A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM THE
FOUNDER OF FOUNDERS

“Family businesses are the backbone of our country and I salute them and their enterprising and hardworking ownership.  It's my privilege and delight, as well as most of my life's work, to serve them at times of ownership transition.  Indeed, I took the name of my business from the inspiration I’ve received from my clients, most of whom—for the past nearly half century—have been founders.”

Bob Billow

Chicago

2023

With a career of decorated professional service in Mergers & Acquisitions, I created Founders to be a firm exclusively devoted to the discreet accomplishment of successful sales of privately controlled businesses.

Prior to becoming the creator of Founders, for over a quarter century I was the co-founding leader of a renowned Chicago based leading middle-market investment bank. With a career spanning nearly one-half of a century in the field I have been a veteran of all types of deals. Indeed, my ambition to excel on behalf of clients has never ceased on this journey toward becoming a master in all matters M&A.

Throughout my many years of service I always strived to offer my best advice and guidance to all clients. Hopefully, the testimonials on the following pages will commemorate the excellence, tireless efforts and good character I happily contributed to the realization of my clients’ succession and transition dreams. I always have deemed the opportunity to offer my services to clients as a privilege and honor that commanded my full care and attention. In fact, my personal priorities were always subordinate to those of the client.

In the 1st part of my career my devotion was to become the best M&A lawyer one could be and I strived to do so at the venerable centenarian and international law firm of Winston & Strawn. After nearly a dozen years serving publicly traded NSYE companies and distinguished other businesses, I resigned from the partnership at Winston with the honor of having been the youngest person ever elected to the partnership at that time. Since that time, I have devoted this same zeal and energy to serving my clients as their exclusive investment banker. My experience of nearly 50 years spans many industries and deal sizes ranging from smaller sized businesses to enterprises ranging to $1 billion in pricing.

Founders focus in M&A is strictly on the representation of sellers/owners. We seek to work with a highly esteemed clientele that value the successful closings we are known to achieve.

Our clients may have met us at industry events or been referred to us by their attorneys, accountants, wealth managers and other trusted referral sources who have known and vetted us.

We are honored to tirelessly and persistently serve a curated selection of exclusive companies. These are firms whose powerful potential we believe will have great market traction when their ownership wishes to give serious consideration to a transition. When we are retained, we will be pleased to offer the most discreet and high touch level of elite M&A services.

If you would like to learn more about our firm or the M&A markets or the possible valuation of your business, or if you wish to vet us by speaking to past clients, lawyers, accountants or others that know us well, please call me directly at 847-910-6203 or reach out to me at bob@foundersprivateservices.com.

Bob Billow

Founder

Founders Private Services, LLC