Mergers & Acquisitions Playbook: Lessons from the Middle-Market Trenches

Join The Center for Free Enterprise for a high-impact morning with one of the region’s most accomplished dealmakers: Mark A. Filippell, Managing Director at Citizens Capital Markets and author of .

With a 45-year career in investment banking and over 140 completed M&A transactions totaling over $11 billion in value, Mark brings unmatched insight into the world of middle-market mergers and acquisitions. His deep experience spans manufacturing, capital equipment, distressed business sales, and cross-border transactions, making him a true authority in strategic deal execution and business growth.

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Mark Filippell is a Managing Director at Citizens Capital Markets, M&A Advisory. (He will be retiring from Citizens on August 1, 2025.) He brings 45 years of investment banking and financial advisory experience during which he has personally completed over 140 merger and acquisition transactions. These M&A transactions, the preponderance of which were manufacturing and capital equipment concerns, total over $11 billion in aggregate value, Prior to co-founding Western Reserve Partners in 2004 (which was acquired by Citizens Bank in 2017), Mark headed the M&A Departments at KeyBanc Capital Markets and McDonald Investments Inc. Prior to that, Mark led McDonald’s Bankruptcy and Distressed Business practice. Prior to joining McDonald, Mark was Assistant to the General Manager of Comau Spa, Italy’s leading factory automation company, then owned jointly by FIAT and Bendix. Prior to Comau, he was an Associate with McKinsey & Company where he specialized on capital goods and industrial marketing.

While in law school, Mark was a Summer Associate at Barnes, Hickam, Pantzer & Boyd (now Barnes & Thornburg), the largest law firm in Indianapolis. While in business school he was a Summer Intern at Eli Lilly & Co.’s Controller’s Office in Indianapolis. During college he worked for three years as Assistant to the Chairman of the Indiana Republican Party in Indianapolis where he did fundraising, precinct worker training and campaign organizational work for Governor Otis Bowen and Senate candidate Richard Lugar. Earlier, Mark was a Summer Intern for Indiana Congressman David Dennis in Washington, DC.

Mark grew up in Richmond, Indiana (one mile from the Ohio State line) where he graduated from Richmond High School after his junior year. He then attended DePauw University where he graduated 1975 class valedictorian with a BA in Economics. While in college Mark studied one semester at La Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain where all his coursework was in Spanish. He then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1977 where he was a Baker Trust Scholar and a JD from Michigan Law School in 1979 where he was a Senior Editor of the Michigan Law Review.

Mark authored the book Mergers & Acquisitions Playbook: Lessons from the Middle-Market Trenches, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (copyright 2011).

Mark is currently on the board of TeamWork Online in Cleveland, OH, the nation’s leading sports job placement organization (34,000 jobs filled during 2024).

He was previously on the boards of:

• Exxel Outdoors Inc., a Los Angeles, CA designer, producer and marketer of camping apparel
• Delaware Dynamics LLC, a Muncie, IN manufacturer of aluminum die-cast tooling
• CHT Nuclear LLC, a Greensboro, NC manufacturer of vessels for transporting nuclear fuel
• FirstMerit Bank’s North Coast Region Advisory Board, the Cleveland body serving this Akron, OH bank
• Wolverine Die Cast LLC, a Warren, MI manufacturer of zinc and aluminum die castings for the automotive and model train markets

Mark was previously a Member of the managing team at Western Reserve Partners, a Cleveland, OH investment banking firm, and its investment arm, Public Square Partners I, LLC.

He previously served on the investment committees of:

• Public Square Partners I LLC, the investment arm of Western Reserve Partners LLC
• Kirtland Capital Partners V L.P., an independent financial sponsor investor Mark is currently on the boards of these public service organizations:
• Rails-To-Trails Conservancy (Chairman of Development Committee), the Washington, DC-based pioneer and chief supporter of the development of 34,000 miles of biking/hiking trails
• Bike Cleveland, the Cleveland, OH-based supporter of bike trails and safety in Northeast Ohio
• Harvard Business School Club of Northeast Ohio (past Chairman), a Cleveland, OH continuing education alumni organization

He previously served on the boards of these public service organizations:

• Ohio Broadcast Educational Media Commission (Chairman), the Columbus, OH organization responsible for the Ohio’s oversight and infrastructure for public and educational TV and radio
• Great Lakes Museum of Science, Environment and Technology (Executive Committee) where he spearheaded the move of the NASA Visitors Center into the GLSC and raised the funds to upgrade the space exhibits to a world-class standard.
• New Cuyahoga Now (Co-Chair), the successful ballot initiative to restructure Cuyahoga County government
• Cleveland Center for Economic Education (Chairman), a Cleveland, OH organization dedicated to enhancing reading and financial literacy among young people
• Ideastream (Executive Committee Member and Chairman of the Development Committee), Northeast Ohio’s public TV and radio organization
• Hawken Takes the Plunge (Chairman), Gates Mills, OH school’s successful campaign to raise the funds to build a new competition swimming pool
• Boy Scouts of America, Lake Erie Council, the Cleveland, OH regional arm of the BSA
• Tri CLE Rock Roll Run, a Cleveland, OH triathlon aimed at enhancing physical fitness and appreciation of Cleveland’s lakefront

Mark served as a Delegate for Mitt Romney to the 2012 Republican National Convention. He is active in Republican politics.

Mark is an avid cyclist and triathlete, having competed 11 triathlons including one IRONMAN race. He speaks both Spanish and Italian and is an Eagle Scout. Among Mark’s more eclectic interests are bridges; his HO model train bridges were award winners at an NMRA National Convention and have been featured at museum and civic exhibitions.

Mark has been married for 42 years to his wife Buffy. Their son Davis is 35 years old. (Buffy is the founder/Chairman and Davis is the President of TeamWork Online.)

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