Dreison International’s manufacturing companies design and manufacture proprietary products for both original equipment and aftermarket customers in sectors including heavy-duty trucking, off-road equipment, mining, agriculture, industrial, medical, military, construction equipment, and more. 

‍

Dreison has been owned and operated by the Berger family for over 40 years. As a privately held entity, Dreison International faces unique challenges, requiring accurate data and efficient tools to stay competitive. 

‍

The firm’s Director of Corporate Development, Sean Coleman, plays a vital role in ensuring the company remains agile and well-informed in its pursuit of high-value deals. Here, Coleman discusses what prompted Dreison to upgrade its dealmaking solution to Grata and how the switch from Sourcescrub is already adding value.

Workflow Challenges with Sourcescrub

When Coleman joined Dreison, he was familiar with Sourcescrub. The team at his previous firm, investment bank Copper Run, used Sourcescrub as its primary deal sourcing tool.

‍

During Coleman’s time with Copper Run, Sourcescrub had made a name for itself touting its lists, conferences, and CRM integration tools. Coleman explains that when he came to Dreison, “Grata was more AI-leaning, whereas Sourcescrub was a little bit more of an old school team. At the time, that resonated with me more.”

‍

Coleman entered his role leading Dreison’s corporate development team with big plans for Sourcescrub. But as he went deeper into the weeds, he quickly realized that the platform wouldn’t be able to deliver on its promises.

‍

“I had high hopes of integrating Sourcescrub into my daily workflow when I started, but it never got off the ground. The key features they were touting just never worked the way that they were supposed to," Coleman says.

‍

A primary example is Sourcescrub’s recommended company lists, which Coleman says consistently produced irrelevant results. “I had literally zero success. I mean, the results weren’t even close. Totally different revenues, totally different industries. I'm looking at a US-based company, it's giving me 10 Chinese companies, for example. It's not user friendly. So it ends up being this kind of fringe resource on the side that I kind of pop in and out of. It's just not what I envisioned. It’s not how it was pitched to me.”

The Difference Is in the Data

In exploring other options, Grata stood out immediately. Even in early conversations with the sales team, Coleman was struck by the vast difference in the accuracy of Grata’s data compared to Sourcescrub.

‍

“I've been super pleased from the start. When we were doing the searches on the demo call, I was happy with the types of companies that were coming in and the information on the companies that I was seeing. They were already pulling deals with accurate revenue and employee numbers. It’s better information, more useful information,” Coleman says.

‍

Dreison also evaluated Inven as an alternative to Sourcescrub. Despite Inven’s lower price point, Grata won out. “It ended up being the quality of data,” Coleman explains. “I was able to factcheck some of the contact information and data from Inven, and it was inaccurate. If I can't trust the data, it's not worth the savings.”

Beyond Bells and Whistles: Grata’s Comprehensive Solution

Since switching to Grata, Coleman’s perspective on AI in the dealmaking process has shifted dramatically. “Everyone's touting AI now, and some of it's just marketing fluff. Sourcescrub’s AI was completely pointless. But I’ve already seen the usefulness with Grata. It's already given me information that helped shave off time or make my job easier,” he says.

‍

Coleman is also excited about Grata’s latest product release, the Grata Deal Network, which lets buyers connect with sell-side advisors about live deals. “That's directly relatable to me. I think that it's going to be a value add, and I'll be able to source some deals through that too,” he elaborates.

‍

But the difference from Sourcescrub isn’t only apparent in Grata’s technology; Coleman says Dreison has also gotten an upgrade in customer service. "Oh my gosh. It's not even fair,” he says. “It's 5 stars versus 1 star. You can't even compare it. It's totally different. I'm very happy."