Tom Cavanagh

Tom Cavanagh is a Vice President and Shareholder at BCC Advisers, a Des Moines, Iowa firm specializing in merger & acquisition consulting, investment banking, business valuation, and litigation-support services for privately-held businesses. He joined BCC Advisers in May 2006 and became a shareholder (owner) of the firm in 2015, giving him nearly two decades of tenure there. His day-to-day work centers on advising business owners and managers through ownership-transfer and acquisition transactions across a range of industries.

He holds an M.B.A. from Drake University and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration (Management) from the University of Northern Iowa. On the regulatory side, he carries Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent State Law) and Series 79 (Investment Banking) licenses and is a registered representative with StillPoint Capital, LLC; he also holds a real-estate license as a Broker-Officer in the State of Iowa. Securities/investment-banking activity in BCC deals is conducted through StillPoint Capital.

Within the profession, Cavanagh is an active member and Treasurer of the Alliance of International Corporate Advisors (AICA), where he manages BCC's collaboration with international peers on cross-border projects, and he serves as a board member of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI). He is community-active as well: a past president of the Rotary Club of Des Moines A.M., a supporter of 100 Men on a Mission, and a graduate of Leadership Iowa and the West Des Moines Leadership Academy.

In his own words, he is "most energized by work that brings together business, people and real turning points in an owner's life… Every situation is a little different, which keeps the work interesting" (Iowa ABI, December 2025) — a description of the M&A/ownership-transition advisory that defines his practice.

• Advises, rather than writes personal angel checks: His role is sell-side/buy-side M&A representation and business-transfer advisory for established, privately-held companies — not seed-stage equity investing.
• Deal profile: Lower-middle-market ownership transfers, business sales, and acquisitions; BCC acts as investment banker/intermediary for owners of cash-flowing companies.
• Sector-agnostic: Works across multiple industries; recent BCC engagements span material handling/automation and other established operating businesses.
• Value over hype: BCC's published thinking (e.g., its "The Cool Product Gets Attention. The Business Creates Value." blog) stresses that durable business fundamentals — not a flashy product — are what create transferable value, a lens consistent with how he evaluates companies.
• Global reach on Midwest deals: As AICA Treasurer he plugs BCC's Iowa/Midwest clients into an international network of corporate advisers for cross-border buyer/seller matching.