In this episode of Deal Talk with 7MA host Ariail Siggins talks with 7 Mile Director Neil Churman. He heads up the firm’s infrastructure, industrial, energy, and environmental practice. Neil discusses trends, the impact of technology, and some events centered around the infrastructure, industrial, energy, and environmental sector of 7 Mile’s business.

Neil, a civil and environmental engineer by education, comes to 7MA after many years with a publicly traded engineering firm out of Pittsburgh. There he moved from an engineer working in the field to a more corporate role where he worked in a corporate development focused on M&A and strategic growth. Now at 7 Mile, Neil uses his experience with more high-tech business to give perspective to the traditional engineering, industrial, and infrastructure oriented businesses on how technology can benefit their businesses.

Neil discusses how businesses should think of technology in terms of either acquiring it through acquisition, in-house development, or through a partnership with another firm. Neil then talks about trends in the infrastructure, industrial, energy and environmental sectors.

Neil also discusses several upcoming events 7 Mile is hosting. The first brings together traditional industrial service businesses and private equity firms to inform CEO’s about the mergers and acquisition process and how private equity can help. The second is an event more specific to the environmental sector. This includes current trends in the environmental and energy industry, and also include private equity.

Quotes:

Neil on how technology is needed by most firms:

“I think that technology really is the differentiator. It does not mean that you have to have a team of software developers writing your own proprietary software. We’re really talking about technology enablement.” (14:55)

Neil on the need for firms in more industrial oriented industries to look to technology:

“Technology enablement is coming if it’s not already there and if you don’t start to push that envelope, one of your competitors is going to beat you to the punch.” (15:40)