Board Certified Broker

Become a Board-Certified Business Broker with the GABB

The Georgia Association of Business Brokers is launching a new educational program which will help our members achieve proficiency in the profession of business brokerage. The Board-Certified Business Broker designation, or BCBB, is intended to make clear to prospective clients that the broker has the knowledge and skills to professionally represent them in future transactions.

The GABB operates Georgia’s only Real Estate School dedicated specifically to business brokerage. The BCBB curriculum includes 42 hours of coursework covering a wide range of topics important to business brokers in the areas of valuation, finance and legal issues. The program is designed to be completed within a two-year period.

SUMMARY:

To earn the designation, business brokers must successfully complete a minimum number of hours in Business Brokerage Fundamentals, Financial Knowledge, and Legal Issues. The remainder of the hours can be chosen from the Miscellaneous category.

Proposed: To earn the BCBB Certification, business brokers must:

• Be an active member of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers.
• Earn 42 hours of educational credits, which must include 12 hours of Business Brokering Fundamentals classes, 12 hours of classes covering Financial Knowledge, 12 hours covering Legal and Business Issues, and 6 hours of Miscellaneous classes. 
• Each class will have a written test, and brokers must pass the course test to earn credit.
• Have at least two years of business brokering experience.
• GABB members may opt to take a limited numbers of missed courses online for a fee and will receive BCBB credit for the course upon successful completion of the course’s final exam. This option will not confer any CE credits.  Additional fees for taking BCBB classes will apply.
• Attend at least three GABB events each year, which may include meetings or classes.
• Negotiate and complete the sale of at least three businesses as lead agent or demonstrate relevant, comparable business brokerage experience approved by the GABB Board.
• The GABB Board reserves the right to revise the requirements as deemed necessary and in the best interest of the GABB Real Estate School.

 Business Brokering Fundamentals, 12 hours of coursework required

• All classes are three hours each
• Introduction to Business Brokerage: Offered on 2-9-21, taught by Dave Chambless
• Elements of Value: TBD
• Business Broker Process: TBD
• Securing Businesses for Sale Listings: Offered on 8-17-21, taught by Matt Wochele
• Marketing Your Listings: Offered as Business Broker Marketing on 6-15-21, taught by Jeff Merry
• Setting Up Your Business Broker Practice: TBD
• Pricing a Business: Offered on 4-26-22, taught by Erin Crawford
• Business Broker Models: Offered on 7-13-21, taught by Mike Ramatowski
• Introduction to Buy-Side Business Brokering: Offered on 4-27-21, taught by Marty Rueter
• Introduction to Sell-Side Business Brokering: Offered on 4-29-21, taught by Dave Chambless
• Business Broker Practice Approaches: Offered on 10-28-20, taught by J. Snypp and Robin Gagnon

Financial Knowledge, 12 hours of coursework required

• All classes are three hours each
• Introduction to Accounting Terms & Federal Tax Returns: TBD
• Understanding Financial Statements: TBD
• Recasting Financials: TBD
• Recasting and Accounting Fundamentals: Offered on 3-1-22, taught by Jon Roman
• Business Valuation Basics Business Valuation Basics,
  • Offered 10-27-20, taught by Dan Browning
  • Business Valuation, Offered on 10-19-21, taught by Jeff Forrestall and Ricky Moore
• Financing a Business Sale: TBD

Legal Issues, 6 hours of coursework required

• All classes are three hours each.
• Understanding Business & Corporate Structures:  TBD
• Legal Issues in Business Brokering: Offered on 5-24-22, taught by Shannan Collier Stalvey
• Business Brokering Ethics: Offered on Oct 25, 2022, taught by Matt Wochele

Miscellaneous, 12 hours of coursework required

• All classes are three hours each.
• Negotiations: TBD
• Inventory Valuation Basics: TBD
• Valuing Real Property: TBD
• Understanding Leases in a Business Transaction: Offered as Evaluating Lease Issues When Buying and Selling a Business on 5-20-20, taught by Wendy Kraby and Jon Roman
• Due Diligence: TBD
• License Law: Offered on 5-19-20, taught by Ann Cyphers
• Any classes from other categories

For more information about the GABB Real Estate School or the application process for the BCBB credential, please contact Diane Loupe at diane.loupe@gabb.org. For more information about the GABB or GABB membership, contact GABB Administrator Courtney Foley at courtney.foley@gabb.org or 770-744-3639, or GABB President Judy Mims at judy@childcare.properties. 

 

 

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GABB Class April 26: Pricing a Business

Learn the basics of pricing a business from an industry expert and earn credits towards a Georgia Real Estate license at the April 26 class offered by the GABB.

The Pricing a Business class will be offered online only via Zoom on Tuesday, April 26, from 1-4 p.m.

This class is designed to help someone who is new to the profession of buying and selling businesses with how to identify key components of setting an asking price for a business for sale, how to conduct industry research, where to find and how to use comps, and exploring two approaches to pricing a business, one based on income, and another based on assets.

The class will be taught by Erin Crawford, MBA, CBA, a Business Broker & Certified Business Intermediary with Transworld Business Advisors. Ms. Crawford has helped more than 300 entrepreneurs with achieving their dreams of business ownership. She excels in marketing and business development. She currently helps business owners in Florida’s Palm Beach and Broward counties to locate buyers, both local and international. Further, she consults with buyers to find the right opportunity, whether an existing business or franchise opportunity. As a Certified Business Intermediary, she is a professional in her domain. Ms. Crawford earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from Florida Atlantic University, then earned her MBA from the University of Florida in 2009. A Florida native, she enjoys spending time with her family and serving the community in various philanthropic activities. 

Ms. Crawford will join the class virtually via Zoom, and therefore the class will be offered online only. 

Students who attend the entire class on April 26 and who successfully complete the online portion of the class will be eligible for continuing education credit from the Georgia Real Estate Commission through the GABB Real Estate School, GREC #8074, Course #74113. All students who complete the entire class online will be eligible for credit toward the Board-Certified Broker designation to be awarded by the Georgia Association of Business Brokers. 

The class costs $49 for current GABB members and $75 for non-members. Anyone who wishes to earn the BCB designation, a special Georgia certification for business brokers, must be a GABB member and register for $225 which includes registration and one class. 

If you have additional questions about the class, the GABB Real Estate School, or anything else related to GABB classes, please contact Diane Loupe at diane.loupe@gabb.org or 404-374-3990. All general questions about the GABB or membership in the GABB should be directed to Courtney Foley at courtney.foley@gabb.org or 770-744-3639.

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Business Valuation: GABB BCB Class Oct 19, 2021

Learn basic approaches to business valuation, including how COVID may have impacted what a business is worth and tax strategies for maximum profits in this three-hour class offered by the Georgia Association of Business Brokers. The class will be held from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021 at the Georgia Association of Realtors classroom and also available online. Registration is now closed.  Students who successfully complete the GABB class will earn credits towards the Board-Certified Broker designation, the first Georgia-specific certification for business brokers. To earn the BCB, business brokers must be members of the GABB and complete 45 hours of coursework. During this extraordinary time in our nation’s economy, the GABB feels that an excellent use of time would be to strengthen the skills professionals need to represent clients fairly, ethically and responsibly. The class (GREC #73547) also offered three hours of continuing education credit towards renewing a Georgia real estate license through the Georgia Real Estate Commission and the GABB’s Real Estate School (GREC #8074). The class will be taught by Jeff Forrestall, CPA, CFF, ABV, PFS, Managing Partner of Forrestall CPAS and Ricky Moore, CPA, PFS, ABV, QKA, MBA, the Manager of Advisory Services at Forrestall CPAs. Both instructors have experience in tax and financial planning and business valuation.  Topics to be covered in this three-hour class include:

• Reconciling Valuation Approaches – Why sellers like the market approach and buyers like the income approach
• COVID Updates: How COVID can affect entity value
• Evaluating and Reducing company-specific risk
• How to increase after-tax proceeds at the exit point
• Ethical issues affecting business valuations

If you want to attend via Zoom, and you have not received an email with information about how to join, contact GABB School Director Diane Loupe at diane.loupe@gabb.org or text her at 404-374-3990 for more information. INSTRUCTORS:

Jeff Forrestall, CPA, CFF, ABV, PFS – Managing Partner of Forrestall CPAs. Jeff graduated from Georgia Southern University in 1994 as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a BBA majoring in accounting. He became a partner at Forrestall CPAs, in January 1997. He became the managing partner in 2003. His experience includes financial, business accounting and taxation, merger and acquisitions, 401(k) auditing and administration, business valuations and forensic accounting investigations. He has consulted and advised hundreds of businesses in dozens of industries. He has been a peer reviewer auditing other auditors for compliance to professional standards. He obtained the status as a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Accounting (DABFA) and is Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), Certified IT Professional (CITP), Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) and Certified as Accredited in Business Valuations (ABV) by the American Institute of CPAs.  He additionally obtained the Associate Professional Member (APM) and the Qualified 401k Administrator (QKA) from the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries.  He has been designated as an expert as a CPA and in business valuations by local courts. In 2002 he was recognized by the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants as one of the top 30 Certified Public Accountants (CPA) under the age of 40 in the State of Georgia as an alumnus of their Leadership Academy. He was awarded the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce “Pinnacle Top 25” for demonstrating extraordinary growth and leadership in businesses and contributions to the community. Additionally, he is an alumnus of the Leadership Gwinnett program, sponsored by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, and an alumnus of the Regional Leadership Institute program from the Atlanta Regional Commission. He is a former member of the Board of Directors and currently serves on the Leadership Council for the Georgia Society of CPAs. He has additionally served as the Chair and the Vice Chair of the Information Technology Section, President of the Gwinnett Chapter for the GSCPA for three terms, a trustee for the Society Insurance trust, a member of the Ethic Committee, member of the MAP section and several task force groups for the Georgia Society of CPA’s.  He is a former peer reviewer for the GSCPA (audited the auditors for quality assurance). He is an active member of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries, American College of Forensic Examiners, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Georgia Society of CPA’s, the American Institute of CPA’s and the Georgia Lenders Quality Center.  He is currently the Secretary and has been a member of the Board of Directors for the north GeorgiaSBA office (CDC), Small Business Access Partners, for more than 13 years. He served abroad in the U.S. Army during the war with Afghanistan in 2001 – 2002, as a decorated Commissioned Infantry Officer.  Jeff lives in Braselton with his three younger sons.  He enjoys teaching scuba diving as a Dive Master, recreational sky diving and traveling in his free time.  Ricky Moore, CPA, PFS, ABV, QKA, MBA is the Manager of Advisory Services at Forrestall CPAs. After joining the firm as a staff accountant in 2016, Ricky quickly transitioned into advisory services focused on providing more access to a wide range of services that focus on future growth and less on past compliance for both individuals and businesses alike. These advisory services include business valuation of closely held companies, business acquisition/exit strategy, tax & financial planning, Employee-Owned Stock Option (ESOP) retirement plan design, risk management, and other unique consulting engagements designed to specifically provide a solution to specific needs in industries such as transportation, dentistry, health care, food processing, veterinary practices, childcare facilities, and real estate. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Ricky was the co-host of the Forrestall CPAs COVID-19 Small Business Update webinar series and led a task force that assisted the business community receive loan forgiveness on more than $35 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. He has also been certified by local court systems and the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a ‘Qualified Source’ for business valuation and was awarded the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) designation by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Ricky also provides retirement planning services to both individuals and businesses and was awarded the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) credential by the AICPA and the Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) by the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA). To give back to the community, Ricky is a current board member of both the Georgia Lenders Quality Circle (GLQC) and the Hamilton Mill Men’s Golf Association. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, April, and two children. In January 2021, Forrestall CPAs announced that Ricky had become a shareholder of the firm.  

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GABB Class: Securing and Managing Listings, Aug. 17

Whether you’re new to the profession of buying and selling businesses, or have limited experience as a business broker, this Aug. 17 GABB class will teach you the best practices to secure and manage listings for businesses for sale.

Securing and Managing Business-for-Sale Listings (GREC#73352)  will also help you when you’re selling someone else’s listing, review marketing strategies, cover ethical issues, help you analyze the financials of businesses for sale, and teach you how to guide a client through meetings with prospective buyers, negotiations, financing and closing.  The class will be taught by GABB’s Vice President Matt Wochele, CBI,  founder of Preferred Business Brokers, Inc. and a Life Member of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers’ Multi- Million Dollar Club.

This class is part of the GABB’s Board-Certified Broker credential program. Students who successfully attend all three hours of the class and pass the test will be eligible for credit through the Georgia Real Estate Commission. The class will be held both in person and online via Zoom, although the instructor is urging students to attend the class in person.

To encourage students to attend the class in person, the GABB will offer attendees several prizes including a one-year membership to the GABB and Starbucks giftcards. Only students who attend the class in person are eligible for these incentives.

The class (GREC #73352) will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the classroom of the Georgia Association of Realtors at 6065 Barfield Rd, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Per GREC rules, students who arrive promptly and stay for the entire class are eligible to earn three hours of continuing education credit through the Georgia Real Estate Commission and the GABB’s Real Estate School, GREC #8074. Students who prefer to attend via Zoom must remain on camera; the link will be sent after you register.

The class fee is $49 for GABB members, $75 for non-members, and $225 to register for the BCB program and one class. Note that the BCB program is only open to GABB members. Contact GABB Executive Director Diane Loupe at diane.loupe@gabb.org or text her at 770-744-3639 for more information.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

After attending Bucknell University and St Joe’s University Matt Wochele started his professional career as a stockbroker in NJ in 1978. In 1981 he was transferred to Atlanta to head up the firm’s investment banking business in their Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Houston offices. After 18 years working with public companies, Mr. Wochele started Preferred Business Brokers, Inc. in 1996. He has sold more than 300 main street and lower middle market businesses in the past 25 years.  Mr. Wochele is a Certified Business Intermediary, a Life Member of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers’ Multi- Million Dollar Club, a GABB Phoenix Award recipient, a member of the International Business Brokers Association and is currently serving as Vice President of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers’ board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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GABB Class: Business Broker Models, July 13

Business brokers will learn how to set up their practice, identify and define their market, identify clients, conduct feasibility studies; recruit, supervise and train staff, and the ethics of different broker models, in this July 13 class presented by the Georgia Association of Business Brokers.

Business Broker Models will be offered both in person and via Zoom on July 13, and is part of the GABB’s Board-Certified Broker credential program. Students who successfully attend all three hours of the class and pass the test will be eligible for credit through the Georgia Real Estate Commission.

The class will be taught by former GABB president Michael Ramatowski, CBI, chief executive of RamBizGroup Business Solutions, a specialty M&A business brokerage firm. Mr. Ramatowski’s business brokerage profession began in 1992. 

Mr. Ramatoswki’s clients include general brokerage and candidates for merger by acquisition from manufacturing, distribution, and service businesses. A longtime member of the GABB, he has owned and managed businesses that included a real estate master franchise, a property management networking company, and a service business. As COO of a banking conglomerate, he managed brokerage operations, title companies, home and service warranty programs, and a relocation company. Mr. Ramatowski has served on the board of directors of eleven different organizations with diverse specialties including real estate brokerage, mortgage companies, title insurance, banking, health care, and office supply operations. He served as an Electronic Specialist in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service. He attended Cleveland State University and Baldwin Wallace College. He has been awarded the Certified Business Intermediary professional designation by the International Business Brokers Association.

The class (GREC #73239) will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the classroom of the Georgia Association of Realtors at 6065 Barfield Rd, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Per GREC rules, students who arrive promptly and stay for the entire class are eligible to earn three hours of continuing education credit through the Georgia Real Estate Commission and the GABB’s Real Estate School, GREC #8074. Students who prefer to attend via Zoom must remain on camera; the link will be sent after you register.

The class will cover the sole proprietorship and enterprise business models of business brokering; market analysis; defining business buyer and seller clients; defining business types; and defining the overall market. Students will learn how to conduct a feasibility students of the financial health of a prospective business to be sold, including examining the income statement, as well as identifying areas where the prospective business could build wealth. In the final hour of the class, Mr. Rawatoswki will teach students how to conduct a feasibility study of the financial health of a prospective business to be sold, including examining the income statement, as well as identifying areas where the prospective business could build wealth.

The class fee is $49 for GABB members, $75 for non-members, and $225 to register for the BCB program and one class. Note that the BCB program is only open to GABB members. Contact GABB Executive Director Diane Loupe at diane.loupe@gabb.org or text her at 770-744-3639 for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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