What our clients are saying…

Serge Savoie had an insider’s view of the Moncton, New Brunswick, business he purchased in mid-2010 from previous owner, Dennis Poirier. Serge worked alongside Dennis in the business for some 15 years.

Owning A-1 Plumbing, though, was never something he thought possible. Meeting Sunbelt business broker Dave Barnett changed everything. Dave, owner of Sunbelt Moncton’s office, helped pave the way for Serge to secure the bank loans he needed to seal the deal, including financing from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).

“Dave made it all possible. He helped structure the deal, managed the loan application process, helped with documents and managed the needs of the lenders.

“Since everything was put together at the time of application the turnaround time at the bank was kept to a minimum,” adds Dave.

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Brian Muldoon had always wanted his own business. From time to time, the Ottawa resident would check out listings of businesses for sale online. As the years passed, the instability of working for large companies fueled his desire to venture out on his own.

Brian finally saw the opportunity he’d been waiting for: a listing for a “successful and profitable supplier of new and refurbished accessibility and mobility equipment in fast growing mode.”

He gives full credit to Sunbelt for making his purchase of the franchise possible.

“Chris (Skowronski) was amazing. Everyone was quite helpful in all aspects of the transaction, right down to after the sale. They didn’t miss a beat.”

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“I started looking at two businesses,” Yves recounts, “but John (Patrick) told me to wait, that there was something coming up locally that would be a good fit. It was a huge bonus to find a business right where I lived.”

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Last October, Laura Chaulk walked into Snazzy Seconds to sell a table and chairs. She ended up buying a store.

A savvy consignment shopper, Laura had been thrilled to discover the store when she moved back to the area several years ago.

Jason (Kells) was excellent," says Laura. “He walked me through everything I needed to know, addressing all my concerns. He was always available when I called him, making sure it was a good experience.

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A professional engineer, Mike Petryschuk spent most of his career in the chemical industry running manufacturing operations for plants. The downsizing of the industry in the early 2000s left him seeking new employment options.

“When I first started working with Mike – I knew he was an entrepreneur at heart,” says business broker Rob Mitchell, the owners of Sunbelt’s Guelph, Ontario office. “So when we couldn’t negotiate a deal at the first company we worked on together – I was a little surprised when he decided to take a job. But as it turns out – he called me again in a couple of years and was in the market again to buy a business. This time we found a company he was interested in and a vendor who was great to work with.”

“Rob was quite a good rep,” Mike adds. “He was open and easy to work with, treating both parties fairly and focused on getting a deal. Lawyers want the deal to be risk free but entrepreneurs know that’s not going to happen. Rob kept the process moving, helping where it was needed, and in the end, he got it done.”

Read more about Mike’s story and his tips for buyers.

Shelley and Bart Garner credit Sunbelt London office owner Erik Twohig with finding their ideal business—a profitable pet-centric business--and saving the related deal. In fact, using a business broker is the top advice they'd give to anyone considering buying a business.

"You really need that intermediary. If we hadn't had Erik, our deal would have died on the vine," says Bart.

Shane wasn’t typical of the individuals that walk into Sunbelt’s offices wanting to buy a business. He was young but experienced. And when Sunbelt found his “match”, he was ready to act.

Although Krista Thompson and Genevieve Bonin held executive positions, buying a business was a totally new experience.

“We came in to Sunbelt all wide eyes and quaking knees but Greg was great,” says Krista. “He helped us jump through the hoops and made referrals for us to his network of business advisors. The whole deal went smoothly.”

Dwight Campbell was ready to branch out on his own, but before acquiring a business, he did his homework. After reading a book that strongly recommended going through a business broker, he started contacting brokers. Sunbelt impressed him the most and when they introduced him to Matco’s automotive industry tool distribution franchise, he liked what he saw.

“Sunbelt has a really good selection of companies,” says Dwight. “They’re definitely in the know as to who is buying or selling companies. Their strategy is good. They inform the buyer of the company’s previous history and introduce buyer to seller.

“I absolutely would recommend Sunbelt to anyone looking to buy a business.”

Brian Beauchamp had been looking to buy a business for 12 years. “You name it, I looked into it,” says the former federal government lawyer.

“But only when I found Sunbelt business brokers did I find the right business for me. And quickly…”

I like the way Sunbelt works, they screen out applicants, honour confidentiality and you always feel they’re representing both sides fairly.”

When their spouses (Marie McInnes and Luc Tremblay) started looking for new careers, long-time friends Shane McInnes and Natasha Hall-Tremblay started looking on the Internet. There they found Sunbelt Business Brokers.

“We quickly realized that Sunbelt has the listings,” says Shane.

And so started the events that saw Chapel Hill Pet Studio passed from one enthusiastic family-based business team to another.

“Buying a business can be very stressful and the broker was extremely patient throughout the whole process. He kept a level head and whenever we needed to see him, he made arrangements for us to do so.”

After 30 years in key engineering and executive management positions with leading international companies, Doug Overbury wanted his own business. He also wanted to get out of Toronto and back to eastern Ontario. What he needed to find was the right business in the right location. Happily, his search led him to Sunbelt Business Brokers and Auto Electric.

"Sunbelt's Ottawa team helped me put together the cash flows and projections, pulled together the numbers I needed and structured a deal that would work for me," says Doug

"You know, if you go looking for a business on your own and start dealing with an owner who is thinking of retiring, often the likelihood is that the seller changes his mind about selling. But when a seller has signed up with Sunbelt and gone through the detailed analysis and business documentation they do, and a willing buyer is found, the seller sells.

“Without Sunbelt my purchase wouldn’t have happened at all.”

Taplen Construction was Henry Armstrong's baby. But after four and a half decades of hands-on devotion to business, Henry was ready to retire. Like all caring parents, he wanted the best for his baby so he turned to the best- Sunbelt Business Brokers—to locate a suitable buyer. "I definitely didn't want to close down the operation," he says. "I have a lot of good people working for me and I wanted to make sure the company carried on."

Impressed with Sunbelt's client roster and philosophy, he listed Taplen Consrruction for sale with Sunbelt. He is delighted with the results. "Sunbelt's staff is excellent," he says. "They really kept things moving and got the sale done."

After due consideration of two potential buyers, Henry opted to sell the business to Michael Assal, who moved his family back to Ottawa from Washington, D.C., where they were living when the opportunity surfaced.

"The transaction required me to spend a lot of time negotiating with Mr. Armstrong," says Michael. "Sunbelt was very professional and often stepped in to facilitate when possible areas of conflict surfaced.

"Things well went from the first week I took ownership."

“Without Sunbelt my purchase wouldn’t have happened at all.”

Sam (Ahmed) Rabaa and his wife Maha were thrilled at the opportunity to move to California. But they faced one major hurdle: before they could leave Ottawa, Sam had to sell Studio Elegante, his successful hairdressing salon. Sam had tried to sell it privately but, at the 11th hour, the deal fell through.

Then Maha went on line and found Sunbelt Business Brokers, says Sam. “We called, reached agent Mark Cullen, met with him, and listed the business.”

“Andrew was impressed with Sunbelt,” says Nathalie. “He used to be a banker so he knew what to look for. He researched several of the businesses that were listed with Sunbelt and the information was good.”

The Bunsicks contacted Sunbelt and sat down with agent Mark Cullen.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Would they recommend Sunbelt to others?

Absolutely!