operational and financial intricacies of these acquisitions.

We possess broad expertise in all forms of acquisitions, divestitures, and liquidations, alongside vendor support in the retail business. Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or restructure, our team is equipped to manage the full spectrum of transaction types.

Discuss a Retail Transaction →

Multi-level luxury retail atrium with spiral escalators — Where market dynamics and timing are key

04 · Wholesale Distribution

Wholesale Business

Any type of wholesale distribution company can be included, ranging from hardware, plumbing, and lumber to wall coverings, paints, windows and window hardware, as well as certain soft goods, appliances, and electronics. These distributors play a key role in maintaining supply chains for a wide variety of sectors, serving both residential and commercial applications.

We have particular expertise in the distribution of auto and truck parts, with experience extending to food service, tobacco, and sundry products: the essentials that keep industries running.

Discuss a Distribution Transaction →

Vast distribution warehouse aisle, floor to ceiling — Supply chains for a wide variety of sectors

05 · Mechanical Contracting

Mechanical Contracting

Our buying group is actively seeking to acquire well-established heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) contracting firms, as well as specialty contractors in plumbing, piping, fluid movement, and pressure systems. Beyond HVAC and specialty contractors, we are also open to electrical contractors and general contractors who handle a substantial portion of their own mechanical and electrical work.

To maintain stability and ensure a seamless transition, existing management, aside from the sellers, must remain with the company post-acquisition, and sellers may have the opportunity to retain equity as stockholders, staying engaged in the company’s future success.

Discuss a Contracting Transaction →

Industrial plant towers and piping under a blue sky — HVAC · Plumbing · Piping · Pressure systems

06 · Printing & Publishing

Commercial Printing & Publishing

Our principals have extensive experience owning and operating a wide range of printing and publishing companies, including financial printing, catalog printing and mailing, newspaper and magazine printing, packaging, direct mail, and book publishing. They also pioneered scratch-and-sniff printing technology, a mark of the innovative approach they bring to the sector.

We understand the business, and we can provide all types of consulting to any printer-publisher, from operations and equipment to sale preparation and succession.

Explore Our Publishing Division →

High-speed commercial printing press in motion — From financial printing to packaging & direct mail

07 · Banking & Restructuring

Banking & Financial Institutions

Our principals’ assignments and ownership experience extends to banking, including commercial banks and thrifts. That background informs our work in financing introductions, asset-based lending guidance, and equity and mezzanine subordinated debt consulting.

The firm also collaborates with debtors, management teams, turnaround specialists, creditors, creditors’ committees, trustees, and secured creditors throughout reorganizations, developing customized corporate financial recovery plans and facilitating a smooth, expedited exit from the bankruptcy process.

Read About Business Financing →

Financial district skyscrapers at golden hour — Commercial banks, thrifts & restructurings

08 · Real Estate

Real Estate

Our experience includes real estate loan restructuring and negotiation, asset purchases and disposals, and advisory work surrounding the property that sits inside operating businesses. An affiliate formerly owned an 880,000 square foot office building, where the firm still maintains access to an office and conference facilities when meeting clients in person.

For owners of real estate-heavy businesses, we help weigh the property alongside the enterprise, structuring transactions so that both are valued properly.

Discuss a Real Estate Matter →

Blue glass towers rising against the sky — Property valued alongside the enterprise

09 · Modular & Manufactured Housing

Modular & Manufactured Housing

Factory-built housing, modular, manufactured, and prefabricated, is one of the most compelling answers to the nation’s housing shortage: faster construction cycles, controlled quality, and price points conventional site building cannot match. Our advisory covers the full sector, from manufacturers and plants to dealers, developers, and land-lease communities.

Whether you are acquiring a producer, selling a dealership network, or valuing a community portfolio where the operating business and the underlying land must be weighed together, we bring transaction discipline across manufacturing, real estate, and consumer finance to every engagement.

Discuss a Housing Transaction →

Modern modular homes at dusk with a crane setting a factory-built module in place — The future of attainable housing

10 · Digital Infrastructure

Blockchain & Digital Infrastructure

We advise businesses, institutions, and governments on blockchain, tokenization frameworks, decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), and digital settlement platforms: the systems that will move value through the next century of commerce. Industry projections suggest real-world asset tokenization alone could exceed $10 trillion by 2030.^†

Our leadership brings experience across global technology partnerships and digital financial systems, translating emerging infrastructure into practical, results-driven strategies.

Read the Blockchain & AI Advisory →

^† Third-party industry projections; presented for context and not a prediction, promise, or guarantee by Sterling Cooper, Inc.

Glowing blockchain network of linked blocks and chains beneath a world map — The rails of next-century commerce

11 · Vertical Software

Vertical Software & Technology

Vertical software businesses, the specialized platforms that run a single industry end to end, command some of the most durable economics in the market: mission-critical products, high switching costs, and recurring revenue. Our advisory and transaction experience spans software and technology companies of this kind, from deal sourcing for serial acquirers to positioning founders for a premium exit.

Whether you are building a portfolio of vertical-market software companies or preparing to sell one, we bring the acquirer’s discipline and the operator’s eye to valuation, structure, and negotiation.

Discuss a Software Transaction →

Glass office tower with cloud, data, and analytics icons representing vertical software platforms — Mission-critical platforms, recurring revenue

12 · Healthcare

Healthcare

Our advisory work extends across healthcare services, practices, and operators, a sector where demographics guarantee demand and where regulatory complexity rewards experienced counsel. From practice roll-ups and management services organizations to specialty providers, we advise on acquisitions, divestitures, valuations, and succession.

For owners, the moment of transition, whether a sale, a partnership, or a recapitalization, is often the largest financial event of a career. We structure it with the discretion, precision, and speed that the moment deserves.

Discuss a Healthcare Transaction →

Modern healthcare campus at dusk with a glowing DNA helix and heartbeat line — Demographics guarantee demand

13 · Assisted Living

Assisted Living & Senior Care

Assisted living and senior care operators sit at the intersection of real estate, healthcare, and hospitality, and valuing them properly requires fluency in all three. Our advisory covers operators and facilities: acquisitions and divestitures, valuation of the enterprise alongside the underlying property, financing introductions, and operational consulting.

Whether you operate a single community or a regional portfolio, we help you weigh the operating business and the real estate together, so both are valued properly in any transaction.

Discuss a Senior Care Transaction →

Warm assisted living community lounge with residents and a caregiver at golden hour — Real estate, licensed care, and hospitality in one valuation

Strategic Acquisitions

Considering An Acquisition In Your Sector?

Our firm concentrates on advising your business on how to grow through strategic acquisitions, and then implements a plan to do so. If your sector is not listed above, ask; our network of intermediaries spans hundreds of businesses for sale.

Contact Our Advisors Read About Buying