Mims, Wochele to lead Georgia Business Brokers in 2022
Judy Mims, Qualifying Broker for Childcare Properties, will be the 2022 President of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers, the state’s only professional organization dedicated to buying and selling businesses and franchises. Matt Wochele, founder of Preferred Business Brokers, Inc., will be the GABB’s Vice President.
Other officers of the GABB include Treasurer Jon Roman, CCIM, CEPA Transworld Business Advisors and Secretary Pam Walker, Senior Business Consultant with RamBizGroup, LLC. Members of the 2022 GABB Board of Directors will be Greg DeFoor, founder of DeFoor Business Services, Inc.; Jeffery Merry, founder of the BUSINESS HOUSE, inc.; GABB Affiliate representative Kim Eells, Senior Vice President, SBA Business Development at Georgia Primary Bank; and GABB Past President Dean Burnette, the founder of Best Business Brokers (B3) in Savannah.
“The Georgia Association of Business Brokers is dedicated to improving the professionalism of our members through education, through the Board Certified Broker program, and through our Code of Ethics,” explains GABB President Judy Mims. “Our members have the opportunity to network with others in this field and in supporting professions, which ensures smoother transactions.”
GABB broker members have represented thousands of business sellers and buyers, and the group has a dedicated membership of lenders, attorneys and other professionals to assist business buyers and sellers at every step of the process.
The GABB’s website lists hundreds of businesses and franchises for sale throughout Georgia in a variety of fields, including automotive, business services, child care, cleaning, construction, electronics equipment, fitness, flooring, floral, food, gas stations, landscaping, manufacturing, medical, shipping, restaurants, retail, security, signs, and businesses related to the internet.
Find a professional business broker today at https://gabb.org/gabb-business-brokers/.
JUDY MIMS formed Childcare Properties in 2014 to provide the highest levels of integrity, experience and service for the childcare industry in the greater Atlanta metro area. Childcare Properties, LLC focuses exclusively on the sale of childcare facilities, preschools, Montessori and private schools. She is an active member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors (ACBR), the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the Georgia Child Care Association (GCCA), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA). She is a member of the Atlanta Commercial Board Million Dollar Club with more than $5 million in sales in 2016 and 2018; a member of the GABB’s Multi-Million Dollar Club in 2017, 2018, and 2019; and GABB’s Top Producer in 2019. Prior to her career in commercial real estate, Judy worked as an independent publisher’s representative, selling advertising space in various trade magazines. Judy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Scripps College, Claremont, CA. She is married to Hugh Mims, lives in Brookhaven, and has three grown children and seven grandchildren.
MATT WOCHELE, CBI founded Preferred Business Brokers, Inc. in 1996 after a successful 17-year career in the investment banking industry. He is a Life Member of the GABB’s Million Dollar Club, Vice President of the GABB board, a GABB Phoenix Award recipient and a member of IBBA. As President and Managing Broker of Preferred Business Brokers, Inc., he has had the opportunity to be personally involved in hundreds of private business sales. The combined personal experience in the public sector with the private business sales has positioned the company to handle both the smaller main street business deals and the larger middle-market business acquisitions. Matt and his wife, Kathy, a professional artist, have five daughters and live in Sandy Springs.
JON ROMAN CCIM, CEPA, CM&AP is the owner of Transworld Business Advisors of Atlanta North, an award-winning group of five seasoned agents, an office manager and marketing staff. Mr. Roman is a former banker with experience in a variety of transactions. For nearly 18 years, prior to Transworld, he had helped entrepreneurs to obtain funding for acquiring and/or growing businesses. He also founded, acquired, operated, and sold his own businesses for more than 25 years. Since 2015, his agency has sold more than 150 businesses and has won many awards throughout the industry. Jon is a multi-million-dollar lifetime member of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers (GABB) and is currently serving as a treasurer for GABB. Among other qualifications, Jon is a CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member), a member of The Exit Planning Institute and a Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Professional. Jon lives in the city of Lawrenceville, with his family: his wife, Laura, his two children 16-year-old Ryan and 13-year-old Emma, their German Shepherd, Maximus, and toy poodle Sophie.
PAM WALKER, Senior Business Consultant with RamBizGroup, LLC, has an affinity for sales transactions that produce a mutually beneficial outcome. Her training in Information Technology involved working in software development, project management, system support, and analysis. There, she developed solid technical and business skills that are useful as a Business Broker. She grew up in Atlanta and went to Mercer University of Atlanta and DeKalb Technical College. She has a solid track record of successful business sales across multiple industries and enjoys bringing value to the partnership with her clients on both the sell and buy side. Pam believes a good deal is when both sides win.
GREG DeFOOR is a business broker, CPA, and Certified Fraud Examiner. He became a business broker in 2002 after working in public accounting followed by private industry experience as an accounting and financial executive in the healthcare and retail automotive industries. While in private industry, he was engaged in business transactions and decided to use that knowledge and experience to start his own firm. He has a unique blend of accounting, tax, corporate finance, business advisory and transaction experience to use for the benefit of his clients. He has an active Georgia real estate broker’s license. His firm, DeFoor Business Services, Inc., specializes in the sale of small and middle-market privately owned businesses in a diverse mix of industrial classifications. Mr. DeFoor is a past President and current board member of the GABB. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a concentration in accounting from Auburn University. He resides in Cobb County.
JEFFERY MERRY, Sr., M.B.A. J.D., past president of the GABB, has been the GABB’s top producer many times and has been 
a part of the Million Dollar Club since its inception in 1999. He is a GABB board member and will continue to be on the GABB board in 2022. Mr. Merry, owner and founder of the BUSINESS HOUSE, inc., is also a member of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) and the Business Brokers of Florida Association. For more than three decades, his firm has specialized in serving the manufacturing, distribution, technology, service, veterinary and medical industries. As a business intermediary, Certified Exit Planner, and consultant, Mr. Merry has been involved in mergers and acquisitions that have ranged in acquisition price from $60,000 to more than $15 million. He is a member of the Advisory Board at the University of North Georgia and is a past adjunct instructor for their MBA program. Mr. Merry holds a bachelor’s degree from Mercer University in Macon, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois Edwardsville, and a Juris Doctor degree from Atlanta Law School. Mr. Merry is a licensed Real Estate Agent in several southeastern states, a Senior Business Analyst, and a member of the Exit Planning Institute. Mr. Merry and his wife, Mary, reside in Suwanee. He has five children and five grandchildren and enjoys traveling, reading, and riding his motorcycle.
KIM EELLS is Senior Vice President and Small Business Administration (SBA) Business Development Officer for Georgia Primary Bank. Kim has 25+ years of SBA lending experience and enjoys helping borrowers achieve their dreams of acquiring, opening and growing their businesses with the assistance of SBA and USDA guaranteed loans. She joined Georgia Primary Bank in August 2019 and has more than 20 years of banking experience. Kim’s responsibilities include establishing relationships with SBA borrowers and managing their loan process from beginning to closing. Asked what she enjoys about her job at Georgia Primary Bank she answered, “I love helping small business owners start, buy or improve their businesses. The backbone of this awesome country is made from small businesses.” Kim is active in Georgia Lenders Quality Circle (Board Member), Georgia Association of Business Brokers (Affiliate Board Member) and the Southern Heartland Art Guild. Outside of the office she enjoys spending time with her family, watching football (college and professional), working in her garden and putting up the vegetables that she grows, and painting.
DEAN BURNETTE is the founder of Best Business Brokers (B3) in Savannah. More than three decades of business ownership 
and management experience in various industries have given Mr. Burnette a wide range of experience and business knowledge. These experiences contribute to his abilities to help identify and qualify appropriate buyers, put together sales prospectuses, negotiate terms of a sale, and recognize the importance of confidentiality in these types of business transactions. He has been a member of the GABB Multi-Million Dollar Club many times. Mr. Burnette, a past president of GABB, is excited about the many opportunities that the current economic conditions and recent economic events have created in Georgia. He is a sponsor of the Georgia Logistics Summit; a past president of the Savannah Small Business Chamber; and a member of the Savannah Traffic Club, Savannah Real Estate Commercial Alliance, GAR, and NAR. Mr. Burnette also serves on the Education Advisory Committee for the Georgia Real Estate Commission and on the Board of Directors for Maritime Bethel Savannah. He is married and has two children and four terrific grandchildren.