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FROM CBIZ TO SKODA MINOTTI, THE DEALS KEEP COMING
Gregory J. Skoda is a prolific dealmaker.
Beginning in 1996 - when he co-founded CBIZ with billionaires Michael DeGroote and Wayne Huizenga - Skoda embarked on a path that made him one of the most accomplished dealmakers in Northeast Ohio.
As executive vice president of CBIZ, Skoda and his team researched more than 2,000 companies and completed an astonishing 135 acquisitions in a span of two years. Close to burnout, Skoda left CBIZ in December 1998 to relax and recharge.
But by 2001, he was ready to get back to work. He launched Skoda Minotti and has grown the private CPA firm to 300 employees with a wide range of services to individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Of course, there were plenty more acquisitions along the way. On some of the deals, he is a consultant. For others, he is the buyer.
In this installment of Master Dealmakers, Skoda talks about what he learned from more than 200 of his own acquisitions (and hundreds more for clients), how he approaches risk taking and why business owners need to be thoughtful when they head down the M&A path.
BUILDING CBIZ
In the beginning, we're successful business guys and they're telling us, 'You guys are kindergartners,...