St, Petersburg, FL — September 2026 — Excel Capital Advisors (“ECA”), an independent M&A advisory firm serving founder-led and family-owned businesses in the lower middle market, today announced that Emily Higgins-Arellano has joined the firm as a Client Development Associate. In her role, Emily will focus on building relationships with business owners and referral sources and supporting the firm’s origination efforts across its sell-side M&A practice.
Emily brings a background in deal origination and client development to ECA. Most recently, she served as a Senior Deal Originator at Benchmark International, where she developed relationships with business owners and helped originate sell-side M&A engagements. Earlier in her career, she held sales and client-relationship roles across the education and recruiting sectors, building a track record of consultative outreach, account management, and new-client development.
Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Philosophy from the University of South Florida and is based in the Tampa–St. Petersburg area.
“Emily brings exactly the kind of relationship-driven origination experience we want as we grow ECA’s presence among business owners across Florida and beyond,” said Michael Devine, President of Excel Capital Advisors. “She knows how to earn the trust of a founder weighing the future of their company, and that trust is the foundation of everything we do.”
“I’ve spent my career building genuine relationships with clients, and ECA’s founder-first approach — and the senior-level attention it gives every owner it represents — is what drew me here,” said Higgins-Arellano. “I’m looking forward to helping more business owners understand their options and reach the right outcome.”
About Excel Capital Advisors
Excel Capital Advisors is an independent boutique M&A advisory firm focused on the lower middle market. The firm advises founder-led and family-owned businesses on sell-side M&A and growth capital raises, typically in the $10 million to $200 million enterprise value range, combining institutional investment banking execution with the senior-level attention these owners deserve. For more information, visit excelcapitaladvisors.com.
