M&A activity expected to rise

A majority of professionals in related industries expect merger and acquisition volume to increase this year, according to the latest version of the semiannual DealMakers Survey.

Roughly three out of every four respondents (approximately 76%) said they expect merger activity to pick up. An even larger majority, or 89% of respondents, said they consider the current environment to be a buyer's market.

“I've recently attended several conferences around the state where some of the bigger private equity groups have stated that their first quarter 2010 deal flow is as high as it has been in the last four years,” said Russell Slappey, president of the Association for Corporate Growth's Orlando chapter, in a release accompanying the results. “In fact,” he added, “I'm currently trying to assist a buyer with identifying an acquisition candidate in the health care space.”

“This is a good sign for Florida and other mid-market companies in the Southeast that could use the relief from the recession,” Slappey said.

The full results of the survey, managed by the combined efforts of the ACG and Thompson Reuters, are available at the ACG website.