I am pleased to announce that the recipient of IBA’s Broker of the Year Award for 2024 was Seth Rudin. Mr. Rudin joined IBA’s mergers & acquisitions intermediary team early in 2021 as the climate of fear produced by the COVID-19 pandemic started to dissipate and a return to normalcy commenced in terms of live business interaction.  A talented, highly skilled sales professional with strong analytical & finance skills developed academically at Arizona State & Baylor University and professionally at Dell Computers, Microsoft, Teklink International, plus a technology start-up he founded, asterRIDE, combined with a top tier work ethic resulted in quick success in selling businesses and the natural evolution to a leadership role at IBA. Mr. Rudin, as a senior M&A intermediary on the IBA team, annually represents clients in a spectrum of industries having the capability to intellectually grasp most business models, identify their value propositions in the marketplace, create a robust, confidential, competitive environment for their sale, negotiate strong market terms, and successfully facilitate transactions through due diligence, legal, and finance turbulence to a smooth closing.  Specific areas of focus and high past achievement include the manufacturing, professional practice, retail, and technology sectors.  Seth Rudin is one of three professional intermediaries on the IBA team that is a licensed commercial real estate broker in both Washington & Oregon.  He completed transactions in both states in 2024.  Please join me in congratulating and recognizing Seth. I consider myself blessed to have him as part of my team, a friend, and a fellow “True to the Blue” Mariners fan.

In closing, the IBA team is looking for new companies to sell in 2025. The business brokerage marketplace is presently robust and our team of over twenty business brokers working out of offices in Bellevue, Bellingham, Everett, Federal Way, Olympia, Spokane, & Wenatchee in Washington and Portland & Bend in Oregon would welcome the opportunity to provide an overview of our client services if a retirement sale is desired this year. 100% of IBA’s compensation is paid on performance at the completion of a project. All conversations with IBA are held in strict confidence.