Funding the Entrepreneurial Dream
From Entrepreneur to Industry Leader
Jorg Cieslok was a proven leader in out of home advertising, with over 20 years’ experience as an entrepreneur and operating executive. He founded a successful out of home advertising business that operated large format billboards in Toronto. After selling his business to a major U.S operator, Jorg joined their executive management team and continued to grow the business in the Canadian and U.S. markets. When his employer determined the Canadian assets were non-core, Jorg seized the opportunity to undertake a management buyout in 2013 and create an independent leader in Canadian out of home advertising.
Personal Investment Coupled with an Aggressive Strategy
Clairvest helped Jorg complete a management buyout, resulting in an ownership stake of 10% for Jorg and 90% for Clairvest. Jorg invested personally and also committed 100% of his sale proceeds to the buyout. Clairvest supported significant infrastructure investments to create a standalone entity poised for growth. With a revitalized team in place, Jorg embarked on an aggressive growth strategy, expanding digital sign inventory across major Canadian markets and making three highly accretive acquisitions.
Successful Growth Leads to Lucrative Buyout
Cieslok successfully grew its sign inventory to 130 signs and in three years increased EBITDA by over 150%. Large competitors took notice of Cieslok Media’s growth and approached the company with an interest to buy. In January 2017, Cieslok Media was sold to Bell Media at a premium valuation generating a return of 8.4x on invested capital and a 92% IRR