Rick Harpster

Rick is a managing director in KPMG Strategy, and has nearly 20 years of M&A and strategic advisory experience, particularly in building enterprise value, optimizing cash flow, and accelerating growth. He has experience working as a principal and advisor to companies to build equity value and growth via M&A, geographic and product line expansion, synergy realization, and working capital and cost optimization. Prior to joining KPMG, Rick worked for 14 years at a lower middle-market private equity firm as a Managing Director and Partner where he led the full range of deal experience: sourcing a transaction, completing due diligence, contracting and closing a transaction, financing a transaction, managing and building value in a portfolio company, and ultimately exiting an investment. Rick chaired several Boards where he worked with management to drive strategic priorities designed to maximize equity value creation. Prior to his private equity career, Rick worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions group within Merrill Lynch’s Investment Banking division where he developed valuation experience while working on teams that advised clients on M&A and capital raising alternatives. Rick holds a BBA and MAcc from the University of Michigan.