Email: ephor[at]ephorgroup.com
Main: 1-(800)-379-9330
Fax:
24 Greenway Plaza Suite 440
Houston, TX 77046
Ephor Group – Solving the Value Equation.
Ephor Group's mission is to enable emerging enterprises to achieve their market potential thus creating exponential wealth for all stakeholders.
Our approach is proven, pragmatic, and performance oriented. Our methodology, the Perform Business Process™ fills in the gaps where capability and expertise are constraining the business from realizing the market opportunity.
At Ephor Group we believe that all stakeholders should have parallel and complimentary compensation interests. We treat entrepreneurs, intermediaries, our investment partners, and our associates with respect coupled with a spirit of learning. We have a passion for sharing our knowledge of experiences and invite you to use this website as a knowledge library.
Founded by Garry Meier in 2002, Ephor has a history of success fully transforming $5-$50M small businesses into $20-$200M wealth creating enterprises.
Where do you want to go today?
- Why Ephor Group is unique
- Our focus (read more about the types of businesses we work with here)
- Our approach (Perform Business Process™)
- Advisory Services for Emerging Enterprises and Underperforming Companies
- Raving Fan Testimonials
Ephor Group – Solving the Value Equation for Perform Businesses.
Ephor Group increases strategic, operational and financial performance of our client companies therefore maximizing their market opportunity: resulting in the most optimum equity and enterprise valuations for the shareholders.
Ephor Group Practice Areas:
Ephor Group increases profits for firms through our Perform Business Process™, a proven, pragmatic, measurement and metrics driven methodology. Strategic & “C” Level Advisory Practice overview:
- Mission: Provide Board Level, Executive level and Corporate Governance expertise to emerging businesses.
- Vision: Become the “go to” resource for emerging and high growth businesses to create effective “C” Leadership and Governance. Become a trusted resource for Institutional Investors and operational management.
Growth Practice
For emerging enterprises Ephor enables the client companies to become institutionally investable, and enhance wealth creation opportunities by:
- Determining if the client company is institutionally viable (formulate the actions and capabilities necessary to attract institutional investment);
- Determining the most appropriate capital structure: size the long-term capital needs, acquiring capital, and determining the optimum use of funds; and
- Providing management, strategic, operational, financial, and growth clarity, via the "Perform Business Process™.”
The mission of the Ephor Group Growth Practice is to transition small businesses into “branded” emerging platforms and industry leaders. We identify emerging small businesses ($4 - $50M) with significant market opportunity and create “branded” business models, thus creating top-tier enterprise performance.
Operational Performance Improvement Practice
Businesses that are underperforming are always sequestered by more than one factor. Ephor's Perform Business Process™ combines a pragmatic analysis of the company, its capital structure, and a multi-faceted yet holistic performance improvement initiative. We then fill-in-the-gaps between the resources the company can bring to bear on the problem and the needed solution. Our mission is to "unlock" the sequestered potential of underperforming companies.
Organizational Effectiveness Aligned with Financial Results.
Increasing profits means improving the following business drivers:
- Identification of cost-savings (Redundant processes, order-to-cash, or outsourcing for example)
- Daily operating performance alignment and improvement to the strategic initiatives
- Operational scalability (Supply Chain Management, Lean Implementation, Six Sigma Implementation)
- Leveraging economic efficiencies
Read more about Ephor Group's Operational Performance Improvement Practice.
A thorough assessment is at the heart of our process. Read more about our assessment process the Perform Business Process ™. For additional information please contact us at ephor[at]ephorgroup.com
Ephor Group – where value operates.
Ephor Group has worked with over a hundred (100) B2B mid-market focused technology and service providers ranging from entrepreneurs seeking fast growth to emerging enterprises looking to create a platform or carve out a niche to create industry leading organizations that focus on the small and mid-market.
All of Ephor's professionals are noted specialists with experience as operators, consultants, and investment banking or private equity background.
First let us introduce our founder, Garry Meier who founded the Ephor Group to apply the performance improvement methodologies and shareholder value enhancement processes he and his associates developed over his thirty plus year career to a diverse group of technology and service companies. Mr. Meier is highly recognized as an industry thought leader in the business and technology services arena as well as outsourcing sectors. He is a noted speaker on strategic effectiveness, value creation, industry trends, capital appreciation, performance improvement, outsourcing and customer satisfaction. Additionally, he is an advisor to private equity and venture firms on their investment strategies and portfolio companies and has been a small business advocate to the US Senate. Mr. Meier currently focuses on providing board, institutional and C-level guidance to maximize strategic, operational, and equity effectiveness for mid-cap technology and service companies. |
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Operational & Executive Assignments
- IBM Corporation, Corporate Development
- Edward Jones & Company, Partner
- FFMC, Corporate Development/M&A
- Automated Information, President/CEO
- Technology Service Solutions, COO
- Global Integrity Outsourcing, CEO/President
- Medaphis Physician Services, COO
- Outsource International Inc., CEO
- SmartTime Inc., Interim CEO
- Achilles Group, CEO
BOD & Advisory Assignments
- Achilles Group, Chairman
- Panama Payment Services Inc., Chairman/Director
- Outsource International Inc., Chairman
- Personalogy, Chairman
- Workplace Solutions, Chairman
- TalentTree, Chairman
- SmartTime Inc., Chairman
- CentriconHRA, Chairman/Director
- Global Integrity Outsourcing, Director
- The Capstreet Group, Advisor
- Certus Corporation, Director
- Baird Capital Partners, Advisory Board
- Baird Venture Partners, Advisory Board
- Economic Development Authority Board, State of Missouri, Director
An experienced, highly effective, results driven team that illustrates our 130 years of domain, functional sector, and management expertise in our focus areas. Ephor Group’s team of consultants, executives, and investors combines cross-industry perspective with deep specialist knowledge. Our seasoned advisors analyze and research and then implement with speed, creativity, clear thought and pragmatism.
Looking for a speaker or have a question about one of our team members? Contact us at ephor[at]ephorgroup.com.
Ephor Group – setting the stage for sustained success.
Developing a clear strategic vision and a perform-based culture within the constraints of available capital resources makes owning and managing a business a real challenge.
Our approach is cross-functional and creates mutually dependant actions that are required internally. Our people have revenue-generating, profit-making, operational experience as owners and investors with strong backgrounds in strategy, marketing, sales, partnering, operations, IT, finance, financial engineering, and management.
We apply a consistent, time proven methodology, our Perform
Business Process™ to all of our engagements. This
method moves past the symptoms to diagnose the underlying fundamental flaws challenging the
business. We identify the issues, design and implement the solutions taking an active role in interim
management or board level oversight as the company moves through its performance
improvement program.
Perform
Business Process™
Our compensation is aligned with the objectives of our clients and is based on performance not time. We hold ourselves and our clients accountable for performance improvement. Our compensation therefore is made up of three components:
- Fee for expertise
- Incentive component for near-term improvements and results
- Equity participation as a result of our value creation methodology for long-term results
We are unique because:
- Our approach creates sustainable performance both in the near and long-term.
- Our philosophy is holistic, metrics driven, accountability based, and in alignment with the objectives of business owners, shareholders, and institutional investors.
- Our people are experienced, results-oriented former owners and operators of businesses with c-level experience, multi-functional, backgrounds, and extensive technology and service industry experience.
- Our process (Perform Business Process™) initiates with a pragmatic assessment of your business which includes a roadmap for improvement. Contact us for a no-obligation assessment of your situation.
"We have thirty plus years experience as sage advisors, what distinguishes us is our approach and compensation beliefs. We align ourselves with the best interests of the company and solve the underlying strategic, tactical, and management challenges by aligning all." - Garry Meier
Ephor Group – our focus.
We specialize in organizations with the following attributes in their business model:
- Changing industry environment
- Excessive customer acquisition costs
- End-user customer satisfaction is critical
- Labor intensive
- Low asset based (technology or service based)
- Management processes are critical to success
- Recurring revenue models
We specialize in organizations in the following sector areas:
- Healthcare business services and medical business services
- Revenue Cycle Management & Billing Management
- Employee Health Record Software & Services (SaaS EHR)
- Healthcare technology solutions
- Technology-Enabled Business Services
- Marketing services, customer relationship management services (CRM), customer acquisition marketing, sales, and partner focused firms, direct marketing and direct sales, and Internet marketing
- SCM & Distribution/Logistics
- Software, SaaS and technology services with subscription revenue models
- Workforce management, staffing, and technology
- Outsourcing
- Business process outsourcing (BPO) including outsourced technology and service providers
- Human capital management (HCM) and human resource consulting
- Human resources outsourcing and HR technology outsourcing (HRO, HRMS/HRIT)
- HR Cost Containment Services for Mid-Market Enterprises
- Outsourced accounting and outsourced finance providers (FAO)
- Outsourced IT (Information Technology)
- Professional Services
“Companies retain us to solve a singular issue, ninety percent of the time the solution needs operational improvement, management support, and strategic guidance to solve the root problem.” – Garry Meier.
A thorough assessment is at the heart of our process. Read more about our assessment process the Perform Business Process ™.
Download Resources
Approach – proven, pragmatic, and performance driven.
While the demands of each client are unique, our approach is holistic, structured, and consistent.
With each engagement we perform an assessment and an analysis, create a project plan, and then support the execution efforts through our improvement methodology, the Perform Business Process™.
We divide the challenges and objectives of the company into four overlapping phases:
- Strategic Clarity
- Tactical Clarity
- Operational Improvement and Efficiency
- Financial Clarity
Our evaluation of the needs of the company, in conjunction with its owners and managers, determines the resources brought to bear on each phase. We work with the company to execute its performance improvement within this disciplined, continuous metric-oriented framework, structured project timelines resulting in mutual accountability.
“Ninety percent of the time, the CEO does not have the internal resources or illustrates a skill gap that needs to be addressed - using our Perform Business Process we fill those gaps.” -Garry Meier, Ephor Group Founder.
Read about our success stories:
- Value Creation through Operational Improvement
- Service Improvement through Tactical Clarity
- Value Creation for Perform Businesses through Strategic Clarity
Read more about:
- Raising Capital
- Effectively Growing to Create Institutional Level Wealth
- Creating an Investable Business Checklist
Ephor Group – for institutional investors: private equity and venture capital portfolio management augmentation.
- Do you have a portfolio investment which has been in the portfolio for 2-3 years and is not achieving the investment thesis?
- Ask yourself: in this different economy what can we do now?
- Have you made a recent portfolio investment and so far it has not tracked to meet its initial goals?
- Does a portfolio company have a dysfunctional board with conflicting agendas?
- Not sure if management is effective or not?
- Do you have a portfolio company that needs to prepare for and/or create exit opportunities?
Ephor Group creates EBITDA improvement for technology and service based businesses generating maximum portfolio returns.
Ephor Group's extensive background as an institutional investor, operating executive, and BOD chairman will provide that market perspective consistency balance necessary to maximize returns. Our process starts with a pragmatic assessment of your business which includes a roadmap for improvement.
Ephor Group enables private equity and venture capital to:- Improve strategic and operating performance of individual portfolio companies
- Make the smaller investment at lower EBITDA multiples where risk and improvement areas are identified during due diligence
- Create effective and balanced Board of Directors and corporate governance
- Spend less of your precious time and resources on portfolio management activities
- Have access to domain expertise during due diligence and the portfolio management process
We specialize in organizations with the following attributes in their business model:
- Labor intensive
- Low asset based
- Excessive customer acquisition costs
- Complex distribution
- End-user customer satisfaction is critical
- Management and measurement processes are critical to success
- Multi-functional dependency
- Changing exogenous environment
We specialize in organizations in the following sector focus areas:
- Business process outsourcing including FAO, HRO, IT and HRO and HRIT outsourcing
- Human capital management
- Workforce management, staffing, and technology
- Medical business services (health care busienss services)
- CRM, Marketing services and customer acquisition services
- Software, SaaS, and technology services
Latin America - mecca of opportunity.
sitio web de espanol de Ephor Group
Ephor Group SPM&I is a limited partnership fund that provides liquidity and growth capital as well as management expertise to mid market private companies in Central America.
Opportunity
We are extremely bullish on the opportunities available in many emerging economies. Entire business service industries in these economies are positioned for rapid growth through consolidation and across to additional capital. These businesses are benefiting from a convergence of factors including:
- Positive macro-environment and economic growth conditions / emerging economies
- Robust real estate and infrastructure spending
- Service requirements developing behind infrastructure spending
- Market need for business services
- Lack of middle market financing alternatives
- Entrepreneurial workforces
- Emergent exit opportunities (IPO, multinationals, recapitalization)
In particular we see a strong need for institutional equity and mezzanine financing that provides capital that is simply unavailable in these economies. In many respects, these emerging economies and the environment for investor capital represent a similar set of circumstances of those in North America in the 1970's.
Capital Formation and Capitalization Spectrum
The effect of incomplete financial markets is that they eliminate an entire segment of financial transactions necessary to fully develop the economy. Specific problems include:
- Consolidation financing is not available leaving markets open to bigger, international players rather than home grown solutions
- Illiquidity as mergers and acquisitions have no way to be efficiently financed
- Lack of middle market incubator creates skill and management gaps
- No effective means to accomplish generational transfer of wealth
- Service based businesses lack access to capital and remain highly fragmented
- Economy stratified into ends of the size spectrum – large companies with access to capital and small companies constrained by lack of capital
The time is right to begin an orderly, sustainable investment of mezzanine and equity money into these opportunities. Ephor Group is committed to bridging the gap in Central America between entrepreneurial and corporate businesses both financially and operationally.
Solution
Garry Meier is the founder of the Ephor Group SPM&I fund. Garry is highly recognized as an industry thought leader in the business and technical services arena as well as outsourcing sectors. He is a noted speaker on strategic effectiveness, value creation, industry trends, capital appreciation, performance improvement, outsourcing, and customer satisfaction. Additionally, Garry is an advisor to two private equity firms and two venture firms on their investment strategies and portfolio companies.The Ephor Group has a history of success creating over $3.5 billion in shareholder value since 1995.
Mr. Meier has assembled an experienced, highly effective, results driven team that illustrates our 120 years of domain, functional sector, and management experience. Ephor Group’s team of consultants, executives, and investors combines cross-industry perspective with deep specialist knowledge.
Ephor Group applies a consistent, time proven methodology to all of our investments. This method moves past the symptoms to diagnose the root problems challenging the business. We stick around for the fix, taking an active role in interim management or board level oversight as the company moves through its performance improvement program.
We create value through financial engineering, strategic management and operational expertise. We ensure success by deploying capital to fund growth within existing lines of business, change of control, consolidations and/or strategic re-positioning
Contact us for a list of current Central American businesses we advise.
Fund Criteria
Ephor Group SPM&I is seeking to invest in business service opportunities in Central America that meet these criteria:
- Revenues between $1.0 million to $10.0 million
- Banks and asset based lenders are not supplying sufficient capital (especially for exponential growth requirements)
- Limited asset base
- Company fundamentals are sound including some combination of niche protection, market leadership, revenue and/or margin growth and market opportunity
- Operational complexity benefits from strategic and managerial expertise
- Industry segment supports buy-and-build and consolidations
- Revenues generated through business-to-business transactions
- Responds to performance-based management culture
For Investors
Ephor Group SPM&I Fund provides qualified investors an attractive opportunity to:- Capitalize on strong, proprietary deal flow
- Co-invest in fund opportunities where they strongly match individual limited partners’ investment criteria
- Deploy capital managed by an experienced investment team with an impressive track record
- Diversify overall portfolio with holdings of private companies
- Invest in emerging platforms in the Central American economic opportunity at attractive valuations
- Participate in equity structures typically unavailable to individual investors
For more information, contact us at ephor[at]ephorgroup.com
sitio web de espanol de Ephor Group
Value Creation Methodology: Perform Business Process™ by Garry Meier
The Ephor Group’s Perform Business Process™ was created by Garry Meier to increase equity valuations for technology and service based firms. It starts with an analysis to determine the underlying barriers to success and provides a plan and the resources needed to create near-term and sustainable business model improvement.
By first analyzing a business holistically including strategy, operations, and financial, and unbiased from what the opinions of management, board members, or other stakeholder’s believe ensures that the right issues are identified and resolved.
Often, strategic issues are affecting the effectiveness of the organization and execution flaws are impeding strategy. Since one is caused by the other, the issues cannot be resolved without first identifying the underlying root cause issues.
Improving performance starts with solving the real issues, not the perceived!
Perform
Business Process™
Perform Business Process™
The goal is sustainable strategic and operational improvement.
Perform Business Process™ was developed specifically for technology and service based businesses. It is a blue print for organizations to follow and lead them to the next stage of their development by improving three business aspects strategy, tactics and operations.
This three prong approach includes balancing stakeholders, multidisciplinary and functional improvements, and formulating long-term vision.
For more information contact us at ephor[at]ephorgroup.com.
Results - pragmatic solutions. impact change.
Raving Fan testimonials:
Assessments: Planning and Strategic Guidance
- “Architecting the right revenue plan takes intimate knowledge of the customer and marketing effectiveness. Charles has created the winning roadmap for dozens of HR companies seeking fast-scalable growth.” - CEO/Founder, Marketing Services Firm
- “Ephor Group’s unique knowledge of the customer dynamics as well as market landscape helped us determine where to focus sales and our developers. Their market research set the framework for decision making.” - Owner, Talent Management Application
- “Ephor helped us evaluate our go-to-market opportunities and collaboratively created the action plan that led to profitability in two new markets.” Board Member, HR Services Firm
- “Ephor made sense of a complicated fundraising effort – without you guys we would have settled and chosen a non useful investor.” Owner, Services Firm
- “Ephor stayed on to not only recommend several initiatives to support our strategic mission but guided us through from startup phase of relying on the founders through a period of intense growth.” – CEO/Owner, Workforce Services
- “Ephor has been a key driver of our profitability over the last 18 months – started with an assessment and they worked with us day-in-and out to ensure targets were achieved.” CEO, Services Firm
- “Our channel and customer service are the two initiatives that make us unique in our market – for both Ephor was instrumental.” – CEO, HR Technology
- “Their assessment identified two core competitive advantages that we had not been able to monetize– that is strategy and the value it created for my firm is immeasurable.” CEO/Owner, IT Services Firm
- “It started by getting the whole team on the same page, and the action plan developed went above and beyond so much that our employees were motivated and properly educated significantly enough to have a sparkle in their eyes.” – Chairman, Workforce Technology firm
- “Ephor Group stepped in at a critical phase and their hands on operational leadership saved the firm’s culture, resulted in 44% sales. The ability to execute stands Ephor Group at the top of the pyramid.” – Owner, HR Services Firm
- “I was utterly impressed at the breadth and depth of their expertise in evaluating technology and customer needs.” - VP/Developer, Insurance and Workforce Services firm
Business Process Advisors: Operational and Workforce Improvement
- “Operational leadership to ramp our development, improved EBITDA from BE to nearly 18% and placed our company on the path we had been trying to achieve for 5 years.” – CEO/Owner, Services Firm
- “What separates Ephor Group’s approach is their understanding of the customer – how-to effectively sell and deliver services to them in a scalable manner.” – Partner, Private Equity Firm
- “Their methodology is what distinguishes them and creates consistent results.” – Director, Private Equity Firm
- “Ephor implemented a holistic process, focused the organization on revenue and client retention and had remarkable measurable improvement.” CEO/Owner, IT Services Firm
- “I would recommend Ephor to anybody seeking fast-growth.” - Founder, Business Services Firm
- “Ephor Group saved us more than half a million dollars in expenses in year 1.” VP, Energy Services Firm
- “The thought-processes behind Garry’s methodologies allowed us to create a unique value-proposition which led to investment, but more importantly enabled us to grow rapidly and acquire mass and density in new markets.” – Owner, Business Services Firm
Measurable Results
- “They accomplish what they proposed. They identified M&A targets and successfully managed the corporate development and integration efforts.” - CEO, Online Services Provider
- “The three tiered Yellow-Brick revenue roadmap Ephor created enabled us to scale in ways previously unimaginable. Ephor was instrumental in our success.” - CEO, SaaS Provider
- “The brand, process optimization, and management methodologies Garry and his team implemented enabled us to not only turnaround, but to acquire similar firms and really distinguish ourselves from the competition.” - President, Healthcare Revenue Reimbursement Firm
- “Ephor Group found us the perfect strategic investor, at the valuation we needed, and now we are off to the races!” – Owner, HR Firm
- “{Ephor} Created a revenue model with 15% less cost-of-sales than competitors while simultaneously improving customer retention.” - CEO/Founder, IT Services Firm
- “They successfully created dozens of partnerships for us just as we planned. What sets Ephor Group apart is that those partnerships now represent 40% of our business and we have increased growth three years in a row!.” Founder, HRO Firm
Read about our success stories:
Given the strategic nature of a lot of our engagements, many of our clients do not wish to be named. In light of the results below, this is quite understandable. But we are happy to provide you with references upon request.
- Value Creation through Operational Improvement
- Service Improvement through Tactical Clarity
- Value Creation for Perform Businesses through Strategic Clarity
- Human Resources Technology Results Case Study
- Project Lincoln: Talent Acquisition Services
- Project Island: Outsourced Human Resources for SMBs
- Project Global BPO
- Project Go-To-Market
More from Ephor Group:
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A thorough assessment is at the heart of our process. Learn more here.
Ephor Group – Assessment & Analysis.
A thorough assessment is at the heart of any solution.
Every engagement with Ephor Group includes an in-depth evaluation of a firm’s strategy, operations, management, and constituencies which we call the Perform Business Process ™ created by Garry Meier.
At Ephor, we view ourselves as value engineers. Our understanding of the drivers and levers of business enables us to identify how value can be created and sustained.
Once we identify the optimal opportunity we then work with you to realize maximum success including:
- Increasing EBITDA and cash generating ability of the business
- Developing long-term operating infrastructure to ensure performance is maximized
- Positioning the company to attract an array of strategic options for value realization
Whether it’s a two-day, market valuation project, an operational improvement initiative, or strategic advice to better position your company for equity financing, acquisition or partnership, we will help you increase the value of your company and position it for long-term prosperity.
To learn more about increasing your company's valuation or improving performance contact us at ephor[at]ephorgroup.com. We offer a no-obligation assessment of your situation.
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