Tulsa, Oklahoma — When CBI engages with a client, it’s not simply a business transaction. To our team, it’s the opportunity to establish a partnership to help bring value to an organization as they look to grow, expand or sell.

Recently, we were able to capitalize on such a partnership when past client, Devin Wanzor from Lektron Branding Solutions, turned to his trusted CBI Tulsa team. In building his business, he decided that he needed to release his apparel printing division to provide more strategic focus to his main product offering. And with the year-end quickly coming to a close, he had an accelerated timeline that demanded a more direct, pick-up-the-phone approach to connect with buyers. CBI Tulsa did just that.

“Leveraging our network of professional apparel printers in the area, we were able to reach out to Cole Cunningham at Mythic Press,” explained CBI Intermediary Cullen Koger. “Growing exponentially year-after-year, he saw this as an opportunity to increase his book of business even further, while also gaining new equipment to meet his production needs.”

CBI was able to broker the deal within a few weeks, so both the seller and the buyer could start the new year fresh and full of enthusiasm.

“Opportunities like this highlight the importance of why we put our clients first and never consider our partnerships with them as one and done,” explained Tulsa CBI Owner Roy Still.

Poteau, Oklahoma — Meet Dr. Phil Chitwood. He started his veterinary practice in Poteau nearly five decades ago and grew his reputation for taking excellent care of small animals, especially bulldogs.

His practice soon developed into a full veterinary hospital, including emergency and extended care and became known to Eastern Oklahomans as the premier veterinary care destination.

At the end of 2018 after nearly 50 years in business, Dr. Chitwood knew it was time to sell Poteau Valley Veterinary Hospital (PVVH) to a veterinarian whose career was in front of them. He turned to CBI’s Fort Smith/River Valley team to ensure his business legacy would continue to thrive. Mark Kincannon and his team went to work to guide the sale of his life’s work.

Dr. Kristy Tackett, a practicing Oklahoma veterinarian, had aspired to own her own practice one day.  She obtained her veterinary degree from Oklahoma State in 2012 and has since been working as a small animal veterinarian at Oklahoma’s Enid Pet Hospital.  Dr. Tackett grew up in Seiling where her family farms and raises cattle. An OSU alum, she received her bachelor’s degree in 2008 with a major in Animal Science.

“I had always intended to be a large animal veterinarian, but by chance, have fallen in love with the small ones,” Dr. Tackett explained in a prepared letter to new clients. “I enjoy internal medicine, wound care and soft tissue surgery.”

Her husband Kody grew up in Bokoshe. There were lots of trips to the region to visit family and friends which afforded her an opportunity to meet Dr. Chitwood.

News of his retirement created the opportunity for she, her husband, two daughters and two furry family members (two dogs – a chocolate Labrador and a three-legged Pomeranian) to make their goal of life in Eastern Oklahoma and ownership of her own practice a reality.

“We wanted to live and work in a place we could raise our family,” she said.

She felt the time was right to take steps toward owning PVVH. Dr Chitwood agreed, and CBI Team Fort Smith-River Valley intermediary Chad Dickinson became a crucial part of this transaction as he communicated with seller, buyer, attorneys, and accountants to execute the sale.

Dr. Tackett looks forward to continuing to provide excellent service for those across LeFlore County, OK, and will be working with Dr. Chitwood as they transition ownership of the business. If you find yourself in LeFlore County and in need of veterinary care, be sure to contact PVVH. Tell them CBI Team sent you!

Seller Terry Timmons (left) operated and managed CPR on a daily basis for many years  providing trusted service for mobile technology repairs to customers. He decided the time was right to explore other interests and turned to the CBI Team to guide the sale that included CPR NWA’s three locations in Fayetteville, Springdale & Rogers. In addition to the acquisition of the three store locations, the sale also included a Master Franchise License which included Arkansas territory that encompasses Fort Smith and Little Rock regions. CBI’s John Green knew that successful business owners are ones who have a passion for the business and experience in the industry. He was excited to connect Chad Staudt to the opportunity to buy CPR from Terry. CPR moved quickly – within six months – and the sale has allowed Terry the ability to focus his energies on his next business, Blackbird Coffee Roasters. Be sure and stop by one of the NWA CPR locations to welcome Chad and check out Blackbird Coffee Roasters to learn more about Terry’s premium, small batch, coffee roasting company.

Jim Hunter built a vibrant business in Northwest Arkansas with his Arkansas Collision Center and had the right tools and equipment – heated paint rooms, computer-assisted alignment systems – and a fully-trained staff to appeal to the next owner.

Arkansas Collision Center has been offering quality service to Northwest Arkansas for more than 20 years. Jim made the decision to retire after consistently growing the business these past several years. When it was time to sell, he turned to trusted professionals at CBI Team to walk side-by-side and lead the sales process.

With well-trained team members in place, Lindsey Smart was drawn to the business in vibrant Northwest Arkansas and plans to continue to grow the brand, introduce its offering to new drivers and serve Arkansas Collision’s existing loyal customers.

Whether it was prescription needs, pharmacy expertise, gift selections or a sweet treat from the old-fashioned soda fountain, Kelley Drug & Selections remains the place to experience the best of Desha County. Kelley Drug & Selections, owned and operated by James and Karen Kelley, was purchased by Jay Gulley. Jay is a pharmacist and owner of The Transplant Pharmacy in nearby Jackson, Mississippi. Gulley said he was drawn to the McGehee opportunity as it allowed him to diversify his pharmacy businesses by including a general pharmacy in his business portfolio. “I love independent pharmacy and trying to provide a level of care not found at any other pharmacy. This purchase allows me to expand the reach of pharmaceutical care that I can currently provide, and it also affords me the opportunity to continue the legacy that the Kelley family started of providing excellent care to the wonderful people of McGehee,” Jay Gulley said of the acquisition.  

While national reports show rural counties are shrinking, CBI knew the importance of anchor businesses like Kelley Drug to small communities as it was the only pharmacy in the town. CBI overcame what some might describe as a challenging market by creating a unique value proposition and actively leveraging its vast buyer network and online seller channels.  

“The sale of our drugstore to Jay Gulley is the ending to our American dream. As a young couple, our dream was to own and run our own drugstore.  We have enjoyed the journey, as well as, worked hard to make our dream successful. Now, we will be able to retire and enjoy our family and travel a bit,” explained James Kelley. “We appreciate Shep Campbell and CBI for their help in finding a good fit in a buyer. CBI was instrumental in searching and finding the perfect buyer for us. Jay has the same values and goals as we have had and that means a lot to us. It is very important to the town to continue to be a place that the community can depend on,” Kelley added.

After creating and operating River City Bistro for nearly a decade, owners Susan Tucker and her son Jason Haid decided it was time to hand off the restaurant they had nurtured from its birth. But not just any new owner could care for and maintain this New York-style restaurant that had won multiple “Best of the Best” awards year after year, much in part due to the menu created and executed by head chef, Jason Haid. After exploring their options, they chose CBI Team Fort Smith-River Valley to mediate the sale.

Enter Bruce and Michelle Spinas, local restaurant owners with a combined forty years of experience, and frequent patrons of River City Bistro. Between their proven restaurant success and their love for the deli-style food at River City Bistro, the decision to make an offer was a no-brainer.

Susan and Jason were delighted that Bruce and Michelle were interested in buying the business they had worked so hard to build over the years, and they trusted CBI Team Fort Smith-River Valley business intermediary Isaac Davis to help with the difficult process of transitioning. While they were delighted that someone wanted their business the idea of letting it go was extremely difficult. Ultimately they decided this was an opportunity they couldn’t afford to pass up.

Davis walked through the emotional selling process with the Tuckers from their first meeting to the last signature at closing and helped both the sellers and buyers navigate the intricate details of a business transition.

Perry Roofing is a highly respected and well-known roofing service company that has developed an excellent reputation for quality work and honesty. They have been serving the Northwest Arkansas area for over 11 years, offering a variety of residential and commercial roofing services.

Cloyed is ready to step in as the new owner and begin providing quality services for homeowners. Additionally, Collins and his wife are excited to transition into retirement and enjoy their financial security after the sale of their business.

The CBI TEAM of Northwest Arkansas has been confidentially helping people buy and sell businesses since 1994. Jon Holbert, Managing Partner, served as advisor throughout the process. Cloyed, the buyer, was secured and vetted by CBI TEAM’s Senior Business Intermediary John Green.

The CBI TEAM has four locations: Northwest Arkansas, Central Arkansas, Fort Smith-River Valley, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
For more information on buying or selling a business, contact the CBI TEAM at confidential@cbiteam.com or (479) 770-8989.

Ward DDS owner, Tim Ward, retained the services of CBI TEAM to serve as advisors, identify numerous prospective buyers and negotiate the sale.

The new owner is Dr. Kerry Carlson, according to CBI Chairman Carl Grimes and Northwest Arkansas Managing Partner Jon Holbert. Senior Intermediary Casey Grimes was the listing and selling professional on this deal.

Grimes said, “We’re pleased and honored to have served as Confidential Business Intermediaries to Mr. Ward on the sale of his dental practices.”

Dr. Carlson was the third buyer on the business to fill out an LOI and undergo Due Diligence. While the details of the sale were finalized, he began working for Dr. Ward, which allowed for a smooth transition of ownership.

With over 30 years of dental experience, Dr. Ward’s dental clinic provides a complete range of dental health services including general dentistry, cosmetic dental services, and invisalign. He will continue to to work in orthodontics as Dr. Carlson transitions into the dental practices.

“It took us a while to find the right buyer,” said Ward, “but we feel like we found them in Dr. Carlson.”

The CBI TEAM has assisted in over twenty dental practice sales, and they utilized their Loans for Business Program and BORSA (Business Owner’s Retirement Savings Account) to secure the Ward DDS acquisition. 

CBI TEAM was founded in 1994 to confidentially help people sell and buy businesses to secure their financial future. They currently have four locations- Northwest Arkansas, Central Arkansas, Fort Smith/River Valley, Arkansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

For more information email confidential@cbiteam.com or call 479-770-8989.

Confidential Business Intermediaries/The CBI TEAM of Northwest Arkansas served as Advisor on the sale of Marketplace Grill (www.marketplacegrill.com) to Clean Plate Restaurants (www.cleanplaterestaurants.com) of Galveston, Texas according to CBI TEAM Chairman Carl E. Grimes and Northwest Arkansas Managing Partner Jon Holbert.

Marketplace Grill owner Dave Godwin retained the services of CBI earlier in 2018 and utilizing the proprietary CAP (www.confidentialauction.com) identified numerous prospective buyers and negotiated the sale to Clean Plate.

Marketplace has two locations, Springdale and Conway, Arkansas and is a recognized leader in casual dining with systems and operations that are industry trend setters.

Grimes said, “We’re pleased and honored to have served as Confidential Business Intermediaries to Mr. Godwin and his family on the sale of Marketplace Grill.”

CBI TEAM (www.cbiteam.com) was founded in 1994 to confidentially help people sell and buy businesses to secure their financial future according to Mr. Holbert.

CBI TEAM has four locations, Northwest Arkansas, Central Arkansas, Fort Smith/River Valley, Arkansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

For more information email confidential@cbiteam.com or call 479-770-8989.

For more information on selling your professional practice, contact CBI TEAM at confidential@cbiteam.com or call 479-770-8989