Vaden LeBlanc is a private advisory firm operating across two divisions: Commercial Real Estate Investment Sales & Capital Markets Advisory, and M&A Advisory - serving owners, investors, and shareholders who prefer to move without an audience.
*Vaden LeBlanc is a team affiliated with Hedgestone Business Advisors, North America's #1 M&A Firm; #1 Fastest Growing Firm according to BizBuySell.
We advise owners, investors, and shareholders on the confidential sale, recapitalization, and acquisition of commercial real estate assets and privately held companies. The transactions that matter most are rarely the ones that shout.
Investment sales, dispositions, and acquisitions across commercial asset classes, paired with debt and equity placement, recapitalizations, and structured capital solutions for private investors, developers, operators, and family offices.
Sell-side and buy-side advisory for privately held companies - valuation, positioning, confidential buyer outreach, negotiation, diligence management, and succession planning, with concentrations in healthcare services and residential & commercial services.
FOUNDER & CEO
The assets and businesses that endure are the ones the world quietly can't do without.
— Samuel Vaden
Samuel leads the firm's work across both divisions - commercial real estate investment sales and capital markets, and M&A advisory. Over the course of 16+ years, he has advised on $1B+ in transactions, serving owners, investors, and shareholders of income-producing assets and privately held companies.
His clients operate in fragmented, active markets with strong retention, durable demand, and high interest from private equity, family offices, strategic acquirers, and institutional capital - conducted quietly and with discretion.
Managing Director - M&A Advisory, Healthcare
Joan Tapere serves as Managing Director within the M&A Advisory division, leading the firm's healthcare coverage and advising healthcare business owners, operators, and investors on mergers, acquisitions, and business transitions.
With more than 12 years of experience across the healthcare continuum, Joan brings deep industry knowledge and a practical understanding of the operational, financial, and regulatory factors that drive successful transactions. Her background spans a diverse range of healthcare sectors, including home healthcare, senior living and assisted living communities, medical billing and revenue cycle management, and healthcare staffing.
MANAGING DIRECTOR - M&A ADVISORY, RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL SERVICES
Brian Dunn serves as Managing Director within the M&A Advisory division, leading residential and commercial services coverage and advising owners, operators, and investors on mergers, acquisitions, and business transitions.
With more than 22 years of experience, Brian's background spans private equity leadership, Wall Street investment banking, family office consulting, and global e-commerce M&A - a combination that gives clients institutional-grade execution paired with an owner's perspective on value, timing, and structure.
Board Member
Scott Rix serves as a Board Member of Vaden LeBlanc, bringing more than 30 years of executive leadership, strategic consulting, and business development experience across healthcare, industrial manufacturing, and business services. He has held senior leadership roles with Danaher Corporation, Hollaender Manufacturing, Dapra Corporation, and Southern Payroll & Bookkeeping, driving revenue growth, operational excellence, and market expansion.
Scott's background in global medical sales, manufacturing, and executive consulting provides valuable insight into the opportunities and challenges facing middle-market businesses. As a Board Member, he helps business owners maximize enterprise value, execute growth strategies, and successfully navigate mergers, acquisitions, and business transitions.
Board Member
George Wilson serves as a Board Member of Vaden LeBlanc and is the Chief Executive Officer of Southern Payroll & Bookkeeping, where he helps small and middle-market businesses improve operational efficiency through payroll, HR, accounting, and workforce management solutions.
With executive leadership experience at Southern Payroll & Bookkeeping, Paychex, Ceridian, and Reliance Human Capital Management, George has advised hundreds of organizations on business process optimization, human capital strategy, and scalable growth initiatives. His expertise in operational excellence and organizational performance enables business owners to strengthen profitability and build long-term value.
As a Board Member, George brings practical insight into the operational and financial drivers that position companies for growth, successful transitions, and maximizing enterprise value.
Cornerstone guides on selling, valuing, and acquiring privately held companies and commercial real estate assets - written for owners considering an exit in the next one to five years, and for the investors and strategics evaluating them.
Current trends, active buyers, valuation drivers, and the path from LOI to closing.
EBITDA, multiples, and the variables that separate a good business from a premium asset.
The work that compounds value is done long before a banker is engaged.
Platforms, add-ons, recapitalizations, and life after the closing table.
The variables buyers reward — and the ones they discount.
Active buyers, consolidation trends, and where the multiples are going.
The subsectors where recurring revenue, retention, and security demand converge.
Discipline in sourcing, diligence, and integration for acquirers with a thesis.
The avoidable errors that compress valuation and derail transactions.
Two buyer types, two very different transactions.
Positioning, buyer selection, and the mechanics of running a competitive marketing process.
Why the debt markets, not the sale comps, determine where pricing clears.
Fixed versus floating, lender selection, and the terms that matter more than the coupon.
Timelines, replacement property discipline, and the traps that turn deferral into a bad purchase.
A framework for deciding whether the next dollar of return is better earned elsewhere.
The line items where seller pro formas and buyer models diverge, and why it costs you.
How operating companies convert real estate equity into growth capital without giving up the building.
Where the maturity wall, the equity gap, and patient capital intersect over the next thirty-six months.
Investment sales assignments, capital markets mandates, sell-side and buy-side engagements, and considered introductions are welcomed. Correspondence is reviewed personally and held in confidence.