Karl Wohler provides advisory support to the mergers and acquisitions and valuation practices at PSMJ focusing exclusively on architecture and engineering firms seeking to acquire or be acquired. His diverse experience in business ownership, operations management, finance, AEC M&A deal structuring, and process management means firm leaders benefit from his unique insights and counsel in developing superior growth, ownership transition, and exit strategies.
Karl has planned and managed buy‐side and sell‐side M&A deals ranging in size from $1 million to more than $100 million. Consolidated Engineering Labs, Prime Engineering, Symbiont, PM Environmental, Callaway Architecture, BOK Modern, Chastain Skillman, Callaway Architecture, and LR Nelson Engineering are among the AEC firms that Karl has advised in M&A process.
Karl has built deep experience in mergers and acquisitions and private equity, which includes a range of advisory engagements as well as his roles as the corporate head of M&A for Bowne & Co., a $1 billion public financial services content management company, and as the owner and CEO of a 150‐employee printing company. Karl holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an MBA from Babson College.
Mike is a Senior Consultant with PSMJ where he provides consulting on strategic planning, ownership transition, and mergers & acquisitions. He served for almost 20 years as a CEO of an A/E firm, which grew under his leadership from $4 million to over $40 million, while overseeing multiple acquisitions for the firm before guiding the firm’s successful sale to a $3.7 billion conglomerate. He followed the A/E firm sale by working as the CFO for a 120-person IT services firm. He culminated his C-suite career as the President and COO of a $40 million, 320-person geotechnical/environmental/testing firm with approximately 280 staff reporting under his leadership.
In addition to Mike’s formal business education, he developed and taught an MBA class at University of Richmond entitled Professional Services Management. His other instructional engagements have included guest lectures at numerous universities, industry conference presentations, and participation as an expert panelist on a variety of topics.
After serving for two years on the national executive committee for the American Council of Engineering Companies, Mike was recognized by the organization as a fellow. Mike’s other recognitions have included the McCabe Leadership Award from the Virginia Council of CEOs, Engineer of the Year from the Richmond (Virginia) Joint Engineers’ Council, Distinguished Alumnus award from Old Dominion University, and the Secretary’s Certificate of Recognition from Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright for his efforts after the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania. Mike has been published twice in CE News Magazine and has been a contributor to industry newsletters, including PSMJ. Mike received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University, his MBA from the University of Richmond, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Regent University focusing on Organizational Leadership.
Mitchell Mafra is an M&A Advisor at PSMJ Resources where he focuses on firm valuations and advising both sell-side and buy-side clients. He has a proven track record working over 20 M&A deals in the AEC space, including transactions with publicly-traded firms, private equity, family office, and various strategic buyers. He also contributes to PSMJ's monthly M&A Insider update and teaches the M&A Essentials program, an educational workshop for firm owners. Prior to joining PSMJ in 2021, Mitchell worked at Adage Capital Management, L.P., a major hedge fund in Boston with over $44B in assets under management with a focus on industrial and energy sectors.
Mitchell has a dual degree from the University of Massachusetts where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with degrees in Management with a Finance Concentration and Economics.
