For more than three decades, the principals of Southern Mergers & Acquisitions positioned themselves as the preeminent business brokerage serving the greater Southeastern United States.
Southern Mergers' team continued to grow and expand throughout the Southeast, incorporating business sales in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Mississippi, Florida and Georgia, and other states.
We continue to specialize in the sale of manufacturing, distribution and service related businesses. The majority of our transactions fall within the $1 Million to $25 Million range, however, we broker all types of businesses priced both above and below these amounts.
We are members of the IBBA (International Business Brokers Association) and the Sunbelt Business Brokers Network, the largest mergers and acquisitions network in the world. Southern Mergers' managing partner, Bill Law, obtained the IBBA professional designation of Certified Business Intermediary in 1997. He has been a licensed real estate broker and broker in charge for over two decades.
Prior to becoming a full time Charlotte business broker in 1992, Mr. Law was an accountant and auditor. His wealth of knowledge in understanding tax issues, extraordinary people skills and general knack for deal creativity have helped hundreds of business owners transfer their business to purchasers while saving them millions of dollars in taxes.
We have sold just about every kind of business imaginable. Provided the company is not a start up entity, we assist all types of business owners in the sale process. Our vast experience includes our smallest transaction involving the resale of a franchise business to a first time buyer and our largest transaction, a $50,000,000 manufacturing company to a private equity group. However, many of our business transactions are industrial related involving sales to corporate buyers that are often strategic in nature. We encourage you to view some of the transactions our staff has been involved with over the years.
Many of the businesses we have sold have never officially been on the market or seen on the internet, and occasionally, business owners have instructed Southern Mergers only to bring them specifically qualified buyers.
We understand selling or buying a business is often the largest financial decision many of our clients will ever make in their lifetime. Choosing an experienced intermediary is an extremely important step. Southern Mergers understands completely that the only deals that get done are those where both parties feel equitably compensated and those which culminate in a win-win situation.
All parties must feel they were treated fairly, ethically and professionally. Obviously, a Seller wants to obtain maximum value for his company. Southern Mergers helps business owners obtain full value for their business and structure the deal with the most favorable tax friendly terms.
Southern Mergers begins this process by recasting the business owner's statements and determining true cash flow or adjusted earnings. We then assist the business owner in determining a fair market value, marketing the business confidentially and professionally, and carefully screening buyers in order to ultimately bring forth the right buyer for the business. Usually, the owner of a business is interested in procuring a buyer who will not only pay a fair price, but will also take good care of his/her employees and continue to carry on the business in good standing. For a successful sale to occur, the buyer and seller must personally like and trust one another. Southern Mergers fully understands this and we strive to provide optimal service to both sellers and buyers while transacting each sale.
P (704) 644-1141
C (704) 904-6624
bill@sunbeltbrokers.biz
North Carolina - Broker #120456
South Carolina - Broker #17155
Florida - Broker #BK3208197
Bill Law is a Certified Business Intermediary and a 1983 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a B.S. in Accounting.
During his accounting career, Bill worked for various manufacturing companies and financial institutions as an internal auditor, investment accountant, banking supervisor, real estate development controller and financial analyst. In 1992, he founded Sunbelt Business Brokers Charlotte business brokerage office and has been Sunbelt's longest standing franchisee.
Bill is the managing partner of Southern Mergers & Acquisitions, Inc. Since joining the IBBA in 1996, he has served as a speaker / instructor at a number of the IBBA national training conferences.
Mr. Law focuses on mid-market transactions in various industries, but specializes in the sale of manufacturing businesses to corporate entities and financial buyers. Some of his transactions have exceeded $20 Million in sales price with some involving multiple sales of companies to buyers in a particular industry.
Bill spends much of his time working with manufacturing clients and buyers throughout the Southeast. He has extensive experience in working with CNC Machining, Metal Fabrication and Equipment Manufacturing related companies
C(704) 530-5313
<<contact via email>>
Florida Sales Associate License #SL3537712
NC real estate license
#342662
Hunter graduated from the University of Mississippi “Ole Miss” with a degree in finance. He is following his father’s footsteps with a career in business brokerage. Hunter has real estate licenses in Florida and North Carolina with South Carolina soon to be added. He is active in selling businesses Florida and the Carolinas.
Some transactions he has sold include CNC Machining, Metal Fabrication, Stone Fabrication, Plastic Injection Molding and is currently involved in a number of service related businesses. Hunter is a huge soccer fan with Arsenal being his favorite team. Other interests include football, hockey, tennis, golf, boating and traveling.
P (704) 644-1149
C (504) 250-9484
<<contact via email>>
NC RE License #253014
Prior to joining Sunbelt Business Brokers in the mid 90’s, Bob was the owner of a $10 Million/yr manufacturer and distributor of children’s jewelry. Bob also owned his own Sunbelt Business Brokers office until hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf region. Bob spends much of his time selling small family owned businesses as well as larger mergers and acquisitions. He has attended a multitude of courses taught by the International Business Brokers Association. Bob is a Certified Charlotte Business Broker (CBB) and has Real Estate Licenses in various states including North Carolina.
Buddy is a native of Gaston County in North Carolina and has a background in real estate investments and the building contractor industry. Buddy received his undergraduate degree from Belmont Abbey College and his Master’s Degree from UNC-Charlotte and his Ed. D. from Appalachian State University. He finished his 31 year career in education in 2001 when he retired as the Principal of Mooresville High School. He is also a graduate of the Principal’s Executive Program at UNC-Chapel Hill and is a past president of the Mooresville-Lake Norman Rotary Club. Buddy specializes in HVAC companies for the past 16 years. He is a member of IBBA and NEA.
William C. Steffens has been in business brokerage since 1996. Bill was a licensed Real Estate Agent for the state of Tennessee. He has won several awards from VR Corporate and has been top listing agent 12 times and top selling agent 5 times. He has owned several businesses in the service industries as well as construction and insurance. He was educated in the northeast and attended college at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, University of Memphis. Bill has specialized in sales of Convenience Stores, Wine & Liquor Stores, Restaurants and Bars, Funeral Homes and many others. He resides in the Lake Norman area.
C (704) 995-1912
F (704) 348-7072
<<contact via email>>
NC RE License #330343
Al graduated from Trinity College in 1978 and received his MBA from NYU Business School in 1982. He passed the CPA exam in 1982 and spent many years with Salomon Brothers, Lehman Brothers and Bank of America in various roles in sales, trading and capital markets. Al has owned a small business since 2010 but has also been an investor in several other small businesses, mainly in retail and food services. However Al does focus heavily on industrial and manufacturing related companies.
Tony Pearl is an award winning professional from the telecommunications industry
who brings over 20 years sales and marketing experience to Sunbelt Business Brokers.
After working 16 years in senior level sales positions for various telecom firms,
in 2015 Tony became founder and President of Ambassador Business Solutions, Inc.
Ambassador Business Solutions, Inc is a business consultancy which provides expense management by brokering
technology solutions for small, mid and enterprise level businesses.
Today ABS boasts a technology vendor list with over 300 suppliers including brand names
such as IBM, Windstream, Spectrum and Avaya Business.
George Yezbak brings experience from the construction services industry representing distributors and their manufacturers and manufacturer representative agencies in the construction supply chain. Since 2014 he has been a Managing Partner at Yezbak Consulting serving as a strategic partner on projects including, corporate boards, review and assessment of growth strategy, subject matter efficiency audits, wealth accumulation and advice on marketing and operations. In addition, Yezbak has been an associate with NH Yates Inc. In that role he identifies potential business, employee, and market conditions, by analyzing market strategies, deal requirements, potential, and financials; evaluating options; resolving internal priorities; and recommending strategic opportunities.
He joined Sunbelt Business Brokers in late 2019 to enhance his offering to the various owners he works with as they prepare to retire or are preparing to move on to their next business venture. Yezbak will ensure you receive fair value for the challenging work you have poured into your business. In 2015 Yezbak graduated from Appalachian State University with an MBA in Supply Chain and an MA in Adult Education. Yezbak serves as a board member at N. H. Yates Inc., and the LVHALS Foundation. Yezbak enjoys spending time with his wife Sandi, their Siberian Husky, “Eli” and his hobbies include spending time with family, fishing, golf, and other outdoor activities.
C (904) 509-1910
<<email Jackie>>
FL RE License
#SL3559187
North Carolina RE License
#LC877
Jackie is a Florida native who has owned and worked in small businesses during most of her career. Her family owned a large tow truck company in Jacksonville with 50 employees.
She managed the administration side of their business and eventually progressed into sales which were to other small business owners. Some other experience included being involved in their salvage yard, auto retail shop and various towing equipment sales.
Jackie more recently assisted her husband with his residential construction company. She worked closely with numerous sub-contractors, suppliers, worked with customers and handled most of the construction administration duties. Jackie procured her Florida real estate license in 2022 and is now focused on confidentially selling privately held businesses in Florida and other parts of the Southeast.
Some of Jackie’s business transactions include trucking, logistics and granite fabrication.”
Michael graduated from the College of Charleston’s School of Business. Since graduation, he has spent much of his time in the manufacturing sector with companies like Air Liquide. Michael later became involved in business brokerage in the Charlotte and Winston Salem markets.
He joined Sunbelt Business Brokers in Austin, TX and served as the manager. More recently Michael returned to the Charlotte area and joined the Sunbelt Charlotte office in 2023. He has experience in industrial gases, chemical producers, food processors, pharmaceutical, electronic and steel producers.