Post-acquisition integration is where deals either pay off or fall apart. I help service businesses cut through the complexity, build systems that hold, and capture the value they came for.
The deal closes and the real work begins. Most organizations aren't ready for what comes next, and it costs them more than the deal was worth.
of acquisitions fail to meet their value targets — not because of deal terms, but because integration was never planned.
is when the clock starts and most teams realize they have no playbook. Crisis in real time.
leave when they don't know where they stand. Your best talent walks out in the first 90 days if retention isn't handled early.
don't integrate themselves. The operational gap between two companies is where efficiency goes to die.
McKinsey & Company, “The strong get stronger: M&A as a competitive weapon” (2023); Harvard Business Review, “M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right” (2020). Failure rate reflects transactions that did not meet projected synergy or value targets within 36 months of close.
Every engagement starts with a conversation and ends with a result you can measure. No open-ended scope, no hourly billing, no ambiguity about what you're getting.
A clear-eyed diagnostic of how your organization actually operates. We score readiness across every critical domain, identify what's broken or missing, and hand you a prioritized roadmap to close the gaps before they cost you.
You ran a deal. Now someone needs to run the integration. I step in as your integration lead, managing playbooks, people decisions, risk tracking, and milestone delivery from Day 1 through close-out. You keep running the business.
Your team is about to run an integration and has never done one. Before Day 1 arrives, let's get them ready. A structured workshop and briefing that maps what's coming, where the landmines are, and how to think about the first 100 days.
For service companies who want to run tighter. Whether you're in field services, trades, or any business built on people doing work, we apply a structured operating model to find your hidden margin and build processes that scale.
Ongoing advisory for organizations still navigating integration 6 to 12 months after close. An experienced operator in your corner without a full-time hire, keeping risk in check and momentum moving forward.
My clients are operators, not investors. They're running businesses where the product is service, and they need someone who understands that complexity from the inside.
Companies navigating acquisition, merging with another MSP, or making sense of what they just bought. This is my home turf, and where most of my track record was built.
HVAC, electrical, construction, and other service companies that want to run with the operational efficiency of a well-managed tech firm. The structural problems are more similar than you'd expect.
Portfolio companies that closed a deal and need experienced integration leadership without adding permanently to the org chart. I plug in fast and work to make myself unnecessary.
Founders and operators running their first acquisition. You need a guide who has been in that room many times before, not someone with a generic framework and no reps.
Twenty years of integration work taught me what actually moves the needle, and what just looks good in a deck.
Retention risk is the first thing I assess. The best operational plan fails if the people who know how things work are gone by month two. Culture doesn't integrate on its own.
Most integration teams move fast in the wrong direction. I map the terrain before we deploy resources so effort doesn't compound where it doesn't belong.
When I leave, you should have a playbook, a process, and a team that can run it without me. I build infrastructure, not dependency.
An interactive data report on why employee retention during post-acquisition integration directly drives client retention, revenue stability, and long-term deal profitability across IT services, HVAC, electrical, and trades businesses.
Read the Report →Tim Kline has led integrations across IT services, managed services, and construction — from hands-on technical roles at companies like NexusTek and Integris to serving as strategic integration lead on deals ranging from sub-10-person acquisitions to multi-location MSP roll-ups. Based in Colorado, available nationally.
Client engagements are confidential by policy. I don't publish client names or deal details without explicit permission. If you're trusting me with your business, that trust doesn't end when the engagement does.
No pitch deck, no hard sell. Tell me what you're dealing with and I'll give you a straight read on what it would take to get through it.
Schedule a Conversation30 minutes. No obligation. Based in Colorado — available nationally.