Case Study: Stump & Company Advises LadCo Inc. in its Sale to Cascata Capital

“This transaction marks the beginning of a great partnership and we are so glad to have been a part of the journey. ”

Bo Stump, Partner, Stump & Company

Axial Members

Member Type	Independent Sponsor	M&A Advisor
Axial Member Since	2012	2010
Headquarters	Dallas, TX	Charlotte, NC
Axial Closed Deals	1	1
Axial Profile	View Profile	View Profile

The Business

Location: Houston, TX

Description: Ladco Design Center is the largest luxury to-the-trade home furnishings showroom in the U.S. and is dedicated exclusively to interior design professionals in the Houston/Gulf Coast Region. Designers have the ability to purchase a wide variety of luxury home furnishings, for which Ladco provides its design clients with managed inbound logistics and use of its warehouse services — including repair and deluxing services — at no additional charge.

Reason for exit: The co-founders—who are brothers—have been running the business for 58 years. Now both in their mid-70s, they were looking to establish a clear ownership transition plan that would secure the future of the company and position it for continued success. Their goal was to ensure the business remained in excellent shape for its employees while stepping back themselves.

The Transaction

Stump & Co. is a boutique M&A advisory firm specializing in furniture, furnishings, and related industries. Founded more than 50 years ago, the Charlotte, NC-based advisor has completed more than 400 transactions and today focuses on businesses between $10-250M in enterprise value.

In May of 2024, Stump & Co. began marketing its design services to client Ladco via the Axial platform. And after a comprehensive buyer outreach process, the sellers ultimately went under LOI with independent sponsor, Cascata Capital, in the fall of last year. Cascata, a Dallas, TX-based independent sponsor, raises capital for each platform via special purpose entities created in partnership with institutional investors and family offices; in the case of this transaction, Cascata partnered with luxury real estate developers and builders.

While the diligence period took longer than anticipated, the strong alignment between Ladco and Cascata held firm. The transaction successfully closed in May 2025.

This deal represents success for both the buy-side and sell-side — these are two firms that have each been active members of the Axial platform for more than a decade.

Axial Deal Data