Johnsen Fretty & Service List

Who We Are

• Who We Are

  "Our transactional experience and deep relationships with industry participants and the financial community allow us to achieve outstanding results for our clients."

  • Johnsen, Fretty & Company is a media-focused investment bank assisting Out-of-Home, place-based, and digital media companies with a variety of business transactions.

    Since the firm’s founding in 1993, we have completed nearly 200 media transactions with deal volume approaching $2.0 billion. Our team of professionals bring more than 60 years of combined investment banking experience to bear for our media clients. This breadth of transactional experience is an invaluable asset to our clients, whether they seek financing, need help divesting a company they’ve devoted their lives to creating, or desire a strategic partner to guide their business to a more profitable future.

  • For nearly 20 years, JFC has served media companies in an unrelenting pursuit of their goals.

    We are 110% committed to providing media clients with sound advice and experienced transaction guidance. Our clients view us as a trusted partner in building their businesses, and not simply a transactional agent. As a result, we cultivate long-lasting client relationships and gain a deep understanding of our clients’ short-term and long-term business goals.

  • Johnsen, Fretty & Company provides its media-focused investment banking services across a wide spectrum of traditional and alternative media.

• Representative Media Sectors

  • Alternative Media

  • Digital Signage Networks

  • Mobile Media & Communications

  • Outdoor Advertising

  • Place-Based/In-Store Advertising

  • Proximity Marketing

  • Sports Marketing

  • Street Furniture & Bus Shelter Media

  • Transit Advertising

What We Do

• What We Do

  we strive to help our clients accomplish great things. a team-oriented approach is a big part of our ability to deliver positive results for clients. our professionals appreciate that each deal carries its own strengths, challenges, and complexities, and that clients are best served with a team of fresh perspectives working on their behalf. we also recognize that every deal (bigger or smaller) likely represents one of the biggest business decisions a client makes in their lives. that is very meaningful to us. our clients can be assured they are receiving sound advice, expertise, and individual attention on each transaction.

  • Divestiture Advisory

    no firm has been the architect of more successful divestitures in the out-of-home space as jfc. and because we are in the marketplace everyday, no one is more tied into the market’s “pulse” than our firm. this allows us to create sale processes that yield the very best price and terms for our clients, while minimizing any impact to their operations.

  • Financing

    clients desire financing for several reasons - it could be to acquire a competitor, deploy capex, or for partial liquidity, among other motivations. the reason that clients come to the principals at jfc to raise financing is because we can locate the most appropriate form of capital available to their media business, and secure it in a timely fashion. and in doing so, allow our clients to do what they do best—run their businesses. our active interaction with bank lenders, private equity funds, hedge-funds, and venture capital firms provides our clients with the confidence they are obtaining the appropriate capital, from a well-suited partner in the marketplace. jfc maintains an outstanding reputation in the finance community, and our continuous contact with capital sources keeps us informed of up-to-the-minute market conditions.

  • Acquisition Advisory

    jfc works with its clients on a long-term basis to build their businesses through acquisitions. we have the ability to quickly formulate acquisition plans, identify potential targets with specific parameters, initiate transaction discussions, conduct thorough due diligence, and negotiate acceptable terms on behalf of our clients.

  • Strategic Partnerships Advisory

    our deep relationships throughout the media world allow us to advise clients on creating strategic alliances to better their businesses. such alliances include strategic sales partnerships, cross-selling partnerships, or strategic vendor partnerships, among others. these transactions can be structured as strategic investments or as joint ventures. either way, our goal is to provide clients with clear options and analysis on such initiatives.

  • Consulting/strategic Planning

    we prefer long-term relationships and serial transactions. we find that a great way of building those relationships is by advising clients long before a divestiture, an acquisition, or a financing. having served the out-of-home and digital media space for nearly 20 years, our professionals deliver proprietary knowledge regarding financing alternatives, sales & marketing strategies, operational best-practices, and strategies for growth and profit maximization for clients.

  • Valuations/fairness Opinions

    because we’ve done more out-of-home transactions than any other firm (and have an excellent sense of value in current market conditions), we are a tremendous resource for principals, banks, lending institutions in establishing the market value of out-of-home assets and operations. our valuation reports can be completed on a stand-alone basis as well as in tandem with a broader investment banking mandate.

Professionals

• Professionals

  • James E. Johnsen, Managing Director

    Email: jjohnsen@jfco.com. Prior to founding Johnsen, Fretty & Company, LLC, Jim was Vice President at Southport Partners, a boutique investment bank serving the technology sector. While at Southport Partners, Jim advised IBM on a number of joint ventures, strategic partnerships, investments, and divestitures. Jim received his MBA from Yale University and his BS in Electrical Engineering from Brown University. Jim holds Series 79, Series 62, and Series 63 licenses, and is a registered representative of StillPoint Capital, LLC.

  • Steven D. Fretty, Managing Director

    Email: sfretty@jfco.com. Steve has executed a number of high profile buy and sell-side advisory assignments as well as private debt and equity financings. In addition to JP Morgan, Steve’s prior experience includes work at Resolution Trust Corp. Steve received his MBA from Duke University and his BA, with Distinction, in Economics from the University of Michigan. Steve holds Series 79, Series 62, and Series 63 licenses, and is a registered representative of StillPoint Capital, LLC.

  • Gabriel P. Oliverio, Jr., Principal

    Email: goliverio@jfco.com. Gabe has advised on more than 70 media transactions across a wide spectrum of place-based and digital media. These transactions include divestitures, debt/equity financings, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and valuations/fairness opinions. Gabe has also provided expert witness testimony in bankruptcy proceedings. Gabe’s prior experience is in high net-worth portfolio management and equity securities analysis. Mr. Oliverio is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he received his BS in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Marketing. Mr. Oliverio holds Series 79 and Series 63 licenses, and is a registered representative of StillPoint Capital, LLC.

Why Hire JFC?

• Why Hire JFC?

  Our mission is to assist our clients in accomplishing great things. Our professionals live, breathe, and dream ways to create value for clients. We work in close collaboration with our valued clients and aim to be their foremost financial and strategic resource. Our professionals bring more than 60 years of combined investment banking experience, having successfully completed nearly 200 media transactions. We invite you to reach out to us for a confidential conversation on how we might work alongside each other.

  • JFC creates competitive process that maximizes value to clients

    In a divestiture, we believe a competitive process is the most effective way to drive best price/terms. In a financing, a competitive process is most effective way to find the best form of capital, and the best possible partner.

  • Deep understanding of prospective buyer/seller/behaviors, negotiating strategies, etc.

  • JFC interacts with bank lenders, private equity firms, hedge funds, venture capital firms, and others on a daily basis, i.e. we are “plugged in” to sources of capital for your business

  • Assist in maintaining confidentiality, avoiding tax/legal pitfalls, and preserving employee continuity

  • JFC ensures efficient, streamlined transaction process in an effort to minimize any impact to the client’s operations

  • JFC is recognized as a tough but fair, and a creative negotiator on behalf of its clients

  • Clients leverage a franchise that is firmly behind it and aligned with their goals throughout a transaction