Chaffe & Associates Celebrates its 40th Anniversary

September 20, 2022

This year, Chaffe & Associates celebrates its 40th anniversary. With clients stretching from Houston to Birmingham, and New Orleans to Nashville, the company has established itself as the premier firm for valuations and mergers and acquisition advisory services. Its focus is on founder-led companies, family-owned businesses, banks, and other financial institutions.   

The company’s founder and Chairman, D. B. H. “Black” Chaffe, started the firm in 1982 with one employee. Today Chaffe has a staff of 18, with five having been with the firm more than twenty years. 

Its leadership includes Vanessa Brown Claiborne, President and CEO; Sherwood “Woody” Briggs, Vice Chairman; G. F. Gay Le Breton, Managing Director and President of Chaffe Securities, Inc., and Frank deVay, Managing Director.

“The enduring relationships we enjoy with our clients spring from the Company’s unswerving commitment to a particular set of principles,” said Black. “We stress client confidentiality, long-term relationships, attention to detail, and highly tailored, personal services. We are humbled to celebrate 40 years in business.”

 “Our aim is to be the gold standard for valuations,” said Ms. Claiborne. “That’s why clients come to us. Chaffe has earned its reputation as a resource for valuations across numerous industries, expanding beyond estate, gift and income tax planning and reporting to valuation of intangible assets and purchase price allocations.”

Reflecting on its M&A practice, Gay Le Breton said, “We are fortunate to have produced so many successful transactions for founder and family-owned sellers. A sample of recent deals includes Performance Food Group’s purchase of Hattiesburg-based Merchants Foodservice, Water Street Capital’s investment of growth capital into Southern Scripts, a Natchitoches-headquartered company, and Insulations Incorporated’s sale to KLH Capital, with corporate headquarters in Harahan, La.”

Frank DeVay said, “Chaffe’s M&A practice has prospered because we listen to business owners to understand their goals.  Our goal is to lead transactions that exceed our clients’ expectations and create value at superior deal terms.” 

Investment banking services are provided by Chaffe Securities, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

Chaffe & Associates, Inc.: Chaffe & Associates, Inc. is an investment banking firm in New Orleans, LA providing merger & acquisition, valuation, fairness opinion and financial advisory services to its clients which range from family-owned, founder-led limited-liability companies (LLCs), banks and other financial institutions in a wide range of industries. Chaffe & Associates, Inc. was founded in 1982 by D.B.H. Chaffe III to provide specialized investment banking services to financial and business interests. Chaffe has earned a strong reputation as a valued resource for a broad base of clients that includes companies in numerous industries. For more information, visit www.chaffe-associates.com or follow us on LinkedIn.