How to Success in Acquisitions with Dan Pollock of SAM Companies

Dan Pollock, Vice President of Corporate Development/M&A at SAM Companies

Dan shares how he built SAM Companies’ M&A function from the ground up—executing over 30 deals and transforming M&A into a strategic growth engine. Backed by Peak Rock Capital, SAM Companies focuses on acquiring founder-led geospatial and infrastructure services businesses. Dan dives deep into how he balances disciplined diligence with relationship-first sourcing, how his team integrates small companies into a larger framework, and why culture and seller alignment matter as much as price.

Whether you're building out corp dev from scratch or refining your playbook, this conversation offers tactical insight into how to scale M&A the right way.

Things you will learn:

How to build an in-house M&A engine with a lean corp dev team
How to source proprietary deals through trust and local relationships
How to structure earnouts and retention payments to align incentives

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Dan Pollock

Dan Pollock is Vice President of Corporate Development and M&A at SAM Companies. Since joining in 2018, he has executed over 30 acquisitions, helping scale the business from 500 to over 1,600 employees and 45+ offices nationwide. With a background in audit and transaction services at Deloitte, Dan brings deep experience in financial diligence, founder-led deal sourcing, and scalable integration planning. He partners closely with regional leaders to tie M&A directly to strategy and growth, fostering trust-based acquisitions that prioritize long-term cultural fit.