Mergers and Acquisitions, Mirus Capital Advisors, 10 Questions
10 Questions with Alan Fullerton
New years bring new goals, and one of ours in 2020 is to show you a more personal side of the Mirus team. Each month we will challenge a different Mirus banker to a game of 10 questions, starting with Alan Fullerton.
Alan has been a Partner at Mirus since 2010 and an investment banker to large corporations, middle-market firms and family-owned firms since 1997. Alan has been a sector finalist for several national M&A Advisor Awards for his transactions in industrial services, healthcare, consumer products, business services, travel services, and highly engineered industrial products, including for deals closed with Fortune 500 and Global 500 corporations, private equity-backed companies, closely-held businesses, and middle-market publicly traded companies. He is a member of the board of directors of ACG Boston. Alan holds a BS from M.I.T. in Mechanical Engineering, an MS from Brown University in Electrical Engineering, and an MBA from the Ecole des Ponts of Paris France.
1. What attracted you about joining the Mirus team?
Mirus offers a great platform for an experienced banker looking to build his or her business in lower-to-middle market M&A. I was attracted by the reputation of the firm, particularly in the New England market, and the opportunity to contribute to the growth of the firm.
2. How did you get into investment banking?
I started in investment banking in 1997, right out of business school with a background in engineering. The tech boom created a lot of opportunities for groups to advise early-stage through public companies on M&A and capital raises.
3. What was your first job?
Going way back, my first job was a paperboy – delivering the local newspaper to about 40 homes in the neighborhood. I still remember climbing snow banks getting those papers delivered during the blizzard of ’78. My first full-time job was in systems engineering for a company started by a team of MIT engineers.
4. What is the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
“Be optimistic”. I’ve heard this advice in various forms, but it comes down to being willing to take chances and, at the same time, making the most of opportunities.
5. Is there a deal story you can share that highlights “The Value of Accomplishment”?
We really take the accomplishments of our clients very seriously. A few years ago, I worked with the owner of a company in the test and measurement space. When I first met him, he had grown the business to a nice lifestyle size and was starting to think about an exit. Over a couple of years, we advised him on steps to take to maximize value and, to his credit, he and his team executed very well. Core profitability improved and there was a good amount of reinvestment in growth at the same time. When the time was right, we ran a very competitive process resulting in a great outcome. The owner worked hard to turn that business into a profitable “niche leader” with scalable operations and I was proud to help him and his team realize the value of that accomplishment.
6. Which Boston sports team will win the next championship?
We’ve got a few to choose from here! I’ll go with the Bruins in 2020.
7. What is your favorite book?
So many favorites, but I think Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” is up there for the great American novel.
8. What is a talent you have that no one would suspect?
I grew up in a musical family and am a decent guitarist.
9. Who is “man’s best friend”? Dog / Cat / Other
I’ve learned to be more of a “dog person” since we added a dog to our household three years ago.
10. What are your favorite things to do outside the office?
We love traveling as a family and, with three young kids, I spend a lot of time at sports fields and school plays.
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