As the managing broker for IBA’s Washington territory (1997 – 2000) and the President & CEO of the firm (2000 – Present), I have experienced as a mergers & acquisitions intermediary and entrepreneur the Dot.com Boom, Bubble, and Bust (https://www.tickerhistory.com/p/the-dot-com-bubble-explained), the Great Recession (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/great-recession.asp), the decade that followed the Great Recession economically (https://www.cbpp.org/research/economy/tracking-the-post-great-recession-economy), the COVID pandemic, where IBA was declared an essential business by Governor Inslee and allowed to continue to support the entrepreneurial community with in person engagement when the world was shut down and I predicted early in 2020 a two year cycle for the virus after studying the Spanish Flu (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journal-plague-year-180965222/), and the economic recovery that has occurred post pandemic navigating supply chain issues, high interest rates, high fuel prices, and tariffs. There are few business brokerage firms in the United States that have this level of perspective, knowledge, and experience at their executive helm. In entrepreneurship and business brokerage, knowledge, experience, and skill matter. It is often possible to research why something happened and learn from the past. However, it is another thing entirely to make decisions successfully as an executive in real time when experiencing economic bad or good weather, changing competitive landscapes, and technological change. The COVID pandemic was horrible. I am aware of many that lost family (including IBA’s VP of Business Development, Curt Maier, who lost his father) and children who are academically & socially still seeking to overcome its impact on their lives. It also had a positive influence on the marketplace for privately held companies and family businesses in 2025 and 2026.
This positive impact occurred because many of the entrepreneurs who successfully navigated the last five years as business owners through applying their strategic vision and business acumen have entities that are well managed, profitable, and thriving. These companies are well positioned for sale and presently selling for strong market values in the marketplace when professionally represented by parties with the ability to price them, create a confidential, robust marketplace for their sale, successfully negotiate parties to “YES”, and facilitate transactions through due diligence, legal, and financing.
In the Pacific Northwest, out of IBA’s ten offices, the last six months have been the strongest market dynamics for the purchase & sale of privately held companies and family businesses in the main street and middle market that I have witnessed in my thirty-two years as a business broker. This dynamic exists for a spectrum of reasons and should continue into the foreseeable future.
On the seller side, we are early to mid-stream in seeing the Baby Boomer Generation sell their businesses. This generation is presently 60 – 80 years old. 70 – 75 appears to be a common retirement age for entrepreneurs. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, over a million people over 70 presently own a business (https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/seniors-are-starting-businesses-in-their-70s-and-80s/498051). However, as the expression goes, “Father Time stops for no one”. The reality is that the Baby Boomer generation needs to estate plan for retirement, legacy, and philanthropic objectives. The greatest wealth transfer in American history is in the process of occurring (https://fortune.com/2025/03/28/millennials-richest-generation-on-record-great-wealth-transfer-from-baby-boomers/) and a component of many people’s estates are business and commercial real estate assets that need to be converted into assets that can be passively managed and more easily divided among heirs. IBA has been a trusted resource for entrepreneurs in Washington & Oregon for over fifty years (https://ibainc.com/50-years-of-business-brokerage-excellence/), so it is natural for them, their attorneys, accountants, and wealth advisors to turn to IBA as a professional advisor in this process given our reputation for quality, confidentiality, integrity, best practices, superior customer service, significant specialized knowledge about industries, local presence with significant bandwidth, and business model that only seeks compensation upon successful completion of a project.
On the buyer side, demand for acquisition opportunities is presently being generated from numerous demographic groups many times pursuing the same companies. Demand for businesses with EBITDA’s above $1 million is exceptionally strong in 2026 from publicly traded companies, privately held companies, private equity, and family offices. These entities are looking for both platform and bolt-on acquisitions. Starting at $250,000 and increasing to several million dollars in ownership cashflow, potential buyers include 50 – 70 year old individuals who either aspire to executively lead businesses or who have been laid off and need to problem solve employment in a location where they have a home, spouse employed, and/or children in school; Generation Y and Z members who want to be founders and supported by SBA loans and investors plus educated/motivated by social media & podcasts seek to “embrace the possible” in entrepreneurship; and first generation immigrants who are eager to pursue their American Dream and start to climb the limitless ladder to professional fulfillment and economic prosperity equally offered to all in this country.
Parties across all these demographic groups are additionally motivated to find and complete acquisitions due to the once in a generation opportunity that is on the horizon to take advantage of AI in business models to make them more efficient and competitive in the marketplace. Those who do not know Jevons Paradox should familiarize themselves with it (https://ibainc.com/blog/gregory-kovsky/ai-entrepreneurship-and-jevons-paradox/). Forward thinking entrepreneurs with the ability to execute successfully are likely to benefit in terms of wealth creation over the next 2 – 10 years at a level not seen since the Dot.com evolution, a period where I sold early stage E-Commerce businesses and Internet Service Providers to people who saw the future and acted decisively.
Our job at IBA is find the appropriate buyer match for our sell side clients. In 2026, it has not been uncommon for IBA’s M&A intermediaries to deliver 3 – 20 quality offers from vetted buyers negotiating in good faith for our sell side clients to select from in choosing their successor in ownership.
The following is a selection of examples divided by industry of some of the recent transactions successfully facilitated by IBA:
Manufacturing
Cat-Man-Doo (https://catmandoo.biz/) – Cat & Dog Treat Manufacturing
TruFab (https://trufabllc.com/) – Aerospace & Military Sector Machining & Fabrication
Stone Brothers (https://www.thestonebrothers.net/) – Countertop Fabrication and Installation
Aquarian Audio (https://www.aquarianaudio.com/) – Scientific Level Hydrophone Manufacturing
Distribution/Retail
Hi-Tex (http://hitexcorp.com/) – Textile Industry Distributor
Stefano’s Espresso Care (https://espressocare.com/) – Coffee Equipment & Parts
All Wound Up (https://www.allwoundupyarnshop.com/) – Yarn & Fabric Arts Retailer
Construction/Home Services
McClure Custom Homes (https://www.mcclurecustomhomes.com/) – Custom Home Builder
Sign Pros (https://signpros.net/) – Sign Manufacturing & Installation
Reynolds Landscape (https://reynoldslandscape.com/) – Landscape Construction
Dobson Chimney & Masonry Services (https://dobsonmasonry.com/) – Chimney & Masonry Residential Work
GenTech Northwest (https://gentechnorthwest.com/) – Generator Sales & Installation and Electrical Service
Timberline Fence (https://timberline-fence.com/) – Fencing Contractor
TempControl (https://www.tempcontrolwa.com/) – Heating & Cooling Equipment Sales, Installation, & Service
Service
HazMat Express (https://www.hazmat-express.com/) – Hazardous Material Shipping & Compliance
Sparkle Wash (https://sparklewash.com/) – Professional Power Washing
Clayton Aquariums (https://claytonaquariums.com/) Aquarium Sales, Installation, & Service
Medical/Healthcare
Olympic Psychology Services (https://www.olypsych.com/) – Mental Health Counseling & Treatment
Simplicity Med Spa (https://www.simplicitymedspa.com/) Medical Professional Supported Beauty & Wellness
Education
Singapore Math Clubs (https://singaporemathsclub.com/) – Supplemental Education Program
Hospitality/Entertainment
Tides Tavern (https://tidestavern.com/) – Iconic Waterfront Bar & Grill
Pasco Golfland (https://www.pascogolfland.com/) – Community Favorite Golf Course & Driving Range
If you are considering the sale of a business in 2026, 2027, or 2030, our knowledgeable, experienced, highly skilled team of business brokers, all holding real estate licenses in your state of operation, would welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person, learn about your business, exit strategy objectives, and provide an overview of our client services. All conversations with IBA are held in strict confidence. IBA only seeks compensation upon successful completion of a project. We offer a complimentary professional opinion of the present market value of a business (and associated real estate, if applicable) to all potential clients. The valuation provides an opportunity for us to demonstrate our knowledge and customer service during an evaluation period without a business owner being financially or contractually committed to IBA. The following article from our blog provides an overview of some of the components that go into our assessment of value: https://ibainc.com/blog/gregory-kovsky/valuation-101-for-the-sale-or-purchase-of-a-business-ebitda-times-a-multiple/. Questions are welcome.
If you are seeking to acquire a business in the Pacific Northwest, IBA has sold more businesses than any other firm (4400+) and commonly has more businesses on the market for sale than any other business brokerage in the region. Frequently businesses sell to participants in our Buyer Database Program with little or no time advertised in the public domain. Buyers active in the marketplace can register to receive information on IBA’s exclusive listings, by completing the forms available through DocuSign on this page of our website: https://ibainc.com/buy-a-business/. IBA also has multiple licensed franchise brokers on its staff who have the ability to sell new franchise opportunities. This service is free to parties interested in buying a franchise: https://ibainc.com/what-we-do/franchise-sales/
Yogi Berra famously said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it”. The 2026 Seattle Mariners baseball season just started. I anticipate that by the time IBA posts its Autumn update (Here is the last one: https://ibainc.com/blog/gregory-kovsky/autumn-2025-iba-update/) that we like the Mariners will have posted more wins, in terms of completed transactions, than any business brokerage team that attempts to compete with IBA in Washington & Oregon, over the next six months. “PLAY BALL”. We welcome the opportunity to talk or meet with you this spring and summer if you want to sell or buy a privately held company or family business.
IBA, the Pacific Northwest’s premier business brokerage firm since 1975, is available as an information resource to the media, business brokerage, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, legal, accounting, banking, and wealth management communities on subjects relevant to the purchase & sale of privately held companies and family businesses. IBA is recognized as one of the best business brokerage firms in the nation based on its long track record of successfully negotiating “win-win” business sale transactions in environments of full disclosure employing “best practices”.