Christopher Riegg featured in BizTimes Milwaukee succession planning issue

Promontory Strategy Group partner Christopher Riegg was featured in BizTimes Milwaukee’s Oct. 19 succession planning issue, where he outlined how buyers assess whether a business can keep performing after an ownership change. His comments underscore why owners planning an exit need to prepare beyond reported profits.

Why it matters: - Buyers in ownership transitions are looking past reported profits to judge whether a business can sustain earnings under new leadership. - The shift puts more weight on succession readiness, leadership continuity and operational independence before a sale or recapitalization. - For privately held and family-owned businesses, those factors can shape valuation, deal confidence and the odds of a smooth transition.

What happened: - Christopher Riegg, CFA, CPA, partner and founder of Promontory Strategy Group, was featured in the Oct. 19, 2026 succession planning issue of BizTimes Milwaukee. - Riegg appeared in the publication’s Biz Compass feature on page 24. - He discussed how buyers evaluate businesses ahead of an ownership change. - Riegg said, “Buyers are scrutinizing the durability and transferability of earnings more closely than five years ago.”

The details: - Buyers are examining customer concentration, management depth, financial reporting quality and dependence on the owner alongside reported profits. - The central question is whether performance, customer relationships and growth prospects can withstand a change in ownership. - For owners preparing an exit, the article points to the importance of preparing beyond the financial statements. - Leadership responsibilities, customer relationships and operating knowledge need to transfer cleanly if the business is to keep performing after the current owner steps away. - Promontory Strategy Group advises privately held and family-owned businesses on succession planning and ownership transitions. - PSG’s work includes sales to strategic buyers, private equity buyers, management buyouts, employee stock ownership plans and recapitalizations. - The firm works with ownership and management teams to evaluate alternatives and coordinates with legal, tax and financial advisors. - Riegg has more than 30 years of transaction and advisory experience. - Riegg is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Wisconsin-licensed CPA.

Between the lines: - The comments suggest succession planning is becoming a diligence issue, not just an estate or retirement issue. - Buyers want proof that earnings are repeatable and not overly tied to one owner, one customer or one manager. - That raises the bar for companies that have strong profits but weak documentation, concentrated clients or informal operations. - The message for sellers is that value creation now includes institutionalizing knowledge and reducing owner dependence before a deal process begins.

What's next: - Owners considering succession or an eventual exit are likely to face deeper scrutiny of transferability as part of a sale process. - Promontory Strategy Group continues to position its advisory work around pre-transaction preparation and ownership transitions. - More information is available in the October 19 BizTimes issue and on Promontory Strategy Group’s succession planning services.