Mergers and acquisitions can be incredibly complicated both in organization and in execution, as teams are reshuffled, resources are allocated and reviewed, and companies have to adapt to a new reality. From both legal and business perspectives, these processes require deft leadership and a keen understanding of both legal requirements and functional business operations to succeed. As a result, many companies turn to established experts and consultants to guide them through M&A strategies, risk management, and other legal processes.
This is the professional theatre in which Deerfield resident Richard C. Bagdasarian has performed for over forty years. Over the past twenty years, he’s worked as a business and legal consultant, provided legal and litigation support, and more. Today, he works in family office risk management; business, tax, and litigation management; insurance; document drafting; and mergers and acquisitions consultation. He manages a family office with business interests in aerospace, agriculture distribution, and commercial real estate, and provides consultation services for the representation of a number of companies across a range of industries.
“The constant learning of new topics and meeting people from around the world who are passionate about what they do and how they make a difference keeps me motivated to keep working and contributing,” says Bagdasarian. “The essence of progress lies in perpetual learning and embracing the unknown, just as I've done in M&A consulting.”
Effective Multidisciplinary Consultancy
As a consultant in matters relating to both business and law, Richard Bagdasarian’s role is a multidisciplinary one spanning risk management, contracts, negotiations, and M&A’s. When successful, this role allows him to support his clients and guide them toward long term success, whether they’re a family or a company. Its multifaceted capacity is critical for this success, as these topics are often interrelated, and all are relevant in the modern business world. For Bagdasarian, it’s indispensable.
“The importance of researching, writing, presenting, leading multiple discussions over multiple topics, and analyzing the workstream to clearly communicate the issues in a simple, concise method has earned me the trust of my employers and the professionals that I work with,” he explains. “Transparency and honesty are the cornerstones of any successful negotiation. Great partnerships are built on shared values and mutual respect.”
Tracking ongoing trends in his industry is just another part of his daily work, but some of those trends are particularly prominent among the family-run and privately-held companies that most often become Bagdasarian’s clients. As investment dollars have become more expensive, and private equity firms have begun scaling back on investments, M&A’s in family offices have been on the rise. Because these private equity firms promise their funders returns in a short given time frame—a time frame that isn’t always achievable in the current business climate—it’s become much harder to close deals. As a result, consultants and aides for these transactions have to show credibility, consistency, and predictable pipelines for future business to succeed.
Richard Bagdasarian’s strategies and expertise consistently prove valuable and effective. For example, he recently closed the sale of an aerospace company to a large international conglomerate. He was the project manager for the seller, and coordinated the distribution and facilitation of all data, financial information, projections, risk analyses, and pre- and post-sale integration to successfully close the sale after it had stalled under prior leadership. It wouldn’t have been possible without daily, weekly, and monthly interactions with investment bankers, lawyers, tax professionals, and actual on-site workers—they were crucial for completing due diligence and providing transparency at every step of the process.
Transparency and trust are load-bearing pillars of any consultant’s work, and Bagdasarian is no exception. Indeed, transparency and honesty are two of the three core principles that guide his daily decision-making, the last of which being a commitment to treating each and every individual with humility and respect. A consultant’s practice lives and dies by its long-term relationships, and Bagdasarian has been intentional about pairing that kind of lasting trust with clarity of vision and a forthright, no-nonsense approach.
You must intensely research those whom you interact with and then communicate with them on a personal level” he says. “Building relationships starts with active listening and genuine engagement. A smile goes a long way; it is the universal language of trust. ”
Investing In The Arts
Outside of his consultancy work, Richard Bagdasarian is a philanthropist and patron of the arts, including work with local community arts programs and clubs. Indeed, he’s been involved with the arts his entire life, and gives some credit to his professional success to the lessons and experiences gained in artistic spaces. From his own education to his experiences leading and empowering the arts in his community, he’s consistently shown that his leadership and expertise need not end at the door to his office.
Before getting his law degree, he graduated from college with a dual major in English and Speech/Communications/Theatre; he served on the Board of Little Palm Theatre, a children’s performance school in Boca Raton, to support his daughters’ interest in dance—particularly ballet. In doing so, he realized there was no real venue for classic ballet and movement training, which left him but one option: to do it himself. He started the non-profit Boca Ballet Theatre Company, and served as its founding President and Chairman for ten years. It recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, and is recognized amongst the foremost civic ballet companies in the United States. The company brings together students and professionals from around the world to introduce them to live productions, provide classical training for future careers, and life improvement coaching.
Beyond the dance world, he’s also served on the Board of the Symphony of the Americas in Ft. Lauderdale for a number of years, is an active member of his church’s Parish Council and Habitat for Humanity, and is currently on the Board of a nonprofit named Love Is On The Streets, which helps provide showers, clothing, and spiritual guidance to the homeless of South Florida.
