Honoring the Life & Legacy of BGL Founder and Senior Managing Director Michael E. Gibbons
Mike Gibbons founded BGL in 1989 based on the core principles of creativity, integrity, and the importance of relationships, all of which remain central to our firm. BGL’s reputation as hardworking, entrepreneurial, and collaborative is a direct reflection of who Mike was as a person and a leader and was forged by the sincerity and relentless work ethic he exhibited throughout his long and celebrated career.
Indeed, when considering a list of individuals who have achieved the highest level of success in M&A and deal-making, no list would be complete without Mike’s name. While Mike was a hometown guy through and through – a Cleveland native, a lifelong supporter of the Northeast Ohio business community, and a champion for Ohio – the impact he has made over the course of his career extends internationally. BGL is today one of the leading middle-market investment banks in the United States, and Mike was well-known in the industry at an international level due to his decades-long leadership in REACH (fka Global M&A Partners).
Mike was born in Cleveland and grew up in Parma. He played football at St. Ignatius High School and Kenyon College. At Kenyon College, he graduated with degrees in political science and economics and went on to earn a master’s degree on a full-ride scholarship from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Weatherhead School of Management, followed by a J.D. – pursued via night classes – from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
He quickly began to make his mark on the business world. Mike joined Cleveland investment firm McDonald & Company on the bottom rung and made partner by 27; the youngest partner at the firm. After transitioning to Underwood Neuhaus & Company, he became its President and Chief Executive Officer just two years later, at the age of 35.
In 1989, Mike launched Brown Gibbons & Company as a merchant bank in partnership with Kevin Brown, a successful entrepreneur from Rocky River. Just six weeks after establishing their new firm, Kevin passed away unexpectedly following a tragic boating accident. Many – if not most – individuals in Mike’s situation would have taken a safer path and returned to a career with an established firm. Instead, with just a desk and a phone, Mike shifted Brown Gibbons & Company from merchant banking to investment banking. In 1995, by partnering with Scott Lang, the firm established a Chicago office and changed the name of the firm to Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL).
BGL found an early niche in the middle market, addressing the corporate finance needs of business owners and executives. Mike’s relentless drive in serving clients with integrity and thoughtful leadership propelled the firm to early success. While investment banking and financial advisory have been dominated by firms in New York and Chicago, Mike successfully leveraged BGL’s abilities to help dozens of home-grown Ohio companies, providing strategic and financial advice and much-needed capital so that they could expand and add jobs.
From the beginning, Mike translated his own work ethic into a firm culture centered around working hard, putting in the time and effort necessary to get results, and delivering top value to clients. BGL was never designed to be a “deal shop;” instead, working closely with clients providing thoughtful and creative solutions and communicating with them at every stage of a transaction was paramount – and also turned out to be key to the firm’s differentiation in the market.
In 1999, Mike recognized that the middle market was globalizing, and that improving access to buyers across the world was a new necessity. He made sure that BGL became one of the first members of REACH, a worldwide partnership of independent corporate finance advisory firms. Mike served as chairman of the organization for seven years, and in a single year he logged nearly 300,000 international flight miles establishing a global presence for BGL. Mike was still actively involved in REACH, and BGL routinely utilizes the worldwide connections that he forged years ago in order to access capital and strategic buyers for the benefit of our clients.
In recent years, Mike had focused his attention on growing BGL’s real estate practice, providing capital markets solutions to real estate owners and developers across the commercial, hospitality, and multi-family spectrum. The highly accomplished team is one of the most active advisory teams in the industry, with several notable projects local to Northeast Ohio.
A longtime contributor to the Cleveland community, among other leadership positions, Mike served on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the Visiting Committee for Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management, and the Board of Visitors for the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He had previously served as Vice Chair of the Greater Cleveland Sport Commission, and on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio-Israel Chamber of Commerce, the Finance Advisory Board for the University of Akron’s College of Business, the Board of Directors for North Coast Professional Sports LLC, the Board of Trustees of Magnificat and St. Ignatius High School, and the Board of Trustees of the Great Lakes Theater Festival.
Mike was honored with nearly two dozen awards and honors for his business successes and community support. He was named the Northeast Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, and included on the list of Power Players by Smart Business. He received Deal of the Year recognition from The M&A Advisor, Acquisition Finance Magazine, Global M&A Network, and the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG). Mike has been honored as REACH’s Partner of the Year, and he was a recipient of both the St. Ignatius Founders’ Award, as well as Cleveland Marshall College of Law’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
In 2018 and 2022, Mike ran for the Senate in Ohio, believing that his private-sector experience could offer voters something different from career politicians. “I’m not a politician, I’m a businessman,” was his frequent refrain, emphasizing his outsider status. His blue-collar upbringing was a point of pride, and he spoke often about the influence of his father, Gene Gibbons, and of his youth spent delivering newspapers, landscaping, and working in construction before eventually building wealth through business. Though his bids for the Senate were unsuccessful, he relished his time on the campaign trail and the opportunity to connect with thousands of Ohioans.
Mike was still going strong, actively serving as one of BGL’s Senior Managing Directors and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. From that single desk and phone in 1989, he has grown his business to more than 150 professionals across the country.
In 2019, as BGL prepared to announce its 30th anniversary, Mike was asked for his thoughts on the firm’s growth over the previous three decades. He said, “We never set out to be the largest investment banking firm in the middle market, but we always wanted to be the best, and I believe we have achieved that goal. I am very proud of the brand we have established, of our reputation in the marketplace, and of my partners and the significant contributions they have made.”
Mike will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him, but his legacy will live on through his family, BGL, and the thousands of individuals, businesses, charities, and civic organizations that benefitted from his friendship, leadership, and influence.