M&A activity should remain strong in 2018 and perhaps get a push from federal tax reform.As well, rising interest rates should not pose a barrier to deal flow, although most companies — whether on the buy-side or sell-side — face a key challenge with finding skilled talent.That’s according to a group of M&A advisers that MiBiz gathered for a roundtable discussion on the state of the deal-making market in West Michigan.Participants in the roundtable were:

• Mike Brown, partner with Charter Capital Partners, a Grand Rapids-based investment banking firm
• Jason Byrd, co-founder and managing partner at Concurrence Capital Holdings LLC, a Grand Rapids-based private equity firm
• Jeff Helminski, managing partner at Grand Rapids-based Auxo Investment Partners, a private equity firm
• Rajesh Kothari, managing partner at Cascade Partners LLC, an investment banking and private investment firm based in Southfield
• Remos Lenio, partner at Grand Rapids-based Tillerman & Co., an investment banking and merchant banking firm
• Matthew Miller, managing partner at BlueWater Partners LLC, a Grand Rapids-based investment banking and consulting firm
• John Pollock, managing director of LV2 Equity Partners LLC, a Grand Rapids-based private equity firm
• Peter Roth, partner at Grand Rapids-based Varnum LLP, which sponsored the discussion

Here are some highlights from the discussion at MiBiz.