Chris Jones

Chris Jones is CEO of True North Mergers & Acquisitions, where he advises founders, families, and shareholders as they evaluate and execute some of the most consequential decisions of their business lives. His work is focused on privately held companies with approximately $10 million to $250 million in revenue, including businesses preparing for a sale, recapitalization, strategic partnership, acquisition, or ownership transition.

Chris understands that selling a founder-led or family-owned company is about far more than achieving an attractive valuation. It is also about protecting employees, preserving culture, honoring the company’s legacy, and creating the right outcome for the owner and family. He helps clients understand their exit options, prepare the business for market, identify the most qualified strategic and financial buyers, and navigate the transaction from initial planning through closing.

With experience across hundreds of transactions, Chris brings both sell-side and buy-side perspective to the advisory process. His transaction experience spans: manufacturing, distribution, transportation, business services, industrials, material handling, consumer products, e-commerce, information technology, health care, and consumer services.

Before joining True North Mergers & Acquisitions, Chris worked in strategic transactions for a Fortune 200 private company. That experience gave him an inside view of how sophisticated acquirers identify opportunities, evaluate risk, value companies, conduct due diligence, and structure transactions. Today, he uses that perspective to help business owners anticipate buyer expectations and approach the market from a position of preparation and strength.

Chris leads the largest teams of business brokers and M&A advisors in the United States. He is regularly invited to speak to business owners and their trusted advisors at industry conferences, and his team has received national recognition for transaction volume, dealmaking, and complex middle-market transactions.

Known for his direct, practical approach, Chris helps owners cut through the noise surrounding valuation, buyer selection, deal structure, rollover equity, working capital, and post-closing expectations. His objective is not simply to complete a transaction. It is to help each owner make a well-informed decision and achieve an outcome that reflects the full value of what they have built.

Chris lives in the Twin Cities with his family. Outside of work, he enjoys travel, any activity with dogs, mountain biking, hiking, camping, and RVing.

Awards

• Top 10 Investment Bank by Axial - #1 in Midwest (2026)
• M&A Deal of the Year 50–100 million (M&A Advisor 2026 finalist)
• Corporate/Strategic Deal of the Year 50-100 million (M&A Advisor 2026 finalist)
• Top 25 Investment Bank by Axial (2023)
• The M&A Advisor’s Industrials Deal of the Year ($25M-$50M) (2022)
• IBBA Top Deal of the Year ($120 million) (2023)
• IBBA Top Team Deal Maker of the Year (2022, 2023)
• IBBA Top Team Global Producer of the Year (2022, 2023)
• Top 25 Investment Bank by Axial (2022)
• Top National Firm by M&A Source (2021)
• MSP Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” Six Time Winner 2021-2026

Favorite Organizations

• Eagle Brook Church
• United States Marine Corps
• Can Do Canines
• Search Ministries (Board Member)
• M&A Source
• Association for Corporate Growth
• IBBA
• Boy Scouts of America

Media

• Author “Grow or Go: The Business Owner’s Journey”
• Wall Street Journal
• Business Journal