Cassel Salpeter Chairman and Co-Founder Appointed Honorary Consul for Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Miami June  13, 2023  – Cassel Salpeter & Co. Chairman and Co-Founder James Cassel was appointed Honorary Consul for the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with jurisdiction over Florida in Miami. 

Cassel will represent the interests of Luxembourg and its citizens in Florida by assisting Luxembourgish citizens with travel-related and other needs, supporting official civic events, engaging with local authorities, and supporting and promoting Luxembourg’s culture and economy. 

“I am honored and pleased to lend my support to the people of Luxembourg and its business community,” Cassel said. “Helping open doors to other cultures, communities, and businesses visiting Miami and Florida is right in line with our firm’s values and commitment to civic engagement.” 

Cassel will also serve as a point of contact, working to promote trade and investment between Luxembourg and Florida, facilitating business connections, providing information about investment opportunities, and supporting Luxembourgish companies looking to do business in the region. 

James Cassel

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Cassel Salpeter & Co. Serves As Financial Advisor in Sale of Central Research Associates to Flourish Research Holdings LLC

Miami Investment Bank Assists in Birmingham, Alabama, Clinical Trial Research Firm’s Acquisition   

MIAMI – May 25 2023Cassel Salpeter & Co., an independent investment banking firm that provides advisory services to middle market and emerging growth companies in the United States and worldwide, today announced that it has successfully advised Central Research Associates Inc. (“CRA”), a leading, multispecialty clinical research site that offers clinical trial opportunities to patients in Birmingham, Alabama, and the surrounding areas, in its sale to Flourish Research Holdings LLC (“Flourish Research”), a clinical trial site network with locations throughout the United States, backed by NMS Capital.

CRA was founded by Dr. William Whitley in 2016 as a research site for conducting Phase II-IV clinical trials across various therapeutic areas. The site is located on the campus of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. CRA has grown consistently since its inception and is a leading national enroller in vaccine studies.  

“It was a pleasure working with Dr. Bill Whitley and his team on this transaction,” said Cassel Salpeter Managing Director Ira Z. Leiderman, who led the process in identifying a strategic buyer, negotiating the transaction, and assisting throughout the diligence and closing processes. “Bill built a strong organization that I am certain will be quite additive to Flourish Research,” added Leiderman.  

“The Cassel Salpeter team was fantastic to work with,” said CRA Founder Dr. Whitley. “They were able to introduce us to the right party in Flourish Research and efficiently facilitate the deal. We are very grateful for their diligent work.”

Cassel Salpeter Associate Tahz Rashid assisted with the transaction. The legal counsel to CRA was Jason McDonald of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. 

Cassel Salpeter & Co. Serves as Financial Advisor in the Sale of Franmar Corporation to Beacon Mobility

Cassel Salpeter & Co., an independent investment banking firm that provides advisory services to middle market and emerging growth companies in the United States and worldwide, today announced that it has successfully advised Franmar Corporation (“Franmar”), a South Florida provider of school bus transportation, in its sale to Beacon Mobility (“Beacon”), which provides outsourced transportation services for adults and schoolchildren across the United States, backed by the Audax Group.

Since its inception over forty years ago, Franmar has emphasized its devotion to delivering safe, reliable student transportation in its effort to be the most dependable transportation provider in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. It is based in Cutler Bay, Fla.

Beacon, an expanding network of companies headquartered in Wilbraham, Mass., serves its customers’ diverse needs by providing transportation solutions for school districts, special education programs, charter services, regional transit authorities and non-emergency medical programs, as well as managed services.

“Having grown up in Miami and ridden on Franmar busses throughout my childhood, it was great to find a buyer in Beacon that will carry on the legacy that was built by Fran Martinelli. With further investment, Beacon has unlimited potential in the growing South Florida market,” said Managing Director Philip Cassel, who led the process helping Franmar negotiate the transaction and assisting throughout the due diligence and closing process. Tahz Rashid from Cassel Salpeter assisted with the transaction.

“It was a pleasure to work with the Cassel Salpeter team. They helped us keep the process moving forward and met the transaction timeline, while allowing us to focus on the business without interruption. It really felt like they had our back throughout the entire process,” added Franmar founder Fran Martinelli.

Other professionals who assisted in closing the transaction include Danielle Price, Isabel Diaz, Sydney Landers and Alexa Duarte of Holland & Knight LLP, counsel to the seller, and Albert Sueiras of the accounting firm Sueiras & Amador. The buyer was represented by David Duke, Chief Commercial Officer at Beacon and Amanda Tonelli, Manager of Mergers & Acquisitions at Beacon, as well as Foley & Lardner LLP and Anderson & Kreiger LLP, together counsel to the buyer.

Cassel Salpeter & Co. Secures Debt Financing for Quick Shift Capital LLC

Cassel Salpeter & Co., an independent investment banking firm that provides advisory services to middle market and emerging growth companies in the United States and worldwide, today announced that it represented Quick Shift Capital LLC (“Quick Shift”) in securing commercial debt financing from Synovus Bank; the funding is set to support the continued growth of the business.

Quick Shift is a family-owned company headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. A floorplan financing company founded in 2017, Quick Shift caters to independent used car dealers and wholesalers, with a focus on luxury vehicles, while demonstrating a sustained commitment to service, customer-centric solutions, and innovation. 

“Enabling founders like Zach to grow their business and reach their full potential is why we do the work we do,” said Cassel Salpeter Managing Director Philip Cassel, who led the assignment helping Quick Shift identify and evaluate financing options and assisting throughout the due diligence and closing process. “Zach and his team will achieve great things and I am excited to see the company grow in the years to come.” 

“We partnered with Cassel Salpeter to help us grow our business by exploring financing options,” added Quick Shift President Zach Green. “Phil helped us find an attractive credit facility that more than exceeded our expectations. It was a pleasure working with Phil and I would not hesitate to give Cassel Salpeter our highest recommendations.”

Other professionals who assisted in closing the transaction include Blake Goddard and James Hauck of the Asset-Based Lending, Specialty Finance group of Synovus Bank; Andrew Comiter of Comiter, Singer, Baseman & Braun LLP, Brian Levy of Brian R Levy PA, Michael Ullman of Ullman & Ullman, P.A., together counsel to the borrower; and Ronald Weiner and Anisa Abdullahi of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, counsel to the lender.

End of Year Round-Up 2022

With over a decade of providing superior investment banking and financial advisory services, Cassel Salpeter & Co. remains committed to leveraging our market knowledge and proven expertise and experience to benefit our clients, relationships, and associates with successful outcomes.

Cassel Salpeter & Co. Director Laura Salpeter Receives Prestigious Women Award for Leadership

Cassel Salpeter & Co., an independent investment banking firm that provides advice to middle-market and emerging growth companies in the U.S. and worldwide, is pleased to announce that firm Director Laura Salpeter has been recognized as an Honoree for South Florida Business & Wealth’s 2022 Prestigious Women Awards.

The Honoree distinction was conferred on Laura for her outstanding efforts as a female business leader whose innovative methodologies and superior performance at the firm help drive the South Florida economy, making her one of the region’s most distinguished female professionals. Laura joins four other South Florida women business leader honorees in the senior management category in this second year of the awards series. 

“I feel honored to be named a SFBW Prestigious Women Honoree,” said Laura Salpeter. “This distinction confirms that the commitment to performing at our best on behalf of Cassel Salpeter’s clients is making a positive impact that extends throughout our community and region.” 

“We are proud of Laura’s achievement in being named an Honoree,” said James S. Cassel, Chairman and Co-Founder of Cassel Salpeter & Co. “We are also delighted by her continued growth as a professional, and thrilled that her drive and determination as a business leader is being highlighted by this distinction.” 

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About Cassel Salpeter & Co., LLC
Cassel Salpeter & Co. is an investment banking firm with professionals who have more than forty years of financial experience. They deliver smart, straightforward advisory services to middle-market companies across America. With a thorough understanding of their clients’ industries and a keen sense of the economy, the Cassel Salpeter team provides independent, timely advice so clients can capitalize on a rapidly changing global environment. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Cassel Salpeter is led by James Cassel and Scott Salpeter. Member FINRA and SIPC.

Promotions of Laura Salpeter and Tahz Rashid

Committed to providing world-class independent investment banking services to middle-market and emerging growth companies, Cassel Salpeter is pleased to announce the promotions of Laura Salpeter from vice president to director and Tahz Rashid from analyst to associate.

End of Year Round-Up

As Cassel Salpeter & Co. looks back on more than a decade of providing superior financial advisory services, we continue to grow in market intelligence, experience, and quality of personnel, refining our capabilities for the businesses we serve.

Cassel Salpeter & Co. Facilitates Sale of MoviePass Assets to PreTechnology Inc.


Cassel Salpeter & Co., an independent investment banking firm that provides advice to middle market and emerging growth companies in the U.S. and worldwide, today announced it has successfully facilitated the sale of the assets of MoviePass, Inc. (“MoviePass”), a subscription-based movie ticketing service that allowed subscribers to see several movies for a fixed monthly fee, to PreTechnology Inc.

The deal sets the stage for a MoviePass relaunch in 2022.

“We were privileged to work with Alan Nisselson, the trustee for the Chapter 7 estates of Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc., to help find a home for the MoviePass assets. We are pleased to have been able to add additional value to the estate despite the challenging environment in the entertainment industry presented by the pandemic,” said Philip Cassel, a managing director at Cassel Salpeter & Co.

The assets were successfully sold in November with the purchaser being MoviePass co-founder Stacy Spikes.

Previously, in April 2020, Cassel Salpeter also assisted the Chapter 7 Trustee with the sale of MovieFone and other assets of the debtor.

About Cassel Salpeter & Co., LLC
Cassel Salpeter & Co. is an investment banking firm with professionals who have more than forty years of financial experience. They deliver smart, straightforward advisory services to middle-market companies across America. With a thorough understanding of their clients’ industries and a keen sense of the economy, the Cassel Salpeter team provides independent, timely advice so clients can capitalize on a rapidly changing global environment. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Cassel Salpeter is led by James Cassel and Scott Salpeter. Member FINRA and SIPC.

Cassel Salpeter & Co. Facilitates Sale of EveryMundo to PROS Holdings

 Cassel Salpeter & Co., an independent investment banking firm that provides advice to middle market and emerging growth companies in the U.S. and worldwide, today announced it has successfully represented EveryMundo, LLC, a digital offer marketing pioneer with headquarters in Miami, Fla., in the company’s sale to PROS Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PRO), a provider of SaaS solutions optimizing shopping and selling experiences with headquarters in Houston, Texas. 

PROS paid $80 million in cash at closing, subject to certain customary adjustments, and will deliver approximately $10 million in stock in the future, subject to certain conditions.

Since its founding, EveryMundo has been focused on helping brands like American Airlines, Star Alliance, Tennis Australia, Greyhound, and Japan Airlines Vacations maximize their reach and engagement, enabling deeper direct relationships with their customers across multiple channels in the most flexible and profitable way possible. For example, with airlines, this means being able to quickly and effortlessly publish offers on direct or indirect channels that entice customers back to owned channels, avoiding the increasing fees charged per offer by global distribution systems that limit reach and erode margin. 

“We’re proud to have been able to work with the EveryMundo team and my son, Co-Founder and President Seth Cassel, to find the right buyer and partner in PROS,” said Cassel Salpeter Chairman and Co-founder James S. Cassel. “There is a strong cultural fit and shared vision between the companies. The combination of EveryMundo and PROS enables them to scale to the next level of growth, gain greater market penetration and increase digital consumer engagement.”

EveryMundo Co-Founder and President Seth Cassel added: “Today is a monumental day for our team and a next step in our quest to disrupt industry paradigms hindering market growth and opportunity for airlines and B2B organizations. The cultural fit and business model alignment with PROS is what makes this combination so powerful and what will enable us to transform the brand experiences for the businesses we serve.”

“It was incredibly rewarding working with Cassel Salpeter, said EveryMundo Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Anton Diego. “The firm’s knowledge and experience were invaluable throughout this process, and helped make the transaction seamless, without interrupting our business, and while working quickly and diligently to achieve the best outcome for our team.” 

The Cassel Salpeter team was led by Chairman and Co-founder James S. Cassel and Managing Director Philip Cassel, with the assistance of Associate Edward Kropf.

About Cassel Salpeter & Co., LLC
Cassel Salpeter & Co. is an investment banking firm with professionals who have more than forty years of financial experience. They deliver smart, straightforward advisory services to middle-market companies across America. With a thorough understanding of their clients’ industries and a keen sense of the economy, the Cassel Salpeter team provides independent, timely advice so clients can capitalize on a rapidly changing global environment. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Cassel Salpeter is led by James Cassel and Scott Salpeter. Member FINRA and SIPC.