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  • June 2022
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Individual FoodService, Kelso, and Ken Sweder

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:24
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Abstract

When and how much risk to take? In October 2020, Ken Sweder, CEO of Individual FoodService (“IFS”), contemplated this question as he evaluated a proposal to acquire Brady Industries, a distributor of janitorial and sanitation products. Sweder and his private equity partners at Kelso & Company had been working hard to grow IFS, and now they had a unique opportunity to make a transformative acquisition. The deal had great potential and risks; it was unclear if this was the right time to make such a large, complex acquisition amid disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Sweder needed to decide if he should recommend the transaction and, if so, how to set the right value creation plan for the combined company.

Keywords

COVID-19 Pandemic; Risk Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Value Creation; Business Divisions

Citation

Tango, Jo, and Alys Ferragamo. "Individual FoodService, Kelso, and Ken Sweder." Harvard Business School Case 822-144, June 2022.

About The Author

Jo Tango

Entrepreneurial Management
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