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Brent Smith

Brent Smith

Managing Director, Consumer Products & Services

Chicago skyline

About Brent

Brent Smith is a managing director for William Blair based in the firm’s Chicago office. He originally joined William Blair's investment banking team in 2000. Before joining William Blair, he worked for Lehman Brothers and Heitman Financial Limited.

Community Involvement

JUF Financial Division
Cradles to Crayons, Family Advisory Council
Food Allergy Initiative Chicago

Awards and Affiliations

Buyouts: Deal of the Year, 2016: Gold Standard Baking (Arbor Investments)
Investment Dealers' Digest: 2001 Overall and M&A Breakthrough Deal of the Year (Smuckers Acquisition of JIF and Crisco Brands from Procter and Gamble)

Notable Transactions

Not Disclosed

has been acquired by

a portfolio company of ACON Investments

$600,000,000

has been acquired by

Not Disclosed

a portfolio company of Tilia Holdings

has been acquired by

Not Disclosed

has received a strategic growth investment from

William Blair acted as exclusive financial advisor to Natural Partners, Inc. in connection with a $240 million strategic growth investment led by HGGC, LLC and Snapdragon Capital Partners LLC.

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Not Disclosed

a portfolio company of Sterling Investment Partners

has been acquired by

William Blair acted as the lead financial advisor to All My Sons, a portfolio company of Sterling Investment Partners, in connection with its sale to Golden Gate Capital.

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$532,000,000

a portfolio company of Freeman Spogli & Co

has been acquired by

William Blair served as financial advisor to Green Garden Products, a portfolio company of Freeman Spogli & Co., in connection with its pending sale to Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ: CENT, CENTA). Green Garden Products is the leading independent home gardening platform with a diverse portfolio of branded, consumable gardening products positioned for meaningful growth.

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Not Disclosed

a division of KIK Custom Products and portfolio company of Centerbridge Partners

has been acquired by

a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners

$750,000,000

has been acquired by

William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Ranir LLC, a leading global self care company providing oral care products to consumers worldwide owned by the Kiphart family and Camden Partners, in connection with its pending sale to Perrigo Company plc.

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Not Disclosed

has been acquired by

$1,200,000,000

has been acquired by

Not Disclosed

has been acquired by

Not Disclosed

has been acquired by

Rigorous pursuit of your success. Every transaction. Every time.

Our investment bankers are 100 percent committed to your organization’s sustained success. By drawing on our deep industry and product experience as well as our dedicated global resources, we provide advisory and financing services that allow you to capitalize on today’s opportunities and anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.

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Consumer & Essential Services

Amid rapidly evolving consumer preferences and the proliferation of new brands and channels, our experience and relationships throughout the consumer and retail industry have allowed us to deliver outstanding outcomes for our clients. Corporate boards, management teams, and business owners turn to us for execution excellence, sector expertise, deep relationships with strategic, financial, and family buyers, and creative public and private capital market solutions.

More about our consumer and retail expertise
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About William Blair

William Blair is a premier global boutique with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management. We provide advisory services, strategies, and solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs. As an independent and employee-owned firm, together with our strategic partners, we operate in more than 20 offices worldwide.*

1935

Year William Blair was founded

1,900+

Employees worldwide

149 billion+

Client assets

89 Years

Independent and employee-owned

20+

Offices worldwide

~650

Companies under coverage

As of September 30, 2024
*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets.

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