Ben Riback

Benjamin Riback

Managing Director, Consumer & Retail

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About Benjamin

Ben Riback is a partner and managing director for William Blair based in the firm’s Chicago office. He joined William Blair's investment banking team in 2021 to lead its food and beverage practice. Prior to William Blair, he worked for Citigroup and BMO Capital Markets focused on food and beverage. Ben began his investment banking career in 2003 and prior to that worked as an operations consultant at Arthur Andersen. Over the course of his 20yr+ banking career, Ben has advised numerous branded, B2B and Ag companies across all forms of strategic advisory and capital raises.

Ben earned his M.B.A. from University of Michigan and holds a B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Community Involvement

Board member for gastro-intestinal research foundation

Notable Transactions

Not Disclosed

has acquired

$600,000,000

has been acquired by

Not Disclosed

a portfolio company of Bain Capital

has acquired

William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Dessert Holdings, a portfolio company of Bain Capital, in connection with its acquisition of Dianne’s Fine Desserts.

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Not Disclosed

has acquired

Not Disclosed

a portfolio company of
The Riverside Company

has been acquired by

Not Disclosed

has acquired

Not Disclosed

has received a minority investment from

William Blair acted as lead financial advisor to We Are The Chompians, LLC in connection with its minority investment from Stride Consumer Partners LLC.

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$63,999,996

Initial Public Offering

Not Disclosed

a subsidiary of Continental Grain Company

has sold its Laurel, Mississippi Poultry Processing Operations to

William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Wayne Farms, Continental Grain, and Cargill in connection with the sale of its poultry production facility located in Laurel, Mississippi.

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$178,500,000

Initial Public Offering

Not Disclosed

a portfolio company of NexPhase Capital

has been acquired by

William Blair acted as financial advisor to Popcornopolis, LLC, a portfolio company of NexPhase Capital, LP, in connection with its sale to Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V. Popcornopolis is a leading manufacturer of premium-quality, ready-to-eat popcorn.

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Not Disclosed

has been acquired by

Rigorous pursuit of your success. Every transaction. Every time.

Our investment bankers are 100 percent committed to your organization’s sustained success. By drawing on our deep industry and product experience as well as our dedicated global resources, we provide advisory and financing services that allow you to capitalize on today’s opportunities and anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.

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Consumer & Retail

Amid rapidly evolving consumer preferences and the proliferation of new brands and channels, our experience and relationships throughout the consumer and retail industry have allowed us to deliver outstanding outcomes for our clients. Corporate boards, management teams, and business owners turn to us for execution excellence, sector expertise, deep relationships with strategic, financial, and family buyers, and creative public and private capital market solutions.

More about our consumer and retail expertise
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About William Blair

William Blair is a premier global boutique with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management. We provide advisory services, strategies, and solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs. As an independent and employee-owned firm, together with our strategic partners, we operate in more than 20 offices worldwide.*

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1935

Year William Blair was founded

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1,950+

Employees worldwide

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132 billion+

Client assets

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89 Years

Independent and employee-owned

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20+

Offices worldwide

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~650

Companies under coverage

As of December 31, 2023
*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets.

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