Ephor Group will increase your company's valuation. 

Our approach is proven, pragmatic, and performance oriented.  Our methodology, the Perform Business Process™ fills in the gaps where functional expertise and capital are constraining the business.

Founded by Garry Meier, Ephor has a history of success transforming $2-$20M small businesses into $20-$200M wealth creating enterprises. 


Where do you want to go today?

• Why we are unique
• Our focus (read more about the types of businesses we work with here)
• Our approach (Perform Business Process™)
  

Ephor Group increases equity valuation for labor intensive technology and service firms through our Perform Business Process™, a proven, pragmatic, measurement and metrics driven methodology.

We assist organizations throughout their business lifecycle including:

• Early Stage & Emerging Growth
• Established & Expansion Stage
• Declining & Underperforming

Additionally, Ephor Group can assist in the Exit Planning & Analysis of companies at any stage of their company's lifecycle.

Early stage and emerging companies must effectively allocate their limited resources across the entire spectrum of business demands. Maximum utilization of precious resources is a critical aspect of near and long-term success. Often critical elements needed to achieve profitable, self-sufficient operations are not in place. Ephor Group's seasoned and experienced advisors are proficient in filling these areas.

By applying Perform Business Process™ methodologies we are able to identify and provide proper process, measurement, and metrics to insure scaleability.

Established & Expansion Stage

The best managers and owners of companies play to their strengths.  But brilliance in one functional area does not necessarily translate into long-term success in the marketplace.  Ephor Group applies Perform Business Process™ to the company in a holistic approach, identifying and solving critical strategic and operational challenges. 

As important Ephor also bridges the gap between management and ownership where many times the relationship can be strained by multiple biased priorities and inconsistent operating and strategic execution and expectations.

Businesses that are underperforming are always sequestered by more than one factor.  Perform Business Process™ combines a pragmatic analysis of the company, its capital structure, and a performance improvement initiative. We then fill-in-the-gaps between the resources the company can bring to bear on the problem and the needed solution. 

From working with creditors to managing costs and improving revenues, Ephor Group approaches turnarounds using a structured, consistent methodology that focuses the business on the right activities at the right time with clear direction and management consistency.

When market conditions or company specific factors make an exit a strategic initiative the business must be in a position to capture maximize equity values.

Short-term (tactical) initiatives that dress up a company for sale rarely create real increases in equity value. Ephor Group focuses on the strategic drivers in the business, the business model, and near-term operational efficiencies which yield results to support a durable and credible increase in value and earn out maximization.

Our engagements are not single threaded, our involvement crosses a range of functional and specialist domains. Therefore Ephor Group engagements typically include some combination of the following services based on our analysis of the business and its requirements.

Strategic Assessments & Analysis

• Business model analysis
• Companies position in industry, value proposition analysis, and needs assessments
• Organizational abilities and capacity against market opportunities
• Product and service portfolio analysis

Corporate Governance Services

• Board of Director (BOD) leadership and structure
• BOD participation
• Conflict resolution
• Stakeholder alignment programs
• Team building of Board of Directors and/or management

Operational Assessments & Analysis

• Business process analysis and development
• Functional capability and effectiveness analysis
• IT systems analysis and MIS evaluation
• Key performance indicator development and analysis by function
• Management process evaluation and effectiveness: Dashboards

Management Assessment & Analysis

• Coaching and counseling
• Management assessments
• Management process implementation
• Interim management services and management augmentation
• Recruitment needs and fulfillment
• Skill gap analysis: Training requirements

Business & Corporate Development Processes & Programs 

• Analysis of sales, marketing, and program development
• Business development initiatives
• Corporate development initiatives
• M&A buy side activities
• Partner program design, development, and implementation
• Strategic alliance identification and program development

HR Strategy

• Analysis of requirements, solution definition, process development, and delivery of HCM solutions and execution of HRO services
• HCM/HRO strategy development through execution
• HR operations analysis and assessment
• Implementation of software, services, and methodology execution
• Organization design, modeling, and change management and alignment
• Product, service, and process review and best practice optimization
• Stability and transformation for mergers and acquisitions

Performance Improvement Process & Programs

• Corrective action programs
• Organizational structure and changes
• Process changes and enhancements
• Turnaround programs

Financial Analysis & Engineering

• Capital structure needs and analysis
• Financial measurements and metrics
• Outsourcing of services identification, vendor selection, and implementation
• Productivity and cost analysis

Capital Formation & Fundraising

• Capital allocation and sourcing
• Offering document development
• Structure and pricing
• Targeting of institutional investors

“Many times companies engage us to solve a singular issue, but ninety percent of the time the solution needs a combination of strategic guidance, operational improvement, management augmentation, or capital in order to solve the underlying issues.” – Garry Meier, Ephor Group Founder.

A thorough assessment is at the heart of our process. Read more about our assessment process the Perform Business Process ™.

Ephor Group – where value operates.

Founder
Principles

• Do you have a portfolio investment which has been in the portfolio for 2-3 years and is not achieving the investment thesis?
• Have you made a recent portfolio investment and so far it has not tracked to meet its initial goals?
• Does a portfolio company have a dysfunctional board with conflicting agendas?
• Not sure if management is effective or not?
• Do you have a portfolio company that needs to prepare for and/or create exit opportunities?

Ephor Group creates EBITDA improvement for technology and service based businesses generating maximum portfolio returns.

Ephor Group's extensive background as an institutional investor, operating executive, and BOD chairman will provide that market perspective consistency balance necessary to maximize returns. Our process starts with a pragmatic assessment of your business which includes a roadmap for improvement.

• Improve strategic and operating performance of individual portfolio companies
• Make the smaller investment at lower EBITDA multiples where risk and improvement areas are identified during due diligence
• Create effective and balanced Board of Directors and corporate governance
• Spend less of your precious time and resources on portfolio management activities
• Have access to domain expertise during due diligence and the portfolio management process

We specialize in organizations with the following attributes in their business model:

• Labor intensive
• Low asset based
• Excessive customer acquisition costs
• Complex distribution
• End-user customer satisfaction is critical
• Management and measurement processes are critical to success
• Multi-functional dependency
• Changing exogenous environment

We specialize in organizations in the following sector focus areas:

• Business process outsourcing
• Human capital management
• HRO and HRIT outsourcing
• Workforce management and staffing
• Medical business services
• Marketing services and customer acquisition services
• Education and training
• Software and technology services

Ephor Group has a multi talented team of cross-functional operators as well as management consultants, business gurus, investors, and advisors. 

With some of the best minds in business on call, we apply the appropriate team needed for each specific client need. 

	Bill Britton (954) 321-8280 bbritton[at]crosskeyscapital.com http://www.crosskeyscapital.com	“Brining Wall Street to Main Street,” Cross Keys Capital is an investment banking firm dedicated to serving middle market companies. Cross Keys Capital sells, recaps or finds growth capital for best-of-class growth companies with valuations from $10 to $300 million.
	Mike Goodwin (713) 861-1195 mgoodwin[at]equityrisk.com www.equityrisk.com	Equity Risk Partners is the only full services insurance brokerage and risk management consulting firm working exclusively for investment groups and their portfolio companies. Equity Risk Partners provides services to portfolio companies across all exposures - Property & Casualty, Health & Welfare, 401(k), Executive Liability, Specialty Risk (e.g. Environmental, Representations & Warranties, et.al.)
	Mark Willaman 831-685-9700 mwillaman[at]hrmarketer.com www.hrmarketer.com	HRmarketer is the #1 Internet marketing and media visibility service for companies selling to human resource departments We connect Human Resource suppliers with marketing opportunities and provide tools and services to reach HR buyers.
	Terry Peltes 303-874-4100 TPeltes[at]certuscorp.com	Terry Peltes recently completed the successful turnaround and sale of a national healthcare services company on behalf of its investor group. Terry sits on the board of several private companies and acts as an advisor for several companies across industries. Terry has also been interviewed for his ideas and business views by several prominent local and national publications.
	Rich Dunphy (603) 247-2700 Richdun[at]mindspring.com http://www.tcr-llc.com	Taylor Consulting Resources exists to provide Executive and HR Management level support in matters related to the selection and introduction of Information and Processing platforms for high quality solutions in the support of Human Resource related functions including HRO, HCM, Payroll, Employee Benefits, Training, Recruitment, Retirement Plans, and Organization Development.”
	Richard A. Goldman (713) 331- 5570   Rgoldman[at]houston.rr.com www.birkman.com	The most powerful non-clinical interpersonal assessment today. Leading business tool that facilitates individual growth, corporate change, and organizational effectiveness. For over 50 years, leading companies around the world have used our proven method of assessing human potential to raise business performance to new levels of excellence and drive the changes needed to compete successfully.
	Paula Kvarnberg (561) 582-1892 paula[at]hradvisorllc.com www.searchamericallc.com	HR Advisor, LLC is a Human Resources Consulting firm. Search America locates director and executive level candidates thru traditional and Internet headhunting techniques.
	Chris Malick 214.769.9304 cmalick[at]cto247.com www.cto247.com	Ultimate solution in addressing your organization's information technology needs and implementing technology solutions to drive business results - - fast.
	David Neikrug 212.652.8500 dneikrug[at]optimatumgroup.com www.optimatumgroup.com		Benefits Consulting

Contact us at ephor[at]ephorgroup.com to learn about becoming a partner or incentives for referral partners.

Latin America - mecca of opportunity.

sitio web de espanol de Ephor Group

Ephor Group SPM&I is a limited partnership fund that provides liquidity and growth capital as well as management expertise to mid market private companies in Central America.

Opportunity

We are extremely bullish on the opportunities available in many emerging economies. Entire business service industries in these economies are positioned for rapid growth through consolidation and across to additional capital. These businesses are benefiting from a convergence of factors including:

• Positive macro-environment and economic growth conditions / emerging economies
• Robust real estate and infrastructure spending
• Service requirements developing behind infrastructure spending
• Market need for business services
• Lack of middle market financing alternatives
• Entrepreneurial workforces
• Emergent exit opportunities (IPO, multinationals, recapitalization)

In particular we see a strong need for institutional equity and mezzanine financing that provides capital that is simply unavailable in these economies. In many respects, these emerging economies and the environment for investor capital represent a similar set of circumstances of those in North America in the 1970's.

The effect of incomplete financial markets is that they eliminate an entire segment of financial transactions necessary to fully develop the economy. Specific problems include:

• Consolidation financing is not available leaving markets open to bigger, international players rather than home grown solutions
• Illiquidity as mergers and acquisitions have no way to be efficiently financed
• Lack of middle market incubator creates skill and management gaps
• No effective means to accomplish generational transfer of wealth
• Service based businesses lack access to capital and remain highly fragmented
• Economy stratified into ends of the size spectrum – large companies with access to capital and small companies constrained by lack of capital

The time is right to begin an orderly, sustainable investment of mezzanine and equity money into these opportunities. Ephor Group is committed to bridging the gap in Central America between entrepreneurial and corporate businesses both financially and operationally. 

Mr. Meier has assembled an experienced, highly effective, results driven team that illustrates our 120 years of domain, functional sector, and management experience. Ephor Group’s team of consultants, executives, and investors combines cross-industry perspective with deep specialist knowledge.

Ephor Group applies a consistent, time proven methodology to all of our investments.  This method moves past the symptoms to diagnose the root problems challenging the business.  We stick around for the fix, taking an active role in interim management or board level oversight as the company moves through its performance improvement program. 

We create value through financial engineering, strategic management and operational expertise.  We ensure success by deploying capital to fund growth within existing lines of business, change of control, consolidations and/or strategic re-positioning

Contact us for a list of current Central American businesses we advise.

Ephor Group SPM&I is seeking to invest in business service opportunities in Central America that meet these criteria:

• Revenues between $2.0 million to $15.0 million
• Banks and asset based lenders are not supplying sufficient capital (especially for exponential growth requirements)
• Limited asset base
• Company fundamentals are sound including some combination of niche protection, market leadership, revenue and/or margin growth and market opportunity
• Operational complexity benefits from strategic and managerial expertise
• Industry segment supports buy-and-build and consolidations
• Revenues generated through business-to-business transactions
• Responds to performance-based management culture

• Capitalize on strong, proprietary deal flow
• Co-invest in fund opportunities where they strongly match individual limited partners’ investment criteria
• Deploy capital managed by an experienced investment team with an impressive track record
• Diversify overall portfolio with holdings of private companies
• Invest in emerging platforms in the Central American economic opportunity at attractive valuations
• Participate in equity structures typically unavailable to individual investors
  
  

For more information, contact us at ephor[at]ephorgroup.com

sitio web de espanol de Ephor Group

The Ephor Group’s Perform Business Process™ was created by Garry Meier to increase equity valuations for technology and service based firms.  It starts with an analysis to determine the underlying barriers to success and provides a plan and the resources needed to create near-term and sustainable business model improvement.

By first analyzing a business holistically including strategy, operations, and financial, and unbiased from what the opinions of management, board members, or other stakeholder’s believe ensures that the right issues are identified and resolved.

Often, strategic issues are affecting the effectiveness of the organization and execution flaws are impeding strategy.  Since one is caused by the other, the issues cannot be resolved without first identifying the underlying root cause issues. 

Improving performance starts with solving the real issues, not the perceived! 

Perform Business Process™

Perform Business Process™

The goal is sustainable strategic and operational improvement.  

Perform Business Process™ was developed specifically for technology and service based businesses. It is a blue print for organizations to follow and lead them to the next stage of their development by improving three business aspects strategy, tactics and operations.

This three prong approach includes balancing stakeholders, multidisciplinary and functional improvements, and formulating long-term vision.

For more information contact us at ephor[at]ephorgroup.com.