2022 Recap: Our Top Stories of the Year

This year, the most-read Middle Market Growth stories centered around overcoming the middle-market dealmaking community’s biggest hurdles, including rising real estate costs, a tight labor market and an overall uncertain economic environment. Revisit the Top 5 articles from 2022 below:

5. Dealmakers Look Forward to an Active but Slightly Cooler Market in 2022

As we look out into 2023, it’s worth rewinding to this time last year when middle-market dealmakers were forecasting into 2022. An ACG survey, sponsored by S&P Global Market Intelligence, found dealmakers were largely optimistic about the year ahead, with 80% of respondents reporting a positive outlook. Deal flow quality and quantity marked their most pressing concern influencing their sentiment. In our fifth-top story of the year, take a look back at what dealmakers predicted for 2022.

4. Private Equity Takes a More Targeted Approach

This year, midmarket dealmakers found themselves in a much more tempered M&A environment compared to 2020 and 2021. But to keep the pipeline flowing, dealmakers began to take a much more targeted approach to business development. As part of our Business Development Professionals to Watch special report, published in April, Middle Market Growth examined how data and focused relationships supported BD executives to find opportunity.

3. 6 Signs of Overworked Employees

For many, 2022 was the year of “quiet quitting.” The middle market entered 2022 with an already tight labor market, which continued through the year. This report, sponsored by Insperity and found in Middle Market Executive’s Fall 2022 issue, lists six signs of overworked employees that business leaders and human capital professionals should watch out for to retain top talent.

2. Is Wall Street South Here to Stay?

Even before the pandemic hit, private equity firms began a migration to South Florida—a trend only accelerated by the COVID crisis. This article, which ran in Middle Market DealMaker’s Summer 2022 issue, looks at what’s behind the trend and considers whether South Florida’s appeal to the PE community will continue.

1. Inflation Leads Private Equity Execs, Lenders to Confront a New Reality

Plenty of news stories grabbed the attention of the middle-market dealmaking community this year, from the war in Ukraine to the “quiet quitting” workforce trend. But perhaps no global headline turned heads in this space more than the surge of inflation. Our top story of the year focused on just that. Originally appearing in Middle Market DealMaker’s Spring 2022 issue, this article considers how private equity firms, their portfolio companies and potential investment targets are adapting to the new reality of rising costs and considers what’s ahead for the middle market.