The Deal Podcast
Joshua Wilson
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The Deal Podcast, hosted by M&A advisor Joshua Wilson, explores the human and financial aspects of building enterprise value in the lower- and middle-market. It features conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, and professionals like CPAs and attorneys, focusing on the strategies behind mergers and acquisitions. The show aims to demystify the deal-making process by highlighting the people and stories behind the numbers.
Epizodai
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Playing Offense or Defense With Your Company's Value with Ben Vance 17.08.2026 1val 6minShould you grow your business or protect it? The answer depends on one number — and most owners don't know theirs. In this episode, Joshua Wilson and co-hosts Scott Shea (FA Mergers) and Jeremy Beyt (CEO, ThreeSixtyEight) sit down with Ben Vance, CPA, Director at Faulk & Winkler, who brings nearly 20 years in business valuation, transaction advisory, and family office work. Ben unpacks the difference between "playing offense" and "playing defense" with enterprise value, why the legacy bil... -
We're Not a Construction Company, We're a People Company — Lenny Lemoine 10.08.2026 1val 8minHe built a national construction firm out of a town of fewer than 1,000 people — then sold it without feeling like he sold out. In this episode, Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea sit down with Lenny Lemoine, founder of LEMOINE, the Louisiana services company he and his brother Tim grew from a family lumberyard into a 1,500-person leader in building, infrastructure, and disaster response. Lenny walks through decades of building enterprise value: the early hard-bid years, the choice to drop... -
The Hidden Asset Smart PE Firms Protect at All Costs with Jeffrey Koonce 03.08.2026 44minWhat separates the PE firms that build lasting companies from the ones that destroy them? Jeff Koonce says it comes down to one asset that never shows up cleanly on a balance sheet. Jeffrey Koonce is a Partner at Bernhard Capital Partners, a Baton Rouge-based services and infrastructure-focused private equity firm with more than $6 billion in AUM. A recovering CPA and former tax attorney at Phelps Dunbar, Jeff joined BCP as General Counsel and has been part of the firm's growth from its first... -
The Family Office Playbook for Lower Middle Market Acquisitions — Erik Billet 27.07.2026 1val 4minErik Billet and Jude David built a family office that's done 12 acquisitions in five years — without outside investors, without a fund clock, and without ever planning to flip a single company. In this episode, Erik Billet, CFO of Kin Capital Partners and CEO of Stately Doors and Windows, joins Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner at FA Mergers, to walk through how a two-man partnership grew into a multifamily office acquiring lower middle market businesses. E... -
Stuck in the Founder Trap? How to Free Yourself From the Day to Day with Jeff Martin 20.07.2026 43minWhat happens when a buyer looks at your business and says, "The owner is too involved — we can't pluck him out"? That's the moment your exit value collapses. And it's the moment Jeff Martin has spent a career helping founders avoid. In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA and Managing Partner at FA Mergers, sit down with Jeff Martin — serial entrepreneur, four-time exiter, and founder of Company Growth Academy. Jeff shares hard-won lessons ... -
From Ministry to Real Estate: Lessons From a Career Pivot with John Ray Perkins 13.07.2026 1valHe spent over two decades as a full-time Catholic minister. Then four kids, a tight bank account, and a global pandemic forced a pivot that would reshape everything. In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA and Managing Partner at FA Mergers, sit down with John Ray Perkins, a top-producing Realtor with Keller Williams Realty of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana. After 20+ years in youth and parish ministry at St. Peter's in Carencro and St. P... -
Scaling a Law Firm Without Losing the Mission with Blake David 06.07.2026 46minWhat does it take to scale a plaintiff's law firm to 17 attorneys across three offices — without losing the mission, the culture, or your sanity? Blake David has done it, and he's still trying cases. In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson sits down with Blake R. David, founding partner of Broussard, David & Moroux in Lafayette, Louisiana, alongside co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner at FA Mergers — and Blake's younger brother. Blake is one of the most deco... -
How Founders Use Community Foundations to Protect Their Legacy with Missy Andrade 29.06.2026 42minWhat if the smartest move before your liquidity event isn't talking to your banker — it's talking to a community foundation? In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea sit down with Missy Andrade, President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Acadiana (CFA), to unpack one of the most overlooked tools in middle market dealmaking: the community foundation. Missy leads a 26-year-old organization stewarding more than $253 million in assets across roughly 1... -
Eat What You Kill: The Bet-On-Yourself Model — Mark Weber 22.06.2026 53minMark Weber made $12,000 his first year in business. He never hired an employee. Three decades later, he's built a portfolio across life insurance, real estate, and mortgage lending — all on strategic partnerships and commission-only hustle. Mark Weber is a serial entrepreneur, inventor, and CEO of Mark Weber Enterprises — a multi-layered company spanning real estate, investments, insurance, and mortgage lending. In this episode, Mark sits down with host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, M... -
Mergers and Acquisitions in the Nonprofit World 15.06.2026 1val 1minWhat if the smartest growth strategy in your community wasn't being run by a private equity firm — it was being run by a charity? Kim Boudreaux and Sarah Clement of Catholic Charities of Acadiana have spent the last two decades quietly executing one of the most disciplined nonprofit roll-up strategies in Louisiana — growing from a $1.2M agency with 23 employees into a $15M, 90-person, 14-organization platform serving eight civil parishes. In this episode, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude D... -
From Career to Calling: Inside Family Missions Company with Saul Keeton & Kevin Granger 08.06.2026 51minWhat if the Lord interrupted your career at the peak of the American dream? Saul Keeton walked away from 25 years in commercial real estate. Kevin Granger left nursing and music behind. Both said yes to something bigger. In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson sits down with Saul Keeton and Kevin Granger of Family Missions Company — the largest lay Catholic foreign missionary organization in the world — alongside co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA and Managing Partner at FA Merg... -
From Law to the Priesthood: Discerning the Call with Father Jim Brady 01.06.2026 1val 4minWhat does it actually take to walk away from a thriving career at the top of your game — and how do you do it without leaving wreckage behind? In this special episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA — Managing Partner at FA Mergers — sit down with Father Jim Brady, JCL, Pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Lafayette, Louisiana. Before entering the priesthood, Father Brady spent eleven years building a regional law practice as a litigation partne... -
The Opportunity Machine: Powering Louisiana's Startup Boom — Destin Ortego 25.05.2026 1val 5minWhat happens when a former musician with degrees in graphic design and public relations becomes the executive director of one of Louisiana's most important startup engines? You get Destin Ortego — and a playbook that's helped founders raise $116M in venture capital and drive over $2 billion in economic impact since 2018. In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea sit down with Destin Ortego, Executive Director of Opportunity Machine, the Lafayette-based non... -
The Public-Private Partnership Playbook with Mike Tarantino 18.05.2026 49minWhat does it actually take to land a $1.4 billion manufacturing deal in a parish of 70,000 people? Mike Tarantino has the playbook — and he's running it in real time. In this episode, Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea sit down with Mike Tarantino, President and CEO of the Iberia Industrial Development Foundation, to break down the mechanics of modern economic development dealmaking. Mike walks through how Iberia Parish, Louisiana beat out 15+ competing communities to land First Solar's 2.3... -
The Pattern Recognition Skill That Built Four Exits with Steven Pivnik 13.05.2026 38minWhat if the same company could give you four bites of the apple? Steven Pivnik did exactly that — and nearly lost it all in between. In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson sits down with Steven Pivnik, serial founder, endurance athlete, and exit advisor who built and monetized the same software company four separate times before finally selling to a $4 billion competitor. Steven shares the real story behind the wins — and the gut-punch in the middle when he came back from a t... -
Gatr Coolers: The Story Behind the Brand with Bryan McGehee 11.05.2026 1val 6minWhat does it take to turn a text message into a viral brand? Bryan McGehee, founder of Gatr Coolers, did exactly that — starting from a camper with his wife and kids, betting his house on a cooler company, and going full-time the same month COVID shut the world down. Bryan McGehee is the founder of Gatr Coolers, a premium customizable cooler and drinkware brand built out of Thibodaux, Louisiana. Bryan spent years working pipeline jobs, living in hotels and campers, before a text from his brot... -
Finding Your Highest and Best Use as an Entrepreneur — Dominic Dupré 04.05.2026 52minWhat if the biggest mistake you're making isn't a bad deal or a wrong hire — but spending your life doing things you're capable of instead of things you were made for? Dominic Dupré grew up watching four cousins build successful companies in Louisiana's energy corridor. He graduated into the shale boom, swung sledgehammers on a workover rig, and had his entrepreneurial dreams derailed by the 2014 oil bust — only to be called back into the family business to turn around a failing crude hauling... -
The Growth by Subtraction Playbook for Middle Market Founders with Yarin Gaon 01.05.2026 44minWhat if the thing slowing your growth isn't what's missing — it's what you refuse to cut? Yarin Gaon sold his fourth company at 28, ran turnarounds as an Entrepreneur in Residence at a venture capital firm, mentored 400+ founders through the University of Chicago and SCORE, and has earned an MBA along the way. Today he runs Fractional Partners, where he applies a private equity-style operating playbook to lower middle market businesses stuck in what he calls the "messy middle" — the $2M to $2... -
The Partner You Need When You've Run Out of Gas — George Boudreaux & Nathan Rath 29.04.2026 51minHe was drowning in investor debt, swinging a hammer in Houston just to make payroll — and still found a way to build something worth fighting for. This is a story about grit, partnership, and what it really takes to grow a trade business from the inside out. George Boudreaux founded Pelican Roofing Company in Lafayette, Louisiana on July 4th, 2014 — not from a place of momentum, but from a burning need to survive. After a real estate venture in Houston went sideways and left him half a millio... -
Building a Business With Your Spouse Without Losing Your Mind — Kenny & Stacy Maggard 27.04.2026 48minShe thought it was total BS. Then they built a company together — and haven't looked back since. Kenny and Stacy Maggard turned a margarita-fueled conversation into Azalea Health Services, a mission-driven mental health company serving seniors in long-term care settings across Louisiana and Texas. Kenny Maggard spent 15 years as a middle market banker at Capital One before stepping into private equity and ultimately taking the leap into entrepreneurship. Stacy Maggard brought a background in ...
