Relentless Excellence® defines us.
Stout is a global advisory firm specializing in corporate finance, accounting and transaction advisory, valuation, financial disputes, claims, and investigations. We serve a range of clients, from public corporations to privately held companies in numerous industries.
We are large enough to excel but still small enough to care. We help clients find clarity amid complexity and confidence in spite of uncertainty, time and again. We call it Relentless Excellence® — our clients call it getting results.
Years of
service
30+
Offices
globally
25
Countries where we serve clients
120+
Net promoter score (on a scale from -100 to +100 since 2016)
+90
Investment Banking & Restructuring
Our industry-focused bankers specialize in mergers and acquisitions, private capital raising, and other financial advisory services for privately held businesses, portfolio companies of private equity firms, and divisions of large corporations. Our depth of experience in recapitalizations, management buyouts, and sales or mergers provides clients with the full range of liquidity alternatives.
Transaction Advisory
We help clients navigate the entire transaction life cycle. We provide fairness and solvency opinions; perform financial and other due diligence services; provide tax insights and structuring; and can provide other pre- and post-deal M&A support services ranging from carve-out financial statements to a fully integrated acquisition model.
Valuation Advisory
As one of the largest valuation practices in the country, we bring deep and specialized experience across a broad spectrum of industries in the valuation of businesses, complex securities, intellectual property, real estate, and personal property. Our opinions are fully supported and are prepared to withstand scrutiny – whether that be from the SEC, IRS, Department of Labor, a trier of fact, an auditor review, or a counterparty.
Accounting & Reporting Advisory
We bring the right combination of technical expertise and consulting experience for any accounting need, whether it is to support the audit process, implement a new accounting standard, or prepare financial statements for a transaction. Our professionals will work with you as a seamless extension of your team, providing solutions and insight, leveraging best practices and efficiencies, and remaining accountable and responsive throughout the process.
Disputes, Claims, & Investigations
Private sector clients, government agencies, and outside counsel engage our experts to assist with investigations; address compliance and regulatory issues; assist with insurance claims; evaluate damages; analyze financial, statistical, and economic issues; and offer expert testimony in arbitrations, state courts, federal courts, and other venues throughout the world.
Specialty & Industry Services
We work collaboratively with clients to implement transformative change. Our consultants work side by side with organizations to manage risk through industry-leading analysis, make informed decisions from digital and data analytics, and contain costs through process improvement.
Meet Our Leaders
The members of our leadership team oversee our major functions and operations. The executive team is responsible for preparing and implementing our strategy in accordance with the decisions of the board of directors.
Alan Bowser
Independent Board Member
John Cadarette
Co-President - Disputes, Claims, & Investigations
Stacy Carron
Chief Information Officer
Stephen Chipman
Independent Board Member
Stephanie Clifford
Chief Legal and
People Officer
Ryan Gandre
Chief Transformation Officer
Bob Gerardi
Chief Marketing Officer
Simon Heaton
Chief Growth Officer
Michelle Johnson
Chief Revenue Officer
Kevin Manning
President - Investment Banking
Greg O'Hara
President - Valuation Advisory
Michael Petron
Co-President - Disputes, Claims, & Investigations
Jeff Risius
Chief Client Service Officer
Craige Stout
Chief Executive Officer
Ryan Thies
Chief Financial Officer
Cory Thompson
President - Transaction Advisory, Accounting & Reporting Advisory
A Look Back On Our History
1991
Craige Stout founds the firm in Detroit, providing valuation services to clients. Beginning with a two-person team in a living room, the Detroit office has grown to be one of our largest in terms of both personnel and revenue.
1997
We establish our Investment Banking group, offering advice on mergers and acquisitions, private capital raising, and other services for business owners, private equity portfolio companies, and corporate divisions.
1998
Our Disputes, Claims, & Investigations group launches, delivering a variety of services, including expert testimony, litigation consulting, investigations, and compliance services.
2000
We expand our physical presence with an office in downtown Cleveland.
2001
Our Chicago office opens. The office has become the largest at the firm in terms of both personnel and revenue.
2004
We open our Tysons Corner office in Virginia, servicing the Washington, DC, metropolitan region.
2007
Our East Coast footprint grows with the opening of our New York office. Also during the year, we relocate our corporate headquarters to Chicago.
2011
We expand to the West Coast with our new Los Angeles location.
2012
Our growth continues as we complete our first major acquisition with the purchase of valuation and investment banking firm Howard Frazier Barker Elliott (HFBE). Through this transaction, we establish our Dallas and Houston offices, providing a solid foundation in Texas. Separately, we open offices in Atlanta and Washington, DC, strengthening our East Coast base.
2014
With the growth of our Disputes, Claims, & Investigations group, we open our Baltimore office – our third in the Mid-Atlantic region – and expand our DC office. We also establish a Denver office to better serve clients in the Mountain States.
2016
In another year of big moves, we celebrate our 25th anniversary. We complete our acquisition of Natoma Partners, fortifying our Disputes, Claims, & Investigations services. We also open offices in Philadelphia, Grand Rapids, and Irvine.
2017
We launch our new brand – Stout – leveraging existing brand equity and expertise across our core services. We also acquire FMV Opinions, further expanding our Valuation Advisory group. In addition, we strengthen our global reach, opening a new office in Lausanne, Switzerland.
2018
Our global footprint expands to Asia, as we establish new offices in Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and this growth helps broaden our transaction coverage in these regions.
2019
We broaden our presence and transaction coverage in Europe, with new offices in Berlin and Milan. We also expand on the West Coast by opening an office in San Francisco. In addition, we launch our Transformative Change consulting practice.
2020
We establish a new office in London, bolstering our transaction coverage in the Nordic and Western European markets. We launch our Accounting and Reporting Advisory practice and expand our Transaction Advisory Group with Financial Due Diligence and Tax Services.
2021
Stout celebrates 30 years. We partner with Audax Private Equity and acquire Secura Risk Management. We also expand our Accounting and Reporting Advisory practice with technical accounting, public company readiness, finance integration, and internal controls consulting.
2022
We integrate four firms: Genova Group, Davis & Hosfield, The Claro Group, and Vantage Point Advisors. We also open new offices in Charlotte and San Diego.
2023
We acquire Torrey Partners, deepening our bench of expert consultants and testifiers.
