Robert A. Wagner
Managing Director, Focus, LLC

Robert A. Wagner, a FOCUS Managing Director in Los Angeles, California, has more than 30 years experience leading the strategic growth and development efforts at major manufacturing companies. As both an investment banker and senior executive, he has been directly involved in more than 100 successful acquisitions, joint ventures and divestitures with a value well in excess of $1 billion.

Mr. Wagner has extensive experience in mergers & acquisitions, strategic planning, business valuations, acquisition integration and operations management. He successfully built and managed M&A and Corporate Developments at several large, publicly traded companies over his career. Mr. Wagner has completed projects in both Europe and Asia and has a wealth of international experience.

Prior to joining FOCUS, Mr. Wagner served as Managing Director at Janas Associates, a boutique investment banking firm in Pasadena, CA. He also founded Wagner & Associates, LLC, a corporate development advisory firm that specialized in buy-side support for the middle-market.

Before embarking on his career as an investment banker, Mr. Wagner served as Senior Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions at Leggett & Platt, a Fortune 500 diversified manufacturer of engineered components and products. During his six year tenure at Leggett & Platt, his M&A team completed ninety-five acquisitions and eight divestitures adding over $1.5 billion in revenues. He also directed the annual FAS 142 goodwill impairment valuation analysis, led efforts to establish a more effective acquisition integration program, and regularly conducted special studies and strategic projects in support of Leggett’s multiple growth initiatives.

Previously, Mr. Wagner worked for Graco Inc., an S&P mid-cap manufacturer of fluid handling systems and equipment. Mr. Wagner joined Graco as Vice President of Corporate Development and served as Vice President and Treasurer. He also lived in Yokohama Japan for three years, working as Vice President, Asia Pacific and President of Graco KK. In addition to substantial operational responsibilities, Mr. Wagner conducted several strategic business reviews and led major marketing and industrial studies covering North America and China.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Wagner also worked for Texas Instruments as Vice President Corporate Development and Diamond Shamrock International Petroleum as Vice President of Development & Planning. He started his career at Booz Allen & Hamilton working in its Acquisition Services Group.

An honors graduate, Mr. Wagner received a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois and an MBA in Finance and Econometrics from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago. He is an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth and the Association for Strategic Planning.

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