Kudos

Clients across the nation - business owners and buyers alike - continue to place their trust in The Montana Group. Our clients have learned that they can depend on our honesty, integrity, and discretion, plus our extraordinary negotiating skills. And they are confident, when all is said and done, that we have honestly represented the interests of everyone involved.

Now that we have successfully transacted the sale of Austin Hardwoods to BlueLinx I wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I admire the sound judgment that you brought to this endeavor. Your analysis of which companies would constitute the most probable buyers was shrewd. Your steady and patient perspective when negotiations became difficult was indispensable. I came to always know I could count on your years of experience to yield measured advice.

On a more personal note I want to let you know how meaningful it was to me when you rearranged your trip after the sale in order to schedule time for us to meet together in Austin. I already felt I had made a friend for life but that visit confirmed it for me.

Please do not even hesitate to put a potential client in touch with me if I might help them feel more at ease about retaining The Montana Group.All my best,

Carl Lasner
Owner, Austin Hardwoods

"I met the fine folks at The Montana Group nine years ago when we were looking to sell our company. Due to some health problems with one of the owners of our company, the transaction never happened. Like a true friend, over the next eight years Emmett called on a regular basis to check on how things were going with me and my company. Over those years, I sought his advice and expertise on offers from many investment groups.

When my partners and I decided to put our company back on the market Emmett reacted quickly. With his many contacts, in a short time we had an offer we accepted. He also provided me with other professional people who could help us put this together. One of the many things that impressed me about Emmett was how he treated my company as if it was his. That along with his negotiating tactics gave me more time to continue to run my company while the transaction was in process.

If you are thinking of selling your business and looking for a professional broker, I highly recommend Emmett and his staff at The Montana Group. I am confident you will be pleased with their results."

Archie McKinnon
President, Design Space, Inc.

"Prior to buying Altama on a leveraged buyout, I was an investment banker with a large number of contacts in the brokerage industry. For several important reasons I engaged Emmett Barnes and his Montana Group to sell the company. The Montana Group maintained the strict confidentiality required throughout the selling process, performed the quality research to limit the offering to the most probable prospective buyers, rationally determined the fair market value, professionally and artfully negotiated with the interested buyers and, with the highest standards of integrity, conducted its activities to complete the sale. It was a pleasure to do business with Emmett and his team."

W. Whitlow Wyatt
President, Altama Delta, Inc.

"As an owner of a company, you receive many unsolicited offers regarding the sale of your business.

We received a similar letter from the Montana Group stating that if we ever wanted to sell American Manufacturing Co. or we were interested in obtaining an equity partner to give them an opportunity to assist us.

Once a decision was made to find an equity partner that shared our own desires, we made the call to the Montana Group.

The process moved very quickly and we joined an equity group that had goals that corresponded with ours. Their assistance made the transaction much smoother for everyone."

Everett G. Warren
American Manufacturing Co., Chattanooga, TN

"I would highly recommend Emmett Barnes as a professional business broker. He did a tremendous job assisting Abacus, Inc. in our pursuit of finding a qualified buyer. His experience and marketing savvy was very important to us in finding the right "fit" as well as negotiating on our behalf.

Abacus, Inc. is in the distribution business with one dominant supplier. We had a difficult situation with this supplier in that we had to get their approval on the sale and transfer of this particular line. Abacus, Inc. as well as the buyer, were extremely satisfied with how Emmett handled this delicate situation.

I have known Emmett personally for thirty years and would not hesitate in contracting with him again or referring him to anyone considering buying or selling a business."

Brian Henry, President
Abacus, Inc., Norcross, GA

"When I first determined to sell my company, Transcraft Corporation, I contacted a number of business brokerages. The Montana Group and Emmett Barnes impressed me for a number of reasons. First, I was impressed by Emmett's professionalism. I also liked the fact that Emmett's organization was small enough to provide me personal attention, yet his organization was large enough to make the necessary contacts to locate a buyer.

Emmett carefully scrutinized potential buyers and only presented me with qualified buyers. His follow up was excellent. Through Emmett's network of connections, we also located the necessary resource people to finalize the transaction.

The bottom line is on July 28, the sale was consummated in the amount of my original sales price. To a great extent, I have Emmett Barnes to thank for that."

William R. Cunningham, President
Transcraft Corporation, Anna, IL

"We had several conversations with Emmett Barnes over a period of time prior to our decision to sell Southern Roasted Nuts. During this time, we discussed our expectations and other aspects of the selling process. So when we were ready to sell, we decided to go with The Montana Group. This was an excellent decision. The eventual buyer was an industry consolidator that we suggested, and The Montana Group clearly enhanced every step of the way. I am certain that had it not been for the team at The Montana Group, the negotiated price would have been substantially less. I highly recommend them."

Allen Conger, President
Southern Roasted Nuts, Fitzgerald, GA

"As an owner of a company, you receive many unsolicited offers regarding the sale of your business. We received a similar letter from The Montana Group stating that one of their clients had an interest in acquiring our company, Radnor Alloys. In a follow-up phone conversation to their letter, we found The Montana Group very professional and knowledgeable in corporate mergers and acquisitions.

The bottom line is that they were committed to our concern for confidentiality and moved the process along as swiftly as practical with the end result being that we sold our company to their client, Harvest Partners / TPS Holdings.

We are glad we worked with The Montana Group and will recommend them to others who are interested in selling their business."

Nick Cannone, Vice President
Radnor Alloys, Inc., Wayne, PA

"Emmett is uncommonly productive and brings a steady volume of quality transactions for my review. Classic Rope Manufacturing is a perfect example. He clearly understood our investment criteria and Rick Barton's needs so the process was remarkably efficient."

Glenn B. Oken, General Partner
FCP Investors, Inc., Tampa, FL

"I was considering selling an interest in my company but wasn't sure what was involved. The Montana Group was very reassuring. Even though we spent six months discussing my options, there was never any high-pressure. Emmett took the time to find a buyer whose strategies matched mine and made the deal happen."

Rick Barton, President
Classic Rope Mfg., Inc., Granbury, TX

"Our former president was considering selling the company but really didn't know where to begin. Then Emmett contacted him with a buyer who was looking for businesses like ours, and everything just clicked. With The Montana Group as our go-between, the process took a lot less time and was much easier than we ever thought possible."

Brian Warren, President
Best Built, Inc.,Yakima, WA

"What impressed me most about The Montana Group was their honesty and forthrightness. It's not often in this day and age that you can conduct business on a handshake. I liked that."

H.D. Paul, Owner
Dumas Manufacturing, Grove Hill, AL

"Although Emmett handled the initial sale of our company to an investment group, he is now involved in our strategy to expand through acquisition. He consistently brings us quality deals. Real deals that we can, and have, acted upon. We trust his instincts and his business acumen."

Jay Roccaforte, President
Thomas Pipe & Steel, Inc., Baton Rouge, LA

"The Montana Group has become one of our most reliable sources for potential acquisitions. Emmett's always on top of his markets so he can respond quickly and get information into the right hands fast. And, on more than one occasion, his perspective and knowledge about the companies he brings to the table has proven instrumental in ensuring the deal closing."

Ira Kleinman, General Partner
Harvest Partners, New York, NY

"The letter we received from Emmett indicated he had a buyer interested in our particular industry niche. We get lots of letters like his, but no one had targeted our business so closely before. We were impressed with Emmett's knowledge, openness and integrity. A year later, when my partners and I were ready to implement our exit plans, we contacted The Montana Group. Emmett responded quickly and presented a buyer who fit our profile perfectly. Things began to happen fast because this was the right buyer. Within four weeks of our initial meeting we had a signed contract. I feel so strongly about the fine job Emmett did for us that I recently recommended The Montana Group to an associate interested in selling his company. And that's the highest praise I can offer."

Jim Hatfield, Former President
Consolidated Lumber, Kansas City, KS

"When I contacted The Montana Group, I had a list of sale criteria. Emmett helped me meet them all. Including price. Including staying on as President. And even though my transaction certainly wasn't a large one, I had Emmett's full attention and personal involvement from beginning to end. It was a much more pleasant experience than I ever anticipated!"

John Harris, President
Corporate Environments of Georgia, Atlanta, GA

"For several years I was approached by several much larger competitors about selling my company. While I was ready to sell, I was well-aware that I had no experience in selling a business. So, I called a close personal friend who was a partner in a New York private equity group. He said that for various reasons my company did not fit their investment criteria but that he would strongly recommend The Montana Group. This proved to be one of my best decisions. The Montana Group greatly exceeded my price expectations and commandeered the process in such a way that there was minimal disruption on my business. Incidentally, we sold the business to one of the initial competitors that approached me …. but at significantly more money."

George V Shaw, President
Holmes & Shaw, Inc., San Antonio, TX