GABB Spring Conference 2025

Earn the credits you need to renew your real estate license and learn about Business Broker Marketing and Business Valuations at our Spring Conference on May 22, 2025!

8:30 am – 9:00 am – Networking, with light breakfast

9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Morning Session: Marketing for Business Brokers (3 CE Hours GREC and GABB)
Learn how to identify your market, find clients, and market businesses for sale. This class will be taught by Jeffery Merry, MBA, J.D., and founder of the BUSINESS HOUSE inc. Topics to be covered in this three-hour class include:

• Horizontal business brokering: the advantages and disadvantages of working with all kinds of businesses
• Vertical business brokering: the advantages and disadvantages of specializing in one or two industries
• Basic marketing methods
• Working effectively and ethically with other brokers, business buyers, and sellers

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – Box lunch

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Afternoon Session: Business Valuations (3 CE Hours GREC and GABB)
Learn basic approaches to business valuation, including tax strategies for maximum profits in this three-hour class offered by the Georgia Association of Business Brokers. The class will be taught by Ricky Moore, CPA, PFS, ABV, QKA, MBA, the Managing Partner at EXEQadvisor. 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
• Evaluating and Reducing company-specific risk
• How to increase after-tax proceeds at the exit point
• Ethical issues affecting business valuations

Participants have the option of joining us for both courses (6 total CE credits), or one course (3 CE credits). Lunch will be provided.

Cost:

Early-Bird Pricing: Register by April 30 to receive these prices
Early-Bird Member Full-Day: $99
Early-Bird Non-Member Full-Day: $250
Early-Bird Member Half-Day: $69
Early-Bird Non-Member Half-Day: $160

On May 1, prices increase to the following:

Member Full-Day: $149
Non-Member Full-Day: $300
Member Half-Day: $119
Non-Member Half-Day: $210

INSTRUCTORS:
Jeffery Merry, MBA, J.D., owner and founder of the BUSINESS HOUSE, inc. of Gainesville. After employment by a Fortune 100 company, Mr. Merry, began the BUSINESSHOUSE, inc. Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the BUSINESS HOUSE, inc. has become one of the most successful business brokerage firms in the Southeast. As a Business Intermediary, Jeff has been involved in over 200 mergers and acquisitions that have ranged in acquisition price from $60,000.00 to over $15,000,000.00. Jeffery specializes in serving the manufacturing, distribution, veterinary, service, and medical industries. He is a lifetime member of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers’ (GABB) prestigious Multi-Million Dollar Club, and was the first Georgia broker in the GABB to receive the Phoenix award for being in the Multi-Million Dollar Club for 10 consecutive years. Jeffery has been a member of GABB for 20+ years and has held the Presidency and Board of Directors positions many years. Jeff holds a Bachelors Degree from Mercer University, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Illinois, and a Juris Doctorate from Atlanta Law School. Jeffery is also a licensed real estate broker in Georgia and Florida. Further, he is an Adjunct Professor of strategic management, accounting, and finance in MBA programs.

Ricky Moore, CPA/ABV/PFS and Managing Partner of EXEQadvisor. Ricky is all about taking CPA services to the next level with communication and expertise. Equipped with custom tax strategies and a communication style that is easy to understand, he re-defines what you expect a CPA should deliver. Ricky offers advisory services focused on future growth. 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 theHamilton Mill Men’s Golf Association.

April 2025 General Meeting

Join us for our April General Meeting!

When: Tuesday, April 22nd, 10am-12pm
Where: Georgia Association of Realtors, 6065 Barfield Road NE,
Sandy Springs, GA 30328

No registration required.

10:00-10:10am – Networking, with light breakfast sponsored by Michael Cohen with Bering Insurance Partners

10:10-11:30 – Meeting followed by a presentation on Stock vs Asset sales by Levinson & Stidham, LLC

11:30-12:00 – Q&A & Networking

Understanding Asset vs. Stock Sales: Legal Implications for Brokers and Clients

We’ll discuss the legal and tax differences between asset and stock sales and how they affect deal structure.

Meet Our Speaker:

Ben Stidham and Steve Levinson are the brilliant minds behind Levinson & Stidham Law Firm.

As a law firm, they have served as a neutral closing agent on over 100 asset purchase sales. Their firm also has extensive experience and full resources for real estate, tax and other complex transaction structures.

Mr. Stidham is Licensed in GA, FL, LL.M in Taxation. He is Licensed to practice in GA and FL. Licensed to practice before the US Tax Court and Georgia Court of Appeals.

Personal areas of specialization: Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Counsel, Registrations & Compliance, Corporate Planning, Dispute Resolution, Real Estate, Trust, Estate & Tax Planning, Fiduciary Administration    

Thank you to our sponsor: Jeff Katz and Brian King with Live Oak Bank

February 2025 General Meeting

Join us for our February General Meeting!

When: Tuesday, February 18th, 10am-12pm
Where: Georgia Association of Realtors, 6065 Barfield Road NE,
Sandy Springs, GA 30328

No registration required.

10:00-10:10am – Networking, with light breakfast sponsored by Michael Cohen with Bering Insurance Partners

10:10-11:30 – Meeting followed by a presentation on HR Risks when Selling a Business

11:30-12:00 – Q&A & Networking

Learn some of the common risks and liability landmines found in employment practices and regulations. In 2023, the Wage and Hour division of the Department of Labor collected over 270 million dollars from employers in back pay and penalties! EEOC recovered over 655 million dollars from employers!

Tim will address how to “look under the hood” of any business you’re trying to sell. What questions should you ask? Learn the tools and methods available to you.

Meet Our Speaker: Tim Ashmore is a distinguished Business Leader and seasoned Human Resources Professional, is recognized for delivering transformative value that elevates organizational success. With a proven track record, Tim’s extensive experience and strategic acumen consistently enhance leadership teams in Human Resources and Organizational Management. Throughout an illustrious career, Tim has held pivotal leadership roles at Division, Regional, and Corporate levels. A commitment to sound decision-making, grounded in robust business case reasoning, has been the hallmark of Tim’s success in consistently achieving organizational goals. Navigating diverse organizational cultures, from mid-sized international firms to Fortune 500 corporations, Tim brings unparalleled expertise in union and non-union environments. This wealth of experience spans manufacturing, distribution, and corporate operations, supporting multi-facility and multi-state operations.

Thank you to our sponsor: Michael Cohen with Bering Insurance Partners

GABB New Business Broker Training 2025

Join us January 15-16, 2025, for our New Business Broker Training!

Marty Rueter, expert business broker and former GABB Board Member, will be hosting a two-day Introduction to Business Brokerage training for new (or seasoned) business brokers. In this course, expect to learn:

• Essentials of Business Brokerage
• How to valuate and price different kinds of small businesses
• More effective ways to list, promote, and sell small business opportunities
• How to navigate the “due diligence,” financing, legal, and other business processes in order to have a successful closing

This two-day event will qualify for 10 credit hours with GREC. Unlike our Spring and Fall Conferences, these hours will NOT count towards a BCBB (Board-Certified Business Broker) certification.

Course Outline

January 15
9am – Small Business Overview and GA State Licensing
10am – Types of Business Entities, Taxes, Setting up LLCs, Zoning Laws, Government Regulations
11am – Lunch Break
11:30am – Franchising
12:30pm – Intro to Business Accounting
1:30pm – Income Statements and Balance Sheets
Day ends at 4pm

January 16
9am – Case Studies – reviewing and analyzing income statements
10am – Quantitative vs Qualitative Analysis, Financial Ratios
11am – Lunch Break
11:30am – Pricing & Selling a Business, Business Valuation Methods, Asset Allocation
12:30pm – Working with Business Sellers
1:30pm – Working with Business Buyers
Day ends at 4pm

Registration is open through January 7, 2025.

Cost for GABB Members: $199
Cost for Non-GABB Members: $295

Price increases to $299 for all registrants on January 1, 2025. 

Refund Policy: Cancellations made by January 1 will receive a full registration fee refund, less a $20 processing fee. Cancellations made after January 1 will not receive a refund.

This conference will be held at:
Metro Brokers Academy
5775-D Glenridge Rd, 1st Floor, Classroom E
Atlanta, GA 30328

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED