Hennepin Partners
Hennepin Partners LLC provides M&A and financial advisory services to entrepreneurs, private equity firms, corporations, family-owned businesses, and privately held companies. Its stated capabilities include sell-side and buy-side M&A, equity and debt private placements, strategic-alternative analysis, valuation, deal structuring, and negotiations.
What stands out about Hennepin Partners
Hennepin Partners is a middle-market investment bank and financial advisory firm whose public services include sell-side and buy-side M&A, equity and debt private placements, and strategic-alternative analysis. It lists nine industries served, states that its team has executed hundreds of transactions comprising more than $50 billion in aggregate transaction value, and describes international buyer access through the Infinita M&A Alliance.[1][2][3][6][12][13]
What does Hennepin Partners do?
Hennepin Partners LLC is a middle-market investment bank providing M&A advisory services and strategic advice to entrepreneurs, private equity firms, and corporations. It lists its office at 650 3rd Ave S, Suite 1500, Minneapolis, MN 55402.
The firm states that it has executed hundreds of transactions comprising more than $50 billion in aggregate transaction value. Its public materials describe work with family-owned and privately held companies and owners of middle-market companies.[1][2][6]
Hennepin Partners publicly states that it provides sell-side M&A, buy-side M&A, equity private placements, debt private placements, and strategic-alternative analysis.
For sell-side engagements, the firm describes financial modeling, buyer contact, positioning, marketing, and negotiation support for entrepreneurs, investment groups, and larger corporate clients pursuing sales or divestitures. Its buy-side advisory services include initial contact, valuation, deal structuring, and negotiations.[3]
Owners comparing advisory firms can also review Auxo’s M&A advisor vs. business broker vs. investment bank comparison, advisor-selection guide, and sell-side advisor evaluation framework.
What should a business owner evaluate before hiring Hennepin Partners?
Owners evaluating Hennepin Partners can clarify how the firm’s stated sell-side capabilities—financial modeling, buyer contact, positioning, marketing, and negotiations—would apply to their situation. The firm publicly describes work with entrepreneurs, investment groups, family-owned and privately held companies, and corporate sellers, and it lists both strategic and financial transaction examples.
Owners should also clarify the firm’s current middle-market criteria because the cited official who-we-serve page does not publish numeric revenue, EBITDA, enterprise-value, or transaction-size thresholds. The cited official capabilities page does not publish a universal fee percentage, minimum fee, expense schedule, termination schedule, or tail period, while certain transaction announcements state that terms were not disclosed.[1][3][6][9][12][13][14]
Which senior bankers would lead the engagement, and what level of direct senior involvement is expected
What size transactions and clients does Hennepin Partners focus on?
Hennepin Partners lists Agriculture / AgTech, Business & Industrial Services, Consumer, Food & Retail, Distribution, Energy, Healthcare, Industrial Products, and Software & Technology as industries served.
Its Agriculture / AgTech team states that it advises businesses in food, water, and FoodTech, including agrifinance, equipment and components, precision technology and services, and protein production.[1][4]
Public transaction examples include Hennepin Partners advising SPS Commerce on the sale of its 3P Revenue Recovery business to an undisclosed buyer; advising Patron Points on a strategic growth investment led by Straylight Capital; and serving as exclusive financial advisor to National Checking Company on its sale to Gallant Capital Partners.
Additional examples include Watershield Industries’ sale to HKW, Elliott Equipment Company’s sale to Stellar Industries, Gartner Refrigeration’s sale to a strategic industry buyer, H3 Manufacturing’s acquisition by Rock Gate Partners and Ironwood Capital, and DeWine Mechanical’s sale to Heritage Holding HVAC & Mechanical Group.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
The firm’s stated transaction work covers sell-side and buy-side M&A, corporate divestitures, equity and debt private placements, and strategic-alternative analysis. Hennepin Partners also states that it advises owners and boards on strategic alliances, equity or debt recapitalizations, acquisition strategies, outright sales, and other alternatives before a specific transaction process begins.[3]
What does Hennepin Partners publicly disclose about fees, process and engagement terms?
The cited official capabilities page does not publish a universal advisory-fee percentage, minimum fee, expense schedule, termination schedule, or tail period. These engagement terms should be confirmed directly with the firm.
The H3 Manufacturing press release states that the terms of that transaction were not disclosed. The Gartner Refrigeration press release likewise states that the transaction terms were not disclosed.
The cited official who-we-serve page does not publish numeric revenue, EBITDA, enterprise-value, or transaction-size thresholds for the firm’s middle-market focus.[3][6][12][13]
FINRA’s firm-level BrokerCheck report identifies HENNEPIN PARTNERS LLC as a Minnesota limited liability company formed on January 27, 2009, with CRD #153034, SEC #8-68498, and a main office in Minneapolis.
The report states that the firm is currently registered with the SEC, FINRA, and three U.S. states and territories: Minnesota, Texas, and Washington. It lists private placements of securities and business financial advisory services, including M&A-related services, strategic planning, fairness opinions, and valuation services, among the firm’s business activities.[15]
In its Gartner Refrigeration announcement, Hennepin Partners states that it ran a targeted auction process from which a strategic industry player emerged as the successful bidder.[12]
Questions to ask before hiring Hennepin Partners
What revenue, EBITDA, enterprise-value, or other criteria define your current middle-market mandate?
Which senior bankers would lead the engagement, and what level of direct senior involvement is expected?
What comparable transactions has the firm completed in the seller's sector and geography?
How would the firm evaluate an outright sale against a strategic alliance, recapitalization, acquisition strategy, or another alternative?
What buyer universe would be targeted, including potential international buyers through the Infinita M&A Alliance?
What are the proposed retainer, success fee, expenses, exclusivity, termination, and tail provisions?
How are conflicts handled when advising entrepreneurs, private equity firms, and corporations?
Sources & research notes
- Official website / firm overview
- Official website / firm overview
- Services / capabilities
- Industry focus
- Geography / market coverage
- Company / investment criteria
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- FINRA regulatory record
How this profile was researched
Auxo profiles are prepared from publicly available primary and authoritative sources and reviewed for entity identity, factual support and disclosure consistency. When a fact cannot be supported by the reviewed public record, the profile identifies it as something to confirm directly rather than inferring it.
Independent research profile
This profile was prepared by Auxo Capital Advisors from publicly available information believed to be reliable and is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. It is not an endorsement, recommendation, ranking, solicitation, or representation regarding the profiled firm, its services, qualifications, transaction experience, regulatory status, financial condition, or suitability for any particular person, company, transaction, or investment.
Information obtained from third-party and public sources may be incomplete, inaccurate, outdated, or subject to change, and Auxo Capital Advisors makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Readers should conduct their own independent diligence and consult appropriate professional advisers before engaging any advisor, intermediary, investor, lender, acquirer, or other transaction counterparty.
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