Private equity
When private equity began reshaping the middle market, RSM spotted the trend early—and built a business around it.
By the mid-2000s, private equity firms were investing in middle market companies at scale, tapping into the immense wealth that had built up in midsize businesses over several decades. These companies were looking for exit strategies, and their new owners needed a complete suite of services that extended beyond the transaction.
RSM was a natural fit. The firm already knew the middle market better than anyone and was well suited to provide assurance, tax and consulting services across the full investment lifecycle—from due diligence through ongoing operations to exit.
The firm built relationships directly with private equity sponsors while simultaneously supporting their portfolio companies.
“They trust us to deliver on time, to do our work with independence and integrity, and to deliver that across their entire portfolio.”
Speed and responsiveness became essential. “Working in PE, you need to be able to mobilize very quickly … to be experts in not only PE but also whatever business their portfolio company is operating in,” says Kristen Rathfelder, national private equity enterprise account leader. “And then very meaningfully, you need to be able to quantify your impact to that business.”
of firm revenue from private equity
private equity firm relationships
portfolio company clients
top U.S. PE sponsors served
“A best-in-class middle market transaction services business was a critical building block for our private equity practice. It helped us create the depth, scale and responsiveness private equity sponsors need across the investment lifecycle.”
Private equity didn’t just become a growth channel. It became the proof of concept for RSM’s entire middle market strategy: Go deep, earn trust, deliver across the full range of client needs and scale those relationships.
