Transaction:

In February 2026, AME Automotive (“AME”), a premier provider of turnkey facility design, equipment solutions, and professional installation services to automotive dealerships and service centers nationwide, completed a majority recapitalization with Tico Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on partnering with growth-oriented, lower middle-market businesses. Through its partnership with Tico, AME is positioned to accelerate its next phase of growth including expansion into new geographies, deeper penetration of its customer base, and continued investment in its sales and service organization.

Cherry Tree's Role:

Cherry Tree & Associates was engaged by AME to identify and evaluate the right long-term partner to support AME’s continued growth, with a strong emphasis on cultural alignment and strategic fit. Cherry Tree executed a targeted outreach process focused exclusively on parties aligned with AME’s objectives. This process included preparing marketing materials, soliciting proposals, managing the due diligence process, negotiating transaction structure and terms, and facilitating the closing.

“From the first conversation, we knew Cherry Tree was right for us. We had talked to numerous M&A firms to understand their “go-to-market” strategies and their depth of knowledge regarding the financial and legal ends of selling a business. Wow, we were not disappointed! We realized more than double our initial valuation. Step-by-step, the process was so detailed and yet so smooth.

They held our hands; made sure we were aware of each and every step. They brought us to the closing table and still work with us to make sure our satisfaction is above expectations.

I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”

— David Easterbrook, Founder and Owner

“I was over impressed with how the Cherry Tree team completely immersed themselves into our business to fully understand the culture of our company, the day-to-day operations of our business, as well as our industry. They became experts of our industry, allowing them to represent us in the best possible light. We never could have had the outcome we got without Cherry Tree on our team.”

— Bryan Talaga, President and Owner

About:

AME Automotive:

For more than 20 years, AME has been committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive facility design, equipment, and installation services that meet the full spectrum of its automotive dealership customers’ needs. AME’s goal is to be the trusted, single-source partner for dealerships across the U.S.

Tico Capital Partners:

Founded in 2024 and based in Atlanta, Georgia, Tico Capital partners with lower middle-market companies throughout the U.S., offering flexible capital solutions across a variety of sectors including automotive, specialty manufacturing, value-added distribution, software, and business services. The team at Tico Capital has completed or advised on over 200 transactions and deployed over $250 million of capital across previous investments. Tico currently manages six platform investments across multiple industries throughout the U.S. and is pursuing new investment opportunities to continue its growth.

Cherry Tree & Associates:

Cherry Tree & Associates is a private investment banking firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1980, it specializes in M&A transactions for both buyers and sellers of middle-market companies. Additionally, it conducts private placements for high quality, entrepreneurially managed growth companies, provides strategic advisory services for CEOs and boards of directors, and prepares fairness opinions and other valuation services.

For more information, please visit www.cherrytree.com.