First Financial Bank is excited to welcome Brady Ware Capital to the Yellow Cardinal family.

Brady Ware Capital division was acquired by First Financial Bank’s Yellow Cardinal Advisory Group and will now be known as Yellow Cardinal Business Succession Services. This serves to enhance the bank’s ability to serve the needs of clients from establishing and growing their business through the time they may choose to sell or transition ownership. Adding the extensive experience of the Brady Ware team significantly increases our ability to help you with all aspects of selling or transitioning your business.

Learn more about our M&A Advisory Services Learn more about Business Succession Planning

Our Merger & Acquisition Advisory Services:

  • Sell 100% of the business to a third party strategic or financial buyer
  • Sale of less than 100% interest
  • Management buyout
  • Redemption of ownership over time
  • Finding financing to fund a one-time special dividend
  • Positioning the business for a future event

Yellow Cardinal Business Succession Services will advocate on your behalf to keep your best interests in mind as you determine the best way forward for your business. Our team has the experience and knowledge to guide you through almost any situation. Combining that with First Financial’s strength and banking capabilities will allow us to continue to provide you excellent service along your entire journey.

Interested in deals we've done?

View recent transactions

Our team

Meet Cliff Bishop, Executive Managing Director for Yellow Cardinal Business Succession Services

Cliff has over 30 years of experience working with middle-market companies, the past 18 of which have been spent in the mergers and acquisitions/investment banking arena. Cliff provides creative solutions relating to mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising projects. His creativity combined with his extensive experience in structuring, negotiating, and executing transactions equates to exceptional results for our Yellow Cardinal Business Succession Services clients.

Cliff earned his undergraduate degree in finance from Indiana University and his MBA from the University of Dayton. He holds FINRA Series 7 and 79 securities registrations.

Cliff is an active volunteer/board member with the YMCA of Metropolitan Dayton and Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley. He has also been a volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Miami Valley and a mentor in the Montgomery County College Promise program.

Email: Cliff.Bishop@YellowCardinalAdvisors.com
Office: 937.610.9325
Cell: 513.957.1816

Meet Roger Furrer, Managing Director for Yellow Cardinal Business Succession Services

In his current role, Roger focuses his time on sell-side advisory services, mergers and acquisitions, and debt placements. Roger has previously demonstrated entrepreneurial experiences by building up the Greater Dayton market for First Financial Bank from scratch, then joining a rapidly-growing Bannockburn Global Forex as its COO, Sales Manager, and Managing Partner. In addition, Roger has held various senior-level management positions and led teams at large banks in the Greater Dayton, Ohio area. Roger has over 40 years of experience in business and leverages his knowledge of middle-market companies to help structure, negotiate, and execute transactions to produce successful outcomes for business owners.

Roger earned both his undergraduate degree in management/finance and his MBA from the University of Dayton. He holds his FINRA Series 62, 63, and 79 securities registrations.

Roger has been an active volunteer/board member with numerous non-profits in the Greater Dayton area and was chair of the board for Artemis, CityWide Development, and Miami Valley In-ovations. He presently serves on the boards of three operating businesses with aggregate revenue approaching $200 million.

Email: Roger.Furrer@YellowCardinalAdvisors.com
Office: 937.610.9326
Cell: 937.238.9401

Meet Stephen Ford, Managing Director for Yellow Cardinal Business Succession Services

Stephen’s prior experience in the industry was as the CEO and owner of a Southwest Ohio-based facilities supply company. After purchasing the business, he was successful in growing revenue and profitability before selling the company to a Midwest-based distributor. Prior to owning this business, he served as an executive and owner of Winsupply, a Forbes 200 Private Company with revenue exceeding $4 billion. While at Winsupply, Stephen had operational responsibility for multiple acquisitions from the search criteria process, negotiation, and purchase to integration of the acquired organizations into the Winsupply system of companies. Prior to joining Winsupply, he started his career as CPA at a regional accounting firm acquired by RSM where he served a variety of privately-owned businesses.

Stephen leverages his experience as a leader and owner of middle-market companies to assist family-owned businesses and management teams in maximizing the value of their investments. Specifically, he guides business owners through the sale of their business or assists them in securing the liquidity needed to grow their business.

Stephen currently serves on the boards of advisors of four mid-market privately-held companies. He graduated from Miami University with a BS degree in accounting and obtained his CPA license.

Email: Stephen.Ford@YellowCardinalAdvisors.com
Office: 614.310.7692
Cell: 937.902.3673

Meet Karina Horton, CFP®, CEPA™,
Director of Business Succession Planning

Karina has been in the financial services industry for over 20 years. She is responsible for engaging business owners to provide a holistic understanding of the relationship between their company and their family and financial goals as they begin considering and implementing a well-constructed succession plan. She provides a market view of each company from the outside in through the lens of various exit strategies which are then coordinated with a personal financial plan to ensure a comprehensive understanding of how the business and future transition will impact their wealth during their lifetime and beyond.

Email: Karina.Horton@YellowCardinalAdvisors.com
Office: 513.979.5798
Cell: 513.602.2329

Meet Keith Warner, Managing Analyst for Yellow Cardinal Business Succession Services

Keith has more than 20 years of experience working with privately-owned middle-market companies, including the last 15 years assisting the team and privately-held companies with mergers and acquisitions. Keith has also spent 6 years working in commercial banking with a large regional bank. Keith earned his undergraduate degree in financial services from Wright State University. He holds his FINRA Series 79, 62 and 24 securities registrations.

Email: Keith.Warner@YellowCardinalAdvisors.com
Office: 937.610.9328
Cell: 513.957.1811

Take control of your succession plan and exit with intention and purpose. Contact us.

How can a succession plan help me?

Complimentary guidance around optimizing the value of your business

Protect the longevity of your business

Secure wealth for the people you love

Help with managing your current financial strategy

Reward, retain, and protect long-term employees that were dedicated to helping you grow your business

Why should businesses consider succession planning?

There are common triggering events that cause an unexpected sale, known as the 5 D’s:

  1. Death
  2. Dissolution / Disagreement
  3. Divorce
  4. Departure
  5. Disability

Exiting your business can be daunting and emotional. It is important to take control of your succession plan and exit with intention and purpose. Our help is completely free, and we will answer your most important questions while providing you the guidance you need to prepare for the unexpected.

What to expect:

Connect: complimentary business review

We'll schedule time with you remote or
in-person.

Connect with us

Research: work closely with stakeholders

Access to investment bankers, attorneys, lenders, and accountants depending on your needs.

Define: plan your goals and timeline

We will work together to define key performance indicators and find the right solutions for you.

Explore recapitalization or management buyout Explore employee stock ownership plans

Insights

Business Succession: 3 steps to get it right

Planning for the future and planning your exit strategy is a key way to protect your company.

How to find the right successor

What is a wealth advisor? Do I need one?

The no-nonsense guide to holistic financial planning

Frequently asked questions

While it is not a formal valuation, our team gives business owners real life perspective and a realistic look at how value is determined including a deeper meaning into the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Transitioning out of your business is not a black and white analysis. Things need to be considered collectively.  In order to help answer this question, we would conduct a detailed review of how the exit plan impacts personal wealth and family objectives. Our team offers a peer review which can assist with establishing a timeline.

We will help give you an idea of the key value drivers of your business and how you rank among your peers in the same industry.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.