Going Public

Dec. 21, 2004
Access to capital tops list of motivations.

As the CEO of a private firm, "you have a lot of your personal and economic net worth tied up in the organization. . . . The decisions you make can have a huge impact on a lot of people and on the people who own the company," observes Marc LeBaron, chairman and CEO of Lincoln Plating, a privately held Lincoln, Neb., company that specializes in the functional and decorative finishing of metal parts. "But I think it's worth it. If you get the right people -- and we do focus on talent a lot -- they make good decisions," says LeBaron. "[One of] the only two circumstances [to go public] would be if, for whatever reason, we couldn't internally generate the capital we need to grow the business." (That Lincoln Plating is generating capital internally to grow the business challenges the notion that the absence of access to equity capital severely constrains private companies' ability to grow.) "Quite frankly the other [set of circumstances for going public] would be just of a personal nature: If I got to a point I though I needed personal liquidity for some reason, clearly being public would be an option," says LeBaron. "But I don't know that would be at the top of my list."

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

3D Printing a More Efficient Factory Floor

Nov. 16, 2023
Today’s additive manufacturing platforms make it simple to print a wide range of high-performing industrial parts as soon as possible and right where you need them — unlocking...

Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics Guidebook for Engineers

Sept. 27, 2023
Leverage Domain Expertise to Drive Optimization – Without Needing a Data Scientist.

Shifting Your Business from Products to Service-Based Business Models: Generating Predictable Revenues

Oct. 27, 2023
Executive summary on a recent IndustryWeek-hosted webinar sponsored by SAP

Discover How an Eye Tracking Study Improves Training Procedures

Oct. 29, 2023
Did you know that your training processes can be streamlined by visualizing and analyzing key skills within your employee base? Find out how we use eye tracking to capture advanced...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!