Sean M. Quinn
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Hey Sean — similar path in a way (IB → PE), though I ended up on the growth equity side in London. been thinking a lot about proprietary origination in mid-market manufacturing lately. would be good to connect.
Hey Sean, similar IB → PE path though I was in London at Greenhill not stateside building a manufacturing holdco like you. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, decent relationships, but no proprietary system of record. the people, tools and ideas were never really connected. every deal virtually sourced from scratch, nothing compounding over time. curious if that's still how most funds operate or if I'm behind the times? — Russ
Hey Sean, looks like we share a similar IB → PE background, though I was in London doing growth equity deals at Greenhill and Treis not in New Jersey acquiring and operating manufacturing businesses like you. the pattern I keep seeing with most funds is weirdly consistent — strong thesis, solid network, but no proprietary system of record. the people, tools and ideas are never really connected. every deal virtually sourced from scratch, nothing compounds on itself. curious if that resonates or if you've built something different at Makers Forward? — Russ
hey Sean — no worries if the timing's off. most funds I talk to have tried some version of building origination in-house — analyst pulling from Pitchbook or Grata, maybe using ChatGPT to help qualify, dumping it into a spreadsheet. each piece kind of works, but there's no system of record tying it together. the people, tools and ideas are all disconnected, so there's tonnes of wasted energy and everything ends up out of sync. been helping a few funds like Mentmore work through that. curious if you've run into the same thing at Makers Forward? — Russ
totally get it if origination infrastructure isn't top of mind right now — most funds have 10 things ahead of it on the priority list. the funds I've seen crack it early just tend to compound deal flow in a way that's hard to replicate later. if it ever moves up the list, I'm easy to find. — Russ
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Sean — Noticed you played D1 lacrosse at Loyola and still run the Pirate Lacrosse Club — that's a serious commitment on both ends. I rowed varsity at Williams for three years, so I get the pull of competitive sports long after college. I spent three years deploying growth equity tickets in London and the sourcing grind nearly buried me — so I built SearchLoop to fix it. Backer Group in the UK uses it now to source service and light manufacturing businesses → score them on fit criteria → reach owners directly and book meetings. The whole system is custom-built to their thesis and plugs into their CRM so they see everything. Given Makers Forward's focus on middle-market North American manufacturing — and the kind of operator-led acquisitions you've done with companies like NHI — there's a version of this that maps well to your thesis. We've already built out targeting for a similar industrial space — worth a quick call to walk through what's in it? Russ searchloop.ai linkedin.com/in/russellt23
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Sean M. Quinn Title: CEO / Founding Partner Fund: Makers Forward, LLC Background: PROSPECT SUMMARY: Sean Quinn CURRENT ROLE AND FOCUS: Sean is the Chief Executive Officer at Makers Forward, LLC, based in Summit, New Jersey. He leads an investment company specialized in acquiring and improving middle-market North American manufacturing businesses. He is currently actively searching for new investment opportunities and partnerships with management teams to drive operating efficiency and innovation. BACKGROUND: He has a significant track record in the manufacturing and consumer goods sectors. Prior to his current role, he was the CEO of IDLTI, LLC and President/CEO of IDL Techni Edge LLC, where he grew the business into a leading US manufacturer of hand tools and blades before selling it to Stanley Black & Decker in 2018. Following the sale, he served as VP of Strategic Initiatives at Stanley Black & Decker to oversee the integration. Earlier in his career, he founded PowerShot Tool Company (later sold to Masco Corp) and held marketing leadership roles at Black & Decker. He holds an MBA and a BA in Finance from Loyola University Maryland, where he played NCAA Division 1 Lacrosse. KEY SKILLS: Manufacturing, Investment Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Strategy, P&L Management, Product Development, and Team Leadership. POSTS AND ENGAGEMENT: On March 1, 2021, Sean reshared a post from New Hampshire Industries (NHI) to celebrate their team. Direct Quote: "Congratulations to John, Zac, Kevin, and the entire team at NHI! Makers Forward is very fortunate to be associated with the great people and amazing accomplishments in customer growth, new product development, and solution based engineering. The future is bright!" He also shared a quote from Kevin Guay (Director of Product Development at NHI): "Reaching out and finding new technology, developing a new process altogether, problem solving, finding a solution to something that somebody else doesn’t have—that’s the fun part." VOLUNTEERING & COMMUNITY: Extensive involvement in youth sports in Summit, NJ, having served as a coach and board president for the Summit Lacrosse Club and Summit Basketball Club. He also served on the President’s Parent Council at Drexel University. Fund details: - Description: We are entrepreneurs and business owners. Makers Forward, LLC is a cross between a private equity organization and a manufacturing company. We invest in middle-market North American manufacturing businesses. Our objective is to make long term investments in companies that can help grow and improve operating efficiency. We partner with management teams that we can work well with to develop people, strategy, and innovations. The name Makers Forward highlights our objective to invest in manufacturing businesses (“makers”) and utilize our experience, contacts, and resources to help move the company in the right direction (“forward”). We often hear that if a business is not growing (or innovating) it is dying – we help the manufacturing companies that we partner with to grow and improve. We have experience acquiring distressed businesses, corporate divestitures, retiring owners, etc. and will review most business situations for control investment. - Website: https://www.makersforward.com - Location: Summit, New Jersey, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Makers Forward, LLC Sean M. Quinn recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Sean M. Quinn is CEO and founding partner of Makers Forward, an investment firm focused on middle market North American manufacturing businesses. Makers Forward aims to make long-term investments in companies that can grow and improve efficiency. Quinn has a long history of managing and investing in private companies.