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President’s Page – Gregory Kovsky

IBA is a referral driven company. A majority of the business owners we represent in the sale of their businesses come to us via referred recommendations of past clients, attorneys, accounting professionals, commercial or residential realtors, bankers, wealth advisers, private equity firms, or companies and individuals who have conducted business in the past with International Business Associates (IBA).

I, personally, also found IBA by way of a referral from one of my most trusted advisers, my father, Michael Kovsky. Dr. Michael Kovsky was a client of IBA when he sold his veterinary practice, the Animal Medical Clinic in Portland, Oregon, in 1983. Following the transaction, he always spoke glowingly about the representation he had received in the sale of his hospital and the related real estate. This endorsement cemented IBA in my mind as the premier brand in the business brokerage community in the Pacific Northwest. It also generated an easy recommendation when conversations with friends and business colleagues turned to the purchase or sale of privately held companies and family owned businesses.

In the spring of 1994, I returned to the Pacific Northwest from the Midwest ready for a career change. Many career opportunities were available to me based on my business acumen, education, integrity, and work ethic; however at the recommendation of my father, I scheduled a meeting with then IBA president, G. William Ososke, to discuss potentially joining IBA as a mergers & acquisitions broker. On the basis of IBA’s corporate culture, leadership position in the mergers & acquisitions community, and the economic upside potential with the firm, I joined the company as a business brokerage professional.

My first six years with the company passed rapidly as I rose in the company from the position of “rookie” broker to sought after mergers & acquisitions professional to managing broker for the Washington state territory. On the basis of this effort and the positive impact I had on the company, Bill Ososke approached me in 2000 to discuss his desire to downsize his managerial responsibilities and relinquish control of the helm of IBA. This preliminary conversation led to a succession plan where in December of 2000, I succeeded my friend & mentor as president of the company. I assumed this position with great honor and a sense of responsibility as the second steward & guardian of IBA’s reputation & legacy in the Pacific Northwest. I am now starting my third decade as president of IBA and am pleased to report that the company continues to be viewed as the premier mergers & acquisitions firm in the region.

The foundation of IBA’s reputation and past success has always been the quality, experienced, professionals on its staff and their ability to confidentially sell privately held companies and family owned businesses with integrity employing knowledge, experience, a professional skill set as intermediaries in negotiations & deal facilitation, and a collaborative process with legal, accounting, and banking professionals employing “best practices”. I promise that this core element of our company will not change in the future. We will continue to be the regional leader in mergers & acquisitions in terms of the volume of Main Street and Middle Market transactions we successfully facilitate, integrity, knowledge, experience, and professional business acumen as business intermediaries in negotiations & deal facilitation.

I welcome your telephone calls and emails (gregory@ibainc.com). Please contact me if I can supply you with any information regarding IBA, the professional representation we provide our clients, or serve as a business community resource on any subject related to the purchase & sale of a privately held company or family owned business. I also encourage you to visit & read our blog and watch the videos on our website related to the services we provide our clients. Both were created to provide information to the entrepreneurial community about issues & subjects relevant to business brokerage and the knowledge & experience found at IBA and available to our clients.

Gregory Kovsky

President & CEO of IBA

    "

    I had another mergers & acquisitions broker do a valuation of my company. His evaluation was not what I had hoped for so I decided not to sell. I mentioned this to a friend who told me I should contact Gregory Kovsky of IBA. I contacted Mr. Kovsky and his valuation came in $1,000,000 higher. That was enough to convince me to go to market. We went to market and within a few months we had multiple full price offers and sold the business for full price. Gregory Kovsky did an incredible job. While I had bought a number of businesses in the past, this was the first business I sold. Gregory did a great job of holding my hand, keeping me calm, and giving me sage advice throughout the sale process. I have unconditionally recommended Gregory to friends and recommend him to anyone interested in selling their business

    "

    Keith Lee

    Former President & CEO of American Retail Supply

    "

    “No Deal is better than a Bad Deal” is what Gregory Kovsky, President of IBA, told Barbara & I when negotiations began to go sideways related to the sale of our company after several months of meetings with a potential buyer. At that point, we were emotionally vested in the transaction and considering making concessions to complete a sale that was not in our best interest, however Gregory never lost sight of the market value of our company and our retirement goals. He knew we could do better than the deal on the table and advised us to terminate the negotiations. Semi-reluctantly, we followed his advice not knowing what the future would bring. However, his guidance was true and quicker than we anticipated we were in negotiations with a more qualified buyer and completing a sale at a superior price and terms than we had tentatively agreed to prior.

    If you are looking for ethical, intelligent representation for the sale of your company, I would strongly recommend that you start and end your interview process with IBA.”

    "

    Graham Hollingsworth

    Former President & CEO of Lancs Industries, Inc.

    "

    We talked with Gregory Kovsky of IBA a year before going to market and even though he could have signed us then, he recommended waiting a year given our revenue growth to achieve the best possible sale price.

    Once the decision was made to sell, we consulted with multiple brokers before we selected IBA. Several brokers actually quoted us higher values for our company but we felt Gregory’s grounded information was realistic and trustworthy.

    Once we went “live”, we had a professional package to present and we had three qualified buyer within weeks.

    Selling a business that you are personally invested in can be very emotional and you need a steady captain by the rudder to keep you going thru the process. Gregory Kovsky is that captain.

    Gregory accused us of being serial entrepreneurs and he was right. We are already starting a new business and know where to go the day we sell this new venture.

    "

    Rolf and Randi Åström

    Natural Pet Pantry

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