A managed service provider in Southern Texas apparently has retained Sarlex Partners to help sell the company. Sarlex positions itself as a strategic consulting firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions. I wonder: Will more and more MSPs turn to advisors and deal brokers to accelerate their M&A activity?

Joe Panettieri, Former Editorial Director

September 8, 2009

2 Min Read
MSP Mergers and Acquisitions: Need An Advisor?

A managed service provider in Southern Texas apparently has retained Sarlex Partners to help sell the company. Sarlex positions itself as a strategic consulting firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions. I wonder: Will more and more MSPs turn to advisors and deal brokers to accelerate their M&A activity?

Sarlex Partners LLC certainly isn’t alone in the MSP Merger and Acquisition advisor space. Two other examples:

Readers Weigh In

Back on Sept. 3, I suggested that the MSP merger and acquisition industry was a bit slow this year because there were too many sellers and too few buyers. But readers have since posted a range of comments — a few of which disagreed with some of my views.

Shortly after the post, Sarlex Managing Partner Michael W. Hines reached out to me, disclosing that he was representing a Southern Texas MSP that was seeking a buyer. His note included the following line:

“…if there is anyone looking at expansion, in South Texas, there is an opportunity. They can email me for further information. mhines [at] sarlexpartners.com.”

Parting Shots

Please note: I’ve never heard of Sarlex before my email exchange with Hines. So I’m not endorsing their services nor can I personally confirm the identity of the MSP they’re representing. As with any potential M&A — buyer and seller beware (i.e., do your homework).

Still, it’s good to see some M&A chatter getting a little louder. I still believe the market is a bit soft. But perhaps readers will prove me wrong.

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About the Author(s)

Joe Panettieri

Former Editorial Director, Nine Lives Media, a division of Penton Media

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