Intrepid Investment Bankers announced it hired J.B. Hewetson to launch its Restaurant & Franchise Concepts M&A and capital advisory practice.
Intrepid has a successful track record in consumer products and services, with established practices covering Food, Beverage & Agriculture; Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness; Lifestyle Brands & Apparel; and Toys & Giftware.
The Restaurant & Franchise Concepts vertical is a natural extension, as Intrepid’s parent, global financial company MUFG, is one of the largest lenders to the Restaurant & Hospitality sector, with ~$6B of capital committed to company-operated brands, franchisors, and franchisees.
J.B. brings nearly 20 years of M&A, operations, and financing experience within sectors including restaurants, fitness, grocery, health & wellness, automotive, and business and consumer services.
“I could not be more excited to lead this platform at Intrepid at a time when middle market brands and their franchisees need expert advice as they face generational and institutional transfers, financing needs, and acquisition opportunities,” J.B. said. “The Intrepid | MUFG platform offers a rare opportunity to provide wholistic client solutions in transaction advisory and debt capital.”
“The combination of J.B.’s industry experience, Intrepid’s middle-market M&A advisory platform, and MUFG’s balance sheet and credit solutions bring a unique offering to the marketplace,” said Ed Bagdasarian, Chief Executive Officer of Intrepid. He added, “Intrepid is operating with our largest, most-talented team in firm history, as we continue to attract best-in-class investment bankers. Our Restaurant & Franchise Concepts practice is the latest addition to our growing number of sector-focused advisory teams that work seamlessly with our MUFG industry-focused banking teams to bring all of the resources and capabilities of one of the largest global financial institutions to our clients.”