Dresner Partners Advised Bear Stewart on its Sale to a Private Investor Group

CHICAGO – May 14, 2024 – Dresner Partners, an award-winning, FINRA-registered, middle-market investment bank and Mergers Alliance member firm, is pleased to announce that it advised Bear Stewart on its sale to a private investor group led by Will Gano. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Bear Stewart is a leading manufacturer of bakery ingredients, offering a wide range of products including jams, jellies, pie fillings, glazes, stabilizers, mixes, and doughs. The company specializes in clean-label sweet bakery products, catering to grocery store chains, wholesale bakeries, commissary kitchens, and distributors in the U.S. and Canada.

Mr. Gano is a seasoned professional possessing significant experience in food manufacturing from his tenure at Cargill Inc. Mr. Gano also specializes in corporate growth and leadership.

“We are very pleased with the outcome of the sale to Will Gano’s group,” said Cliff Brooks, Founder and President of Bear Stewart. “Dresner Partners was instrumental in facilitating this transaction and providing guidance to Bear Stewart throughout the process.”

Paul Hoffman, Managing Director at Dresner Partners said, “It was a pleasure working with Bear Stewart as well as Will Gano’s team in consummating this transaction. Bear Stewart has a long history of manufacturing high quality bakery ingredients and we are excited to see the company’s legacy continue under Will’s leadership. We wish them continued success in the future.”

Steven M. Dresner, President of Dresner Partners, added, “Bear Stewart has a strong brand in the bakery ingredients sector and we are pleased that we could help this family owned and operated business transition into its next phase of development.”

About Dresner Partners
Dresner is an award-winning, FINRA-registered middle-market investment bank headquartered in Chicago, with professionals located in New York, Cleveland, Hermosa Beach, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, and Palo Alto. For more than 30 years, Dresner Partners has provided financial advisory services to middle-market companies throughout the world including merger and acquisitions advisory, institutional private placements of debt and equity, financial restructuring, valuations, and strategic consulting services. Dresner Partners has extensive international and cross-border transaction experience and is a member of Mergers Alliance, one of the world’s leading global mergers and acquisitions partnerships focused on the middle market. An affiliated company, Dresner Corporate Services, is a strategic communications firm specializing in public relations, investor relations and corporate development. More information is available at www.dresnerpartners.com. You can also follow Dresner Partners on X (formerly Twitter) at www.twitter.com/DresnerPartners.

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For Media Inquiries
David Gutierrez, Head of PR, IR, and Corporate Development, (312) 780-7204, dgutierrez@dresnerco.com

For Transaction Related Inquiries
Paul Hoffman, Managing Director (312) 780-7229, phoffman@dresnerco.com
Steven M. Dresner, President, (312) 780-7206, sdresner@dresnerco.com