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Application for Board-Certified Business Broker Credential

Please complete this application to become a Board-Certified Business Broker with the Georgia Association of Business Brokers. Please contact our administrator, Laura Goe, at admin@gabb.org with any questions about completing this application. Please email the Administrator to obtain a record of classes you have taken with the GABB.  The GABB Board or Laura Goe may contact you for additional information before granting your certification. 

Welcome to our new Broker Members for 1Q2022!

We welcomed seven new Broker Members to the GABB in the first quarter of 2022! We are grateful for our continued growth as an organization post-pandemic. Read more about our new members below.

Broker Members not pictured are Solomon Padilla, Hector Rojas, and Jennifer West.

Deanna Dickinson, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, has 21 years in the dental consulting business industry helping dentists throughout the state, both as a dental consultant for 15 years with the largest dental distributor in the world and for 6 years with her own consulting business, Team DMD Consulting. She helps senior dentists broker their practices and also has her real estate license with specialization in commercial transactions to help all types of doctors with their properties. 

Andy Harrison is a graduate with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Kennesaw State University.  Since 2003, Andy has been personally buying, selling, investing, and managing companies, signal family/multi-family and retail investment properties.  He left corporate America in 2012 and purchased a brokerage so that he could assist investors by purchasing and selling companies and real estate.  His company also provides property management to investors that hold their investment properties for cash flow. Andy is a licensed real estate broker with has knowledge and experience to help investors with the purchase or sell of their business and the entire business cycle for investment properties.  Andy also advises investors on the following strategies: fix and flips, rehabbing, land contracts, 1031 tax-deferred exchanges, IRA investing, lease options, option contracts, and creative seller financing solutions.

Megan Lyons has been a resident of Georgia for over 20 years and has lived in several areas in and around Atlanta. She is very familiar with the areas of Decatur, Kirkwood, East Atlanta, Chamblee, Midtown, Brookhaven, Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Roswell, Marietta, and Woodstock but is certainly not limited to them. Constantly visiting new places around the city is what keeps her up-to-date with the latest information on the market.

After graduating from Georgia College & State University with a B.A. in Management, Megan worked in sales for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. In an effort to further her career Megan changed companies in 2008 to do marketing work for a boutique home-building company. It was here that she realized her passion in life–real estate!

Megan’s experiences in sales, marketing, customer service, and home-building enhance her ability to provide her clients with the most accurate and up-to-date information, useful resources and tools to help them along the way, as well as top-notch customer service.

Tatiana Yagecic was introduced to business at an early age when her father opened his first restaurant in Slovakia. She quickly learned the ins-and-outs of various hospitality operations because of her willingness to learn every job. She worked closely by her dad’s side as the business venture expanded.

Welcoming the opportunity, she moved to the United States and pursued a hospitality degree. Having the experience of starting and operating various businesses, she was recommended to join the Best Business Brokers team as a Marketing Director. Her drive and focus quickly led her to become licensed in Real Estate and transition into the role of a Business Broker. Naturally, her initial focus is on hospitality operations, and she strives to help her clients raise the value of their businesses. This industry has been at the forefront of her career her entire life, and her expertise will contribute to many successful business and real estate acquisitions. Tatiana serves the Charleston, South Carolina area, which is her favorite city to explore with her husband and two beautiful children.

Welcome to our two new Affiliate Members for 1Q2022!

The Georgia Association of Business Brokers (GABB) welcomed two new Affiliate Members in the first quarter of 2022–Ashley Olejnik of The Bancorp and Mitch Belton of First Port City Bank. We are very excited to have them join our ever-growing group of professionals who work with and support the business brokerage industry. Read more about Ms. Olejnik and Mr. Belton below.

Ashley Olejnik is an industry expert with more than 16 years of successful experience in the full life cycle of Small Business Administration (SBA) lending.  She joined The Bancorp as a Business Development Officer in 2019 where she has developed relationships using SBA products inclusive of 504, 7a and Express.  With extensive knowledge in structuring loans, she assists her clients across the Nation find financing solutions for their business needs.  Ashley’s greatest strength is her passion to help her clients achieve their business needs.  Her recent projects include business acquisitions, partner buyouts, Commercial Real Estate purchases and construction.  

Amongst her previous positions, Ashley closed SBA loans for financial institutions in the Atlanta and Raleigh areas.  This role allowed her to work hand in hand with clients while protecting her employer’s SBA Guaranty.       

In 2015, Ashley completed the Lender Diploma Program from The National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL).  She also attends yearly NAGGL conferences to stay abreast of the industry changes.        

Ashley enjoys spending time with her family, listening to live music and playing golf.  She currently lives in Nashville, TN but frequently travels to Georgia where she is originally from.      

Mitch Belton earned his B.S and MBA from Clemson University where he was a 3-year letterman, record holder and Team Captain for the Clemson Tiger football team. Following graduation, he got his start in banking by working as an Associate Relationship Manager for Bank of America, he has held Senior Lending positions at Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase and First National Bank.

Mitch joined First Port City Bank team in 2022 with over two decades of lending knowledge and SBA expertise. In his role, Mitch specializes in Business Development and structuring loans for healthcare, construction, acquisition and development and commercial real estate.

Mitch enjoys working with brokers (Yes, we pay broker fees!!) and small business owners to develop creative financing solutions by utilizing the SBA loan programs. He puts his years of experience to work for each client to ultimately produce the best lending solution for their needs.

When he is not at work, Mitch enjoys officiating high school and college sports, mentoring youth, positively affecting his community and spending time with his daughter.

Why Does it Seem the World’s on Fire While Business is Going 90 MPH?

Our GABB Broker Member Gene Wright of Northstar Consulting offers his thoughts on the state of business in these unprecedented times:

“Why Does it Seem the World’s on Fire While Business is Going 90 MPH?”

We’re living in unprecedented times in a world no one could imagine only a few weeks ago. While the world has united in solidarity with Ukraine, one man holds us hostage with an all or nothing strategy he believes will bend the US to his will. I’m afraid things may become worse before getting better and the economic impact on small business owners in Georgia is real. 

Locally we’re living through staggering inflation not seen in years. Commodity prices are at an all time high with seemly no relief in sight. Gas prices are above $4 a gallon and at the grocery store prices seem to increase every week. “Round and round and round we go, where it stops nobody knows.” It seems that good news about the retreat of COVID after two years of business disruption is hardly noticed. 

I spoke with an owner of a large brokerage in Nebraska recently who represents sellers on a national level. She was very pleased with her company’s progress this year so far, having done over 80 business valuations since January. She’s seeing more seller and buyer interest than in 2019. She told me smart sellers are pricing goods and materials on a cost-plus basis, with many adding fuel surcharges for job travel in response to higher inflation to protect profits. Service businesses are still handicapped by the need for more workers, but seem hopeful that as COVID fades, more people will return to work. Supply chain interruptions are forcing small business owners to carry more inventory than ever but seem hopeful that conditions will improve in the second half of the year. 

In our business, we’re seeing far more buyers than last year, and it seems there’s a shortage of good cash flowing businesses available for them to buy. SBA lenders are calling to ask what we have in the pipeline, and some are offering to do deals with 90% loan coverage for exceptionally qualified buyers. That means that buyers still have access to low interest rates (historically) and can receive better return on capital invested than many other investment options.

If you’re a small business owner thinking about selling, now is the time to learn more about selling your business before interest rates rise later in the year. Business is going 90 MPH while the world is on fire! 

April 2022

GABB Class May 24: Legal Issues in Business Brokering

Learn about legal issues you are likely to face when buying or selling a business, how to use standardized legal forms, and how to avoid problem clients  in a May 24 class to be taught by Georgia Association of Business Brokers member Shannan Collier Stalvey. 

The class Legal Issues in Business Brokering will be eligible for three hours towards the GABB’s Board-Certified Broker credential, and is eligible for continuing education credit under Course #71540 approved by the Georgia Real Estate Commission. 

This class, which will earn credits towards the Board-Certified Broker Credential, will cover the following topics: 

• How to identify potential legal problems that could arise in the purchase or sale of a business such as identifying asset purchases versus stock purchases; how to verify a business’ legal status; identifying ownership structures; how to use the basic legal forms provided by GABB; identifying and understanding the steps in the due diligence process; and securing their commission and avoiding litigation.
• How to identify and explain basic legal issues business brokers may encounter in the sale or purchase of a business, identify types of purchases, and identify legal entities.
• How to verify the status of a business, and understand the due diligence process.
• How to identify and use common legal documents used in the purchase of a business.
• How GABB members can obtain and use GABB Forms.
• How to identify legal problems that a broker may encounter when using a standardized forms, how to use a standardized form, and identify situations in which a broker should consult an attorney.
• How to identify and explain legal pitfalls when selling a business, how to avoid lawsuits, and how to identify asset purchase agreements and non-compete agreements.
• How to avoid problem clients.

The class will be held on May 24 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Georgia Association of Realtors classroom: 6065 Barfield Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30328-4402. The class will also be held via Zoom (The Zoom link will be provided to enrollees prior to meeting).

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: For more than 25 years, Shannan Collier Stalvey has been providing legal services to a wide array of clients. In her business transactional practice, Ms. Stalvey has helped newly formed and newly acquired businesses set a strong foundation for future growth. She works with existing and well-established businesses identify, correct, and prevent weaknesses. She also facilitates the acquisition and disposition of businesses, ensuring compliance with legal and accounting standards. She works closely with distribution, licensing, and franchising businesses, both domestically and internationally, putting together the pieces of complex business relationships through the preparation and use of comprehensive documentation. Shannan S. Collier Stalvey earned her B.B.A. from The University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Thereafter, she attended Cumberland School of Law and Samford University, where she was the first woman attending to simultaneously earn her J.D. and M.B.A. She then studied at Emory University, School of Law, where she obtained her Masters of Laws in Taxation. Shannan S. Collier Stalvey is a member of both the Florida and Georgia bars and maintains clientele in both states. She is also a Tax Section member and a frequent speaker at seminars, wherein she instructs both lawyers and non-lawyers on various business, estate, and tax planning techniques.

In order to receive GREC credit, attendees MUST arrive on time, be on camera for the entire class, pass the end-of-course test, and stay until the end of class.