On May 13, Jayne Juvan moderated a sharp and insightful panel discussion with Courtney Eaton of M7 Holdings, Tim Eippert of Stratus, Jennifer Reed of Novagard, and Diana Selzer of S&T Bank at the Smart Business Dealmakers Middle-Market M&A Conference in Cleveland, with introductions by Ludgy LaRochelle. The program, “Navigating Buy-Side Deals,” brought together operators, investors, and bankers who are actually in the arena—sharing what’s working right now, where deals get stuck, and how disciplined buyers are creating advantage in a more selective market. The panelists focused on a few themes: the best buyers are winning before LOI—through preparation, clarity of strategy, and relationship-building; execution risk is front and center—diligence and integration planning are no longer back-end exercises; and capital is available but is being deployed with far more scrutiny and precision.