—Thomas O. Miller & Co.“During my work with Bill Beattie, prior to his co-founding Keiter Stephens Advisors, he helped us figure out where our operator relationships were profitable – and where they were not. Why is this so important in our industry? We want to be the best partner we can be. We build long-term relationship with our operators to help them grow their business. Bill Beattie really understands that better than anyone else I’ve seen in finance – that the customer is #1 and always will be, and it takes a sound partnership to service them so that we all benefit in the long run.”
—Favorite Foods“Our relationship with Bill Beattie and Keiter Stephens Advisors goes back nearly ten years. They have worked with us on a number of initiatives including the acquisition of a competitor, a buyout between family members, management incentive programs, and strategic and tactical planning. Their industry knowledge, integrity, financial expertise and sense of fair play have proved to be invaluable. Favorite Foods is now in a significantly improved position to build upon our past success to the benefit of our customers, our employees and the owners of the company. I would recommend highly KSA to any owner looking to position their company for future success.”
—Cara Donna Provision Company“To be a best-in-class foodservice distributor, you need to know about finances. You must have command of the numbers and the metrics that indicate your business is not just running, but running strong. Simply buying and selling groceries will not get you there. You should have a plan in place to grow the value of your business every day. Keiter Stephens Advisors works with us to become even more financially strong and savvy – so that we can be the best foodservice distributor we can be, for our customers, for our family shareholders, and for our employees.”
—Thurston Foods, Inc.“We are a family owned business with a long history of success, however we were facing the same challenges as most other foodservice distributors. We wanted advice from an independent authority, one who has the ongoing opportunity to see the industry from a much broader perspective. KSA took the time to learn the unique aspects of our organization and to conduct their “KSA Financial Analysis” – a detailed report containing a range of financial benchmarking analyses and real world recommendations. We are currently working with them to implement many of those recommendations, including evaluating strategic acquisitions. Keiter Stephens Advisors has proven to be a trusted partner whom we can rely upon for honest assessment and sound business advice.”
—Pate Dawson Company“I have known Bill Beattie, KSA’s Managing Director, for many years. KSA is particularly well qualified because of their knowledge of the broadline industry and their specific experience in closing meat company transactions. Their team provided a creative transaction structure for a very complex situation and skillfully managed the negotiations with the various parties involved. We are very pleased with how they represented us in securing this opportunity.”
—Ben E. Keith Foods“Keiter Stephens not only understands broadline distribution and finance, they also brought in a meat specialist on our deal who had experience managing a meat operation similar to Winn’s. KSA works hard to get it right, because they know there’s no margin for error in foodservice.”
—Sysco Corporation“When we needed assistance in selling a non-core asset, our first thought was to go to Keiter Stephens. KSA’s depth of knowledge in the foodservice industry is unquestioned, and when we challenged them to help us divest a transportation business, they rose to the occasion and did an outstanding job. This experience confirmed for us that KSA has the talent and depth to tackle any opportunities presented to them. We look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship with KSA.”