Guiding industrial manufacturing business owners through the most significant transaction of their lives — with the perspective of someone who has lived it.
"I started on the manufacturing floor. I know what it means to build something with your hands — and what it means to let it go."
Bryan Howard founded Standing Stone Advisory Group after a career that took him from the manufacturing floor to the boardroom — and through every level of industrial business in between. As a quality engineer, sales professional, management consultant, and ultimately a business owner who led a successful turnaround and exit, Bryan brings a perspective that no spreadsheet can replicate.
Most M&A advisors have never run a shift, managed a quality system, or sat across the table from a buyer wondering if the people they hired would be taken care of. Bryan has. That firsthand experience is the foundation of everything Standing Stone Advisory does.
Standing Stone Advisory Group serves industrial manufacturing business owners across the Great Lakes region who are ready to exit, transition, or explore what their life's work is worth.
The Great Lakes region is the most concentrated industrial manufacturing market in North America — and it's undergoing a historic ownership transition as Baby Boomer founders approach retirement.
We focus exclusively on businesses in the $5M–$30M transaction range across the industrial sector, where operator experience matters most and generalist advisors fall short.
Every conversation is completely confidential. Whether you're ready to sell tomorrow or just starting to think about it, we're here to help you understand your options.