Spring 2023 IBA Activity Update

Apr 25, 2023

Spring 2023 IBA Activity Update

The Real Mother Goose (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1001896.The_Real_Mother_Goose), originally published in 1916 is a source for the saying, “March Winds and April Showers, will bring May Flowers”.   If recent weather has been any indication, the Pacific Northwest should be in for a “blooming” good May in 2023.  Hoping the next couple weeks brings sun and opportunities for little league, golf, boating, and hiking.

As May rapidly approaches and the first third of the year is placed into the historical record, it is my pleasure to report as the President & CEO of IBA that activity has been robust at IBA in 2023 with the firm completing numerous transactions across of spectrum of industries and simultaneously bringing to market a high-quality set of new opportunities for acquisition.

Completed transactions by IBA’s knowledgeable, highly skilled business brokerage intermediary team in recent months have included professional service firms including D.R. Strong (https://drstrong.com/), a civil engineering & land surveying firm; healthcare staffing agencies including ATC Healthcare Services (https://atc-nw.com/); health & beauty businesses including Advanced Skin Therapy of Smokey Point (https://smokeypointskin.com/); textile manufacturing companies in multiple states including Adams Screenprint (https://www.adams-screenprint.com/) & Winners Sportswear (https://winnerssportswear.com/); trucking & logistics businesses like Alpine Transportation (http://alpinetrans.com/); legacy auto repair shops including Len’s Auto (https://lensautomotive.com/); neighborhood retail like Simple Tidings & Kitchen (https://simpletidings.com/); online retailers including Lakeline LLC (https://lakelinellc.com/); construction industry companies including Construction Parts (https://constructionpartsllc.com/); and hospitality businesses ranging from Snappy Dragon (http://www.snappydragon.com/) to Bullseye Lane (https://www.bullseyelane.com/).

Companies in escrow pending sale in Q2 include a HVAC company that approached $20 million in revenue in 2022, an approximately eighty year old auto repair operation including real estate, an outsourced installation company utilized by most major retailers selling home appliances in their served area, one of the most successful first generation cannabis businesses in the Seattle metropolitan area, a grocery with real estate, and a sushi establishment where people will wait extended periods for a table.

New companies exclusively represented by IBA on the market looking for buyers range from a chain of fishing & hunting stores exceeding $22 million in revenue; multiple manufacturers producing wood products; a geothermal energy construction business; a company that installs security systems in public sector buildings; multiple vehicle service & repair businesses with several having cash flows exceeding seven figures; a commercial electrical contractor exceeding $2 million in cash flow in 2022; a property management firm focused on a clientele of single family homes, condominiums, and smaller multi-family buildings; a niche retailer in the fabric & sewing space with revenues over $5 million; an Amazon DSP Program Delivery Service; a niche service company specializing in E commerce subscription fulfillment; a lumberyard with real estate; a real estate inclusive gas station, convenience, store, deli, & laundromat operation with limited competition; and a Pacific Northwest favorite waterfront establishment, family favorite Italian restaurant, and multiple sports bars.  If you are looking to purchase a business in Washington or Oregon, we would like to talk to you.  We promise to facilitate your acquisition with knowledge, experience, skill, best practices, and superior customer service.

If you are looking to sell a privately held company or family business in 2023, there is still time to complete the project this year.  IBA traditionally sells businesses in three to nine months from first bringing them to market.  All information shared with IBA is held in strict confidence and no fees are payable to IBA unless we perform and complete the sale.  IBA has market leading experience & knowledge across a spectrum of industries (https://ibainc.com/industries-served/) and a regional set of offices in Washington (Bellevue & Spokane) and Oregon (Portland & Bend) allowing for in person, confidential meetings.  Our double digit team of professional M&A intermediaries are also happy to come to you for meeting whether you are located in Forks, Walla Walla, Bandon, or Baker (All places where IBA has represented businesses for sale).

We also, through our franchise brokerage division (https://ibainc.com/what-we-do/franchise-sales/), have the ability to sell new franchised business opportunities anywhere in the United States.  We have successfully facilitated multiple former technology industry employee acquisitions in recent months who made “lemonade” out of the “lemons” that have existed recently due to layoffs in the sector by Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and others with significant presence in the Seattle metropolitan area.

Significant dealmaking is happening weekly at IBA involving the sale and purchase of privately held companies, family businesses, franchises, and commercial real estate.  2022 exceeded 2021 at IBA by all important metrics (Transactions Completed, Company Revenue, and Number of M&A Intermediaries at the Firm, a number that continues to grow based on the high demand for our services).  2023 will exceed 2022 by all indications.  We recommend interviewing multiple brokers before selecting one to sell your business.  We humbly ask to be included in that interview process.  If we cannot demonstrate why we are the best choice for representation, then IBA is likely not the best choice.  If you are looking to purchase a business, we hope you will inquire what is on our shelves for sale.  It is always changing and since 1975 more happy customers have left our store excited to take a company for a drive than at any other place.

Thank you for taking the time to read this content.  I am highly appreciative of the support and collaboration that IBA experiences on a daily basis from the entrepreneurial community and the professionals that nurture and help grow that garden of opportunity with its diverse spectrum of flowers.

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, and accounting communities on subjects relevant to the purchase & sale of privately held companies and family-owned 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”.