Manufacturing & Industrial: Outlook & Trends Manufacturing and industrial companies have spent 2026 navigating strong growth opportunities alongside a more complex legal and business landscape. Strategic M&A has remained active across infrastructure, automation, energy, defense, and specialized industrial services, while tariff exposure, financing conditions, labor issues, cybersecurity, supply chain requirements, and export controls have continued to shape deal strategy and operational planning. Companies pursuing transactions, expansion, government contracting opportunities, or supply chain changes should evaluate these issues early to protect value, preserve flexibility, and move quickly when opportunities arise. Manufacturing & Industrial: Outlook & Trends highlights key market trends, a recent industrial transaction, and legal developments that companies should keep in mind as they assess opportunities and risk through the remainder of the year.
Featured Transaction: Growth, Scale, and Succession: Schmidt Electric's Sale to EMCOR Bass, Berry & Sims recently represented Schmidt Electric Company – a family-owned electrical contractor serving commercial, industrial, institutional, healthcare, semiconductor, airport, and data center clients – in its sale to EMCOR Group, Inc. (NYSE: EME) . Founded in 1984, Schmidt Electric has grown into one of Texas' leading union electrical contractors, with operations across Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and surrounding markets. The transaction positions the company for continued growth while preserving the culture and legacy built over more than 40 years of family ownership.
HAS SOLD TO
SERVED AS LEGAL COUNSEL August 2026
Dealmaker Insights Following the Schmidt Electric transaction, Frank Pellegrino, a member at Bass, Berry & Sims and lead partner on the transaction, spoke with Stephen Sleigh, managing partner of The Peakstone Group, which served as financial advisor to Schmidt Electric, about the factors driving buyer interest in industrial services businesses, the priorities that often shape founder- and family-owned company sales, and practical takeaways for owners evaluating strategic alternatives. Stephen Sleigh is a Managing Partner of The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for deal origination and execution. Since co-founding Peakstone, Stephen has advised many family-owned and entrepreneur-owned businesses across a wide range of industries. What made Schmidt Electric particularly attractive to buyers? Schmidt Electric was attractive to potential buyers for the following reasons – Schmidt was the leading independent electrical contractor in an attractive, fast-growing geographic market (Austin, Texas). Schmidt Electric has superior
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