Marty P. Mathias has joined the CapVal team as a Business Valuation Analyst and Certified Fraud Examiner in litigation projects, supporting business owners and business advisors across the country. Formerly a principal at a regional public accounting firm, Marty worked closely with owners of privately held businesses on a variety of aspects of business management and financial consulting. We could not be more excited to have Marty join the team, working out of our Madison office. You will see Marty in meetings and calls if you haven’t already, so we wanted to share this brief Q&A to help you get to know him.
Q. Welcome, Marty! What drew you to Capital Valuation Group and Business Valuation?
I was previously at a large accounting firm, working with closely held business owner clients, as well as managing a team of accountants. Joining the CapVal team offers an opportunity to work with a specialized, boutique firm and focus my time on doing what I enjoy the most, working alongside business owners. I thrive on the variety that comes from getting to know the story and details behind each business so I can help solve problems and unlock growth opportunities.
After 20 years in public accounting which included a focus on Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), I have worked with a significant number of business owners and assisted them through transactions of all sizes. This experience of analyzing the trends of a business, identifying inconsistencies, and helping business owners prepare for sale is directly applicable to business valuation.
Q: Please tell us more about your expertise. What types of work did you do prior to CapVal?
Working with privately held business owners and decision-makers in areas of financial reporting, tax, and strategic planning provided an opportunity to understand their history, struggles, and goals for the future. I often served as a sounding board to help work through considerations when making decisions. Many of my business owner clients saw me as their outsourced CFO if they didn’t have a full-time CFO because our work together went beyond financial reporting and into strategic planning.
A unique opportunity arose to develop expertise related to forensic accounting, which means I used auditing and investigative skills to explain what actually occurred, usually in cases of fraud or embezzlement. I am a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) through the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, so I am trained to prevent, detect and investigate fraud. With this background, I have an eye for numbers that don’t make sense and can determine whether these outliers could benefit from additional research as compared to those that are easily reconciled.
Being a CFE led to gaining experience in providing litigation support and testimony in situations such as breach of contract or other business damages. I enjoy sifting through complex financial transactions, completing necessary analyses, and then communicating my work in a way that non-accountants can understand--all helpful when testifying in court.
Q: What aspect of business valuation and/or litigation most interests you?
I really enjoy M&A work and litigation support. As I mentioned, I like to understand the business and where the business owner wants to go in the future so we can assist in identifying ways to get there. The closely-held business owner is so busy working IN the business, solving day-to-day issues, that it’s difficult to find the time to work ON their business as an investment. Business valuation plays into that--both in identifying the value of their business and more importantly, understanding how to increase the value of their business. Based on my experience in strategic planning and M&A, I can help business owners get out of the weeds of daily work to understand what drives the value of their business, and how to increase and unlock the value that exists in their business.
Q: Have you always called Wisconsin home?
I grew up in a small town in Minnesota and went to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for college, where I majored in accounting. After graduation, I moved to Madison and it has felt like home ever since.
Q: How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
My wife Erin and I have a 5-year-old daughter. I’m a long-time board member of the Canopy Center, which supports treatment and prevention programs for abused and neglected children. Beyond that, I enjoy cooking, traveling, reading, and cheering on the Brewers.
Q: What is the best way for people to connect with you?
You can email me at mmathias@capvalgroup.com or via phone 608-257-2757.