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We are buy-side M&A specialists with deep IT industry expertise.|
Our focus is creating successful transactions for both sides.
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“Our experienced team is committed to the achievement of your goals.”
What makes Cogent Growth Partners different from other M&A advisory firms is our buy-side focus and our specialized operational depth in the IT Services industry; it’s the only industry we service. Cogent’s team members are IT Services business veterans, with deep experience in the financial, technical and operational aspects of the IT Services industry.
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Rick Murphy
CEO
Managing Partner
Rick Murphy is an innovative entrepreneur with deep merger & acquisition experience in the technology space and he is the founding CEO and Managing Partner of Cogent Growth Partners, LLC. Since the company’s inception in 2010, Cogent has closed 90+ acquisition transactions for the firm’s buy-side clients in the Information Technology sector across the USA. Expert at conceiving, planning and leading comprehensive acquisition… Read More
strategies to transform and enrich IT Service businesses, Murphy leads the Cogent team throughout the transaction life-cycle, from initial candidate recruiting, through due diligence, financial modeling, valuation, deal negotiation and transaction structuring, to the creation and negotiation of all transaction documentation and the thoughtful consultation with all parties that is always needed to see a deal through to a successful closing.
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George Sierchio
Executive Vice President
Senior Partner
George Sierchio is an entrepreneurial veteran having owned and operated several successful services and consulting businesses in the last 25+ years. This includes his work as a consultant and advisor to owners of IT companies providing guidance in profitability, overall growth, and mergers & acquisitions related activities. He is highly experienced in the areas of strategy, finance, operations, and human resources… Read More
Specific to M&A, George is well versed in many areas including growth strategy, acquisition targeting/evaluation, valuation, due diligence, deal structure, agreement development/negotiation, and corporate governance, leading over 25 buy-side transactions in the IT Services space.
George is recognized as an advisor, speaker, author, and thought leader on the IT Consulting & Services industry. He is regularly invited as a featured speaker or panelist at IT vendor and industry association events and webinars, providing attendees with educational material on the world of mergers and acquisitions in the IT service provider industry.
George’s diverse background as a business owner and advisor in the industry allows him to bring a wealth of experience to benefit all parties involved in a transaction. He truly understands how crucial a smooth start to finish transaction is to our buyers as well as sellers and how it impacts their professional and personal lives.
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Bruce Teichman
Executive Vice President
Partner
Bruce Teichman has 30 years of experience in all facets of the IT services industry, including roles in software development, network engineering, project management, direct sales and sales management, partner development, executive management, mergers & acquisitions and as a business owner. His career spans several Fortune 500 firms, and he has owned and operated successful IT service businesses… Read More
in both New York and Atlanta. Prior to Cogent, Bruce joined the nationwide MSP All Covered when they acquired his Atlanta-based firm, Terminal Solutions. During Bruce’s time at All Covered, he served in a variety of roles culminating in leading their aggressive Mergers & Acquisitions strategy. Since 2008, he has directly sourced and negotiated dozens of M&A transactions with leading MSPs across the country. Along with his strong technical foundation, Bruce is highly experienced in the areas of strategy, finance, operations, marketing, business development, human resources and corporate structure. Specific to mergers & acquisitions, he is well versed in many areas, including growth strategy, acquisition targeting and evaluation, valuation, due diligence, deal structure, negotiation and integration.
Bruce has been featured in MSPMentor, and has been guest speaker at events including Tech Data’s TechSelect Conference and TruMethods’ Schnizzfest. He actively serves on the Board of Directors for JF&CS of Atlanta, a nonsectarian, community-based social services agency. Bruce holds a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.B.A. from Hofstra University.
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Scott LeRoy
Vice President
Operations & Business Analysis
Scott is an experienced veteran of building, managing, and advancing small-business ventures. With over 20 years of experience in finance, marketing, operations, and brand development, he spent the past decade in the IT and managed services industry reengineering what IT means to small business. His approach and design to IT service delivery turned what was technical and intimidating for SMB owners and managers into… Read More
strategic drivers of growth. Scott is an expert at financial analysis, process design, management by metrics and organizational integration. Before joining Cogent in 2014, his previous experience as a business owner of a managed services company and advisor to other owners provides grounded insight into the challenges and opportunities of this industry. A passionate learner and teacher, Scott often speaks at business and community events on topics of innovation and industry best practices.
Although a West Coast native from California and Seattle, Scott now enjoys the coastal life and food of Charleston, South Carolina. Scott holds an M.B.A., is active on many non-profit and community foundation boards, and takes pleasure in observing the humorous lives of his three teenage children.
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Micah Lucas
Senior Associate
Due Diligence Analyst
Micah Lucas, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, is a seasoned business professional with a background in legal analysis, due diligence, and deal development. During the last 8 years, his advisement and analysis has been critical for the successful completion of over 90 merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions within the information technology space… Read More
When he is not working on M&A transactions, Micah enjoys mentoring youth, providing counsel for young entrepreneurs and young professionals, traveling, and developing and revitalizing under-served communities. Micah, a proud graduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology with studies in architecture and finance, served as a board member of the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization for 6 years. During his tenure as a board member and to this day, Micah works to increase the recruitment, enrollment, and retention of minority students within STEM and particularly at the Georgia Institute of Technology by visiting local churches and high schools to speak with prospective students and providing campus tours to student groups.
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Michael Alligood
Senior Associate
Operations Analyst
With a career spanning nearly 20 years in the technology field, Michael has shared in the success of owning/operating two IT service companies in his professional career. Accordingly, having both technical expertise as well as a business operations mindset, he has been an integral part of a number of companies highlighted on Forbes magazine’s “100 Fastest Growing Companies,” Business Week’s “100 Hot Growth… Read More
Companies,” and Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Franchise 500.” In addition to these achievements, Michael is a well-respected member of the IT community, sought by many small-business owners and entrepreneurs who value his advice about the Information Technology world, which since 2014 he brings to the clients of Cogent in his operations analysis role assessing acquisition candidates as well as performing vital transactional analysis and due diligence. He has attained numerous IT certifications from notable and well-respected vendors that include Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, and CIW.
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Lori Gross
Senior Associate
Financial Analyst
Lori Gross has over 20 years of experience as an accounting and finance professional. Her experience has spanned all aspects of small business development, financial planning and reporting. Prior to joining Cogent in 2013 as a lead financial diligence analyst, she served as Chief Financial Officer of an IT managed services provider located in Bismarck, North Dakota. She has participated in peer groups… Read More
with other financial executives in the IT industry to discuss key business issues and opportunities for growth. Lori has a passion for developing and implementing financial systems, strategies, and processes that significantly improve profit and loss scenarios. Lori resides in Bismarck, North Dakota with her husband and two sons.
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Jacky Kwan
Senior Associate
Financial Analyst
Jacky Kwan has his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance from Towson University in Maryland, and has three years of experience in working with the controller of a leading IT managed services provider in Houston, TX. His role there as a billing analyst allowed him to collaborate on the creation of customized KPI financial reports, produce quarterly quantitative analysis for Service Leadership… Read More
Index and take part in several acquisitions while working for this MSP. Besides this experience, since 2016 Jacky has brought to Cogent a solid working knowledge of industry tools, such as the ConnectWise platform, and is highly skilled in building complex financial analysis and transaction modeling through the use of MS Excel.
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Marian Barnett
Associate
Outreach Coordinator
Marian Barnett resides in Pennsylvania where she received her Business Administration Degree from Delaware Valley College. Prior to joining the Cogent, she spent two years as Program and Outreach Coordinator for a prominent IT Services business owner advisory firm. Additionally, she has a background in the banking and finance industry as well as extensive sales and customer service experience allowing her to… Read More
provide Cogent and its clients with very successful candidate outreach campaigns since 2012, while also assisting in financial analysis.
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Frandéar Barrow
Associate
Business Coordinator
Born and raised in Southern California and now residing in Atlanta, Frandéar began her career path in the field of administration 20 years ago. After over 10 years in the field, she moved into the world of IT services, joining one of the leading MSPs in the country. During the latter part of her tenure there, Frandéar worked inside the M&A department as a research, outreach, and initial conversation assistant. Frandéar brings her experience… Read More
and skills to the Cogent team and clients as our business coordinator while performing research/outreach campaigns.
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Tamara Switken
Associate
Research Analyst
Residing in Naples Florida, Tamara is a highly seasoned data expert with more than 20 years’ experience utilizing a variety of databases and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, as well as a decade in the technology industry. In her capacity as Associate, Research Analyst, she organizes Cogent’s CRM database on IT Service providers. She also performs candidate matching, helping to ensure…
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Cogent’s clients are presented with the candidates they need to fulfill their missions and goals.
As a former hospitality industry and event management professional who is laser focused on excellence, Tamara also won the “Good to Great” award from Ritz-Carlton worldwide. She graduated with honors from Florida State University, earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Event Management and Leisure Studies.
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Alison Anderson
Executive Director
Business Analysis
A native Californian, Alison grew up on the outskirts of the Silicon Valley and spent the early part of her career in corporate accounting during the rise and fall of the dot.com era. With over 20 years of experience in technology firms holding positions such as accounting manager, sales controller, Director and VP Finance, Alison also spent eight of those years as CFO for a managed services firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she now resides… Read More
Alison has also provided accounting consulting services for various Heartland Technology Group members supporting ConnectWise and QuickBooks integrations along with cash flow management, budgeting, reporting and account reconciliation/analysis work. Alison holds her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting from California State University, Sacramento.
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