Agribusiness and Farming

Our clients in agribusiness come with rich generational histories. Their deep knowledge of their business and marketplace combined with our financial and industry expertise creates a cohesive, collaborative team. Working alongside our clients, we’ve executed strategies to generate growth, innovation, and opportunities unique to family-owned enterprises.

ClearPath Business Advisors provides the roadmap and resources an agribusiness owner needs to address its strategic, operational, financial, and human capital challenges it faces in a rapidly changing industry.

• Starting with assessing your company, together we will determine your business’ health and value baseline and provide you with a prioritized roadmap that incorporates your long-term vision for value creation and/or an eventual exit.
• Once key-value enhancers and detractors are identified, we work together to address issues through targeted projects focused on building a healthy sellable business.
• Finally, with our experience and network in M&A and exit planning, we provide guidance throughout our relationship whether you wish to hold and grow, eventually step back from your business, or execute a sale transaction, if desired.

Why Choose ClearPath?

As former CEOs, CFOs, and other executives, we understand the levers that drive value for businesses and the obstacles that get in the way of increasing that value. Our insights, recommendations, and hands-on delivery are driven by this expertise and guided by our core values of Integration, Convergence, and Service.

ClearPath is a different type of advisory firm, and how we approach philanthropy is different as well. We donate 25% of the success fees earned on M&A transactions to charities of our client’s choosing. In addition, we donate a healthy portion of our consulting fees to non-profit organizations every year, often in partnership with our clients.

Meet Our Experts

Chris Crawford has been helping Agribusiness owners since 2008. Chris’ focus is working with shareholders/CEOs in a variety of ways to help the shareholder families position the business for growth and if desired, ultimate sale. Bringing a combination of strategic financial leadership and significant M&A transaction experience, Chris and the ClearPath team know how to help Agribusinesses of all sizes. Projects have included Strategic Planning for growth in business performance and shareholder value, process optimization, profitability analysis and improvement, corporate incentive plans tied to growth strategies, scenario planning, banking relationships, and transition, and more. Chris has led successful sale transactions for two Agribusinesses since 2018, has advised on equity structure leading to retention of equity rather than a sale, and currently acts as a part-time CFO for an Agribusiness in Oxnard, CA.

Mark Stailey has helped several CEO’s and management teams in Agribusiness manage, grow, and transition their businesses. For the past two-and-a-half years, Mark has served as CFO for one of his clients, and prior to that has helped numerous family-held companies in Ag and other industries with exit transactions. In all cases, he works with his family-owned business clients to build profitability and value whether they eventually decide to sell or not.

Kristianna Adkins has worked with Agribusiness owners since she joined the ClearPath team full-time in 2016. She has supported ClearPath’s senior executives in Agribusiness M&A transactions, banking relationships and transition, and CFO level financial advisory services, as well as assisting in the process and closing of two Agribusiness M&A transactions.