It is said that the measure of a man is
best described by those who know him..."
CFA did a fantastic job of screening potential
candidates, then walking us through the process and protecting our
interests. Our CFA dealmakers have an
understanding of the marketplace and they knew when you can push and when you
can't. CFA certainly looked out for our
interests.
Jim Schneller, President (Seller)
AVISTA, Incorporated
CFA represented us very well. When you've never gone
through something like this before, everything's all new. CFA did an excellent
job of preparing us for what to expect.
The sale went extremely smoothly. I was very pleased. I would recommend
them in a minute."
Deb Manternach, President (Seller)
Cascade Die Mold, Inc.
CFA is excellent. I would
recommend them to anybody. The CFA dealmakers were extremely professional and
very fair to both sides. Their idea was
to put together a deal where everybody feels like they won. CFA did an excellent job of managing their
client's (the seller) expectations.
When issues came up, which they always do in a deal, I think CFA did a
marvelous job of finding solutions. As
a buyer, you quickly judge the intermediary who is representing the other
guy. You watch carefully for how he
acts. The CFA dealmaker came across
pretty quickly as somebody who was fair to deal with. He was certainly not a pushover.
He was going to get the most for his client, but he was also going to be
reasonable. He's very good as a
dealmaker."
Ray Langton, President (Buyer)
SKM/Applied Technology Partners
A big part of CFA's value was in getting people
interested in our company and getting them to the table. They were definitely worth their fee.
Jerry Wilharm, President (Seller)
Circle W Tractor
By far, the greatest asset CFA brings to the table is
their ability to work between both parties and drive the deal to a conclusion
both parties are happy with. It's so
typical that these deals end up getting personal, with a lot of emotion between
the parties. CFA was the perfect buffer
between the buyer and us. They kept us
focused on the important aspects of the deal, and they acted as a counselor at
the same time. They listened to our
fears and concerns, they recognized these concerns as real and worth something;
then they moved us forward to resolve the issues.
My work going forward is to implement a strategy of
acquisitions and consolidation in this industry. You can be sure I'll use CFA.
I won't bother with anyone else.
Ron Kelling, President (Seller)
Cooper Manufacturing
CFA's fee is a lot to pay, but I know I wouldn't have
gotten as much money for the business if I'd tried to sell it on my own.
David Whitney (Seller)
Corporation Security &
Investigations
CFA dealt with were the people I was interested in
selling to. CFA was very persistent. They
took seven or eight qualified buyers through the process and ended up with four
or five offers. The buyer was an ideal
fit; they were at once synergistic buyers and financial partners. I'm satisfied knowing I've sold to someone who
understands my business.
Harry Somermeyer, President (Seller)
Crown-Line Plastics, Inc.
Corporate Finance Associates understood exactly what
they were selling, and they understood our position. They worked both for the buyer and the seller to try to bring the
deal together. They had a lot of
patience and determination, because they didn't walk away from the deal or let
it die.
Joe Sullivan (Buyer)
Crown-Line Plastics, Inc.
CFA's honesty and sincerity were
particular strengths. If they couldn't answer a question, they wouldn't
try. But they'd get to the bottom of
it. I admit the deal would not have gone through without them.
Pete Brodkey (Buyer)
Cyrgus
I felt we got our money's worth, especially in terms
of how to structure the sale and avoid some of the taxes on it.
Bill Engler, President (Buyer)
Diesel Power Equipment
I was struck by the honesty and trust CFA
created. Trust is something that
usually has to be earned. When you do
business, some people earn it quickly, others never do. CFA and their dealmaker earned my trust
right up front.
A lot of times, when you work with professionals -
like accountants and lawyers - the first thing they try to teach is that you
don't know anything about their business.
CFA is not that way; they were always willing to listen to my ideas and
blend them with their own.
Dr. Jim Butner, President (Seller)
Doctor's Optical Supply
I have nothing but
good things to say about our interactions with CFA. They are able to represent
the interests of their clients well, but at the same time, they are aware of
what it takes to get a realistic deal.
Brad Shapiro, Principal (Buyer)
C&E Vision Services
The major thing CFA had to offer when I bought this
business was information. They're brokers of information and they have a wealth
of it. CFA certainly has the reputation and the tools for the job. But
ultimately it's the people that make or break a deal, and the CFA dealmaker we
hired gets very high marks in that respect. He is very articulate, and he has
the personality to talk to anyone and get anyone to talk to him. He was very accessible -I was even able to
contact him once when he was on vacation in the Caribbean. CFA was very good at
helping to structure and negotiate the deal. And it was not easy.
Bob Manion, Principal (Buyer)
Duck Duck Goose!
Our dealmaker at CFA was
responsive to our needs and was always available. He worked with our attorney
and CPA to insure a smooth and easy transaction. Whenever we hit a bump in the
process, he was there to smooth things out for us. I would recommend him
highly.
Brad Holyoak, President (Seller)
Eagle Excavation, Inc.
CFA represented Hettinger
Welding, Inc. in its sale to Clearview last fall. We were delighted to find CFA
representing Eagle in this add-on transaction. It is a pleasure to work with
such a high integrity, hard-working and professional organization.
Paul Caliento, Principal (Buyer)
Clearview Capital
Our dealmaker at Corporate Finance Associates was
willing to help in any way he could. He
was very service-oriented. I felt like
I was #1 in importance all the way. I
never felt neglected in favor of other larger clients. I didn't get the feeling I was just a small
fish in the pond. He did an incredible
job.
Ted Davis, Owner (Seller)
ExecuTrain of Nebraska
CFA was able to achieve the family's
wishes. Our dealmaker exercised much professionalism and confidentiality in
working with all entities including bankers and attorneys.
Mathew "Bud" Fleischer, President (Seller)
Fleischer
Manufacturing, Inc.
We originally had hired another
intermediary firm and they did not get the job done. We were stunned when the
first buyer CFA introduced offered us what we wanted. There are a lot of
emotions when you sell the business you started from scratch. There were times
I was very tired of the process. At one point, we were ready to walk away from
the deal. Our dealmaker was able to come up with a solution and was able to
hold the deal together. Our dealmaker did an awesome job; he did everything we
asked him to do. He was very smooth and very good. We worked really well
together. I would recommend him highly.
Diana Loeck, Owner (Seller)
Foam Fabricators, Inc.
We thought CFA did a
fantastic job on this deal. Even though they represented the seller, they did a
good job of always keeping the deal moving forward. As with all deals, there
are always glitches. CFA handled these very, very well, always with the utmost
of professionalism. The CFA dealmaker was very sensitive to his client's
feelings and did a good job of expressing those to us. It is easy for me to say
that without him as the intermediary on this transaction, the deal would never
have gotten done. I know if we ever sell this business, we want CFA to sell if
for us.
Tom McNamara, President
(Buyer)
Foam Fabricators
Acquisition Company
Vice President,
Columbine Beverage Company
We had several people interested in buying our
business before we ever put it on the market, but we didn't know how to go
about selling and they didn't know how to go about buying. We could never have done it on our own. CFA followed through with all the people who
had shown an interest. They were very
good about it.
Jan Brockley, Owner (Seller)
Goodlife Coaches, Tour &
Travel, Inc.
CFA was recommended to us by one of our
professional advisors. We had hired another firm and they didn't do anything
for us. We hired CFA because their dealmaker impressed us with his
understanding of our industry and his attention to what we were trying to
accomplish. We had never done anything like this before; our CFA dealmaker took
the time to explain every step in the process and prepared us for what was
going to happen. Without his help and involvement in the transaction, this deal
wouldn't have gotten done. He got us the deal we wanted with the partner we
wanted. We couldn't ask for anything more.
Mark Hettinger, President (Seller)
Hettinger Welding, Inc.
The Hettinger Welding transaction was among
the smoothest deals we have ever done. Most of the credit has to go to the
dealmaker at CFA, who knows how to help buyers and sellers resolve the issues
that inevitably arise in any deal. Thanks to his efforts, we were able to close
a complex deal, cement our relationship with Hettinger's management and really
hit the ground running at the closing."
Jim Anderson, Managing Partner(Buyer)
Clearview Capital
CFA did a good job of analyzing the value of the
firm. In the process of negotiating, I
think CFA made a strong presentation to the prospective buyer about the value
of the company. And they were very
professional in handling the problems that arose during the course of the negotiation.
Bud Nichol, President (Seller)
Iowa Quality Meats
What CFA brought to the table that worked the best was
their Midwest attitude. They are
honest, down-to-earth Midwest business people, and they understand how we in
the Midwest think in trying to do transactions.
Joe Sebring, President (Buyer)
John Morrell Company
We had gone with another brokerage firm, but we got
nowhere with them. CFA really had a
game plan going in. Their blueprint of
the sales process was easy to follow, whereas this other company had paperwork
that was very difficult to follow.
CFA's straightforward information made it easier for us, and I'm sure it
made it easier for the buyer as well.
Doug Fuller, President (Seller)
Midland Metals, Inc.
I would say that our dealmaker is quite possibly the
best negotiator I've ever met. He's
very skilled, eloquent and knowledgeable.
I was very impressed with the way he handled and presented our company. As a representative for our company, he
never once failed us or let us down.
Brett Sexson, President (Seller)
NetQuest
Our dealmaker at CFA asked us what
our wishes were and he kept us informed of what was happening. It was a fairly
complicated situation - among other things, we were retaining some property,
and we were concerned about the future of our employees. Our dealmaker informed
himself about our situation and he understood our culture, so he came across
very well. The sale was a real win/win. I would recommend CFA and our dealmaker
highly. He was careful, diligent and persistent. He did everything in good
faith. He really works for his client.
Vayden Anderson, President (Seller)
Overland Sand & Gravel
There is definitely value for an
owner to use CFA. We negotiated quite a bit on some items where they helped get
more for their client. They were good at keeping the process going, and we were
happy with it.
Their dealmaker gets right to the
crux; he doesn't beat around the bush too much. If we needed a broker, I
wouldn't have any problem hiring CFA and their dealmaker. That's probably the
best compliment I could give.
Bob Nordquist, President (Buyer)
Nebco, Inc.
Sometimes the dealmaker had to help me understand
something about the process or the seller's behavior. Our dealmaker never lost sight of the objective, which was to
help the seller sell his business.
Bill Crosson, President (Buyer)
Planner Pads Company
There are a lot of bumps in this type of
transaction. It's not just about the
price. There are issues of timing,
patents, financing. Somebody's got to
think through them, and that's what CFA did.
They helped us waded through the sticky points.
Rick Heineger, President (Buyer)
RHS Fertilizing/Spraying Systems
CFA were the people who first put the idea in my head that I should own
my own dealership. CFA and their dealmaker really worked their tails off for
me. They helped to put the transaction together and also structure the debt in
some ways I wouldn't have thought of. There
were a couple of times when I was fed up,but my dealmaker was so direct and
relaxed and confident about it. He'd say, "It's no big deal," and then he'd go
back to digging and digging. He never gave up.
Marty Sheridan,
President
Sheridan Mazda
I wanted to find someone who was knowledgeable about
my industry, who understood the market, who could do proper valuations, who
could separate interested parties from "tire kickers," and who could then
perform the final negotiations. If I
had done these things myself, it would have taken way too much of my time, and
I probably would have done a poor job at it.
CFA did all those tings, and did them very well.
Joe Meidlinger, President (Seller)
Software Production Services
From the start, we felt very
comfortable working with CFA. They properly prepared us and conditioned us in
our thinking. They made sure we understood the whole process could take one to
five years. They got us thinking about whether we really wanted to do this and
got us to the point where we decided we did. There was not just the financial
part of our business; there was a cultural part to consider too. Building our
business was a very personal thing. We were close to our staff, and we didn't
want drastic changes for them. We wanted them to be well taken care of. So
finding a good cultural fit was important to us as well. The companies CFA
presented to us as potential acquirers had that fit. What was great about CFA
was that they had gone through all these different situations in their
experience, so they were able to advise us how to handle each roadblock along
the way. CFA has a proven system and a way to reach potential buyers. If we had
tried to sell our business on our own, we would not have had any of the
resources CFA uses in its process.
Jim & Carol Townsend, Owners (Seller)
Sunrise Enterprises
My dealmaker helped secure the financing, and craft
the financing structure so that I could afford to repay the debt. The deal could have fallen apart several
times, and he was able to pull it out of the fire and resuscitate it.
Tony Wald, President (Buyer)
The Thompson Company
Everything CFA did for me was above
board. They found people who were interested in buying my two companies and got
the job done. I'd absolutely recommend them. If I was going to sell a business
today, CFA would be the first company I'd talk to."
Otto Schneider, President (Seller)
Weller Plastics Company
Weller Fishing Tackle
Company
A lot of people will make promises, but the question
is whether they will be able to come through and do what they promise. CFA told us what we should ask for the
company; they told us how and where to sell the company; and they told us how
long it would take. And they came
through. They were right on the money.
Syd Thompson, Co-Founder (Seller)
Woody Sports
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