After an extraordinarily busy year in merger and acquisition activity in 2021, the Business Courier held a forum featuring experts in that space who assessed the current environment for deals and looked ahead to what might be next given the current economic conditions.

The featured panelists were: Kevin Bruegge, a private wealth advisor and managing director of The Evelo|Singer|Sullivan Group wealth management firm; Keith Carlson, managing director and shareholder in VonLehman CPA and Advisory Firm; and Michael Hurley, a partner at Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP, who practices in the corporate law and finance arena. The forum was held Sept. 29 at the offices of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and was moderated by Steve Watkins, a Business Courier reporter who covers banking, finance, and investments.

Watkins began by noting that 2021 saw $2.6 trillion worth of deals in the U.S., a record. He asked the panelists to comment on what kind of dynamics are affecting the M&A market currently. Hurley commented that this year has still been very strong, but not nearly as much volume as last year. He usually represents companies in the middle-market range, $30 million to $100 million in revenue, who are seeking to do private deals, so broader market forces in the overall economy have not yet trickled down to that level.

“I would say it’s not last year, but it’s still a very good year,” he said.