It is amazing to look back at everything that has happened in the past few years and all the work it took to purchase a business! Buying a business is a roller coaster ride of ups and down. I am proud to say that Rua Associates was along for the ride with me. Even though they were representing the seller they still helped me out as the buyer making it a win-win situation. They were instrumental in developing a purchase structure that made sense for both the seller and me. They also gave me great support when I was working through the banking and due diligence. I thank Rua Associates for all their hard work and highly recommend them to anyone looking to buy or sell a business. 

Krieg Lee, President of Forrest Company

To Whom It May Concern,

When I left my previous job as VP of Global Product Development at Johnson Controls in July 2012, I had several options of getting a new job, starting a business or buying an existing business. My preference was to buy an existing business so I started searching for someone who could help me accomplish this. I found Rua Associates and engaged them to do an active acquisition search for me. I also analyzed some of their sell-side listings including Broadview Product Development. While other opportunities interested me, Broadview interested me the most due to how it fit my background, how I connected with the owner and the convenient location. Once I decided Broadview was the business I wanted, I began the unfamiliar process of buying a business. Throughout the process of buying a business, Rua Associates was a great help assisting not only their client but me as well. I am happy to say that after only 4 months I was able to successfully purchase my own business. Based upon my experience, I would highly recommend Rua Associates to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a business.

Sincerely,

Rick Arnold, President of Broadview Product Development

To Whom It May Concern, 

For over 20 years, I was employed at Action Management Corporation. During my tenure, my job title changed various times and I continued to increase my responsibilities. In 2008, I was named the President, which allowed the current owner to begin scaling back.

Rua Associates was hired as the exclusive representative to pursue a sale of the business for the owner. Randy Rua and Kent Snyder approached me to gauge my interest in possibly buying the business. I was very interested although I knew, financially, the transaction was going to be a challenge. Rua Associates utilized their knowledge of the SBA lending rules to design a transaction structure that provided the financing needed and was agreeable to both the former owner and I.  They connected me with a specialist in using retirement funds to purchase a business, which provided the capital I needed for the down payment.

During the purchase, Rua Associates took a hands-on approach and carefully guided me through the banking process. It was a difficult and complicated process, but we were successful in allowing me to use a Self-Directed IRA to complete the purchase and the final structure mirrored the exact structure that was presented to both me and the Seller so many months previously.

I whole-heartedly recommend Rua Associates for any business transition. They have a well-versed team with a high-level of technical expertise. They continually pushed the project forward through every major and minor roadblock to ensure a successful outcome.

Sincerely,

Joyce Blazen

President

Action Management Coporation

Dear Rua Associates:

On behalf of myself and my partner, we would like to thank you for your honesty, professionalism, and expertise in assisting us in selling our 60+ year old business, Van Pelt Industries. 

What we appreciated most was the time you took before engaging us to help us understand how buyers would value our company and how the sale process works. During that time, we became comfortable with you and your methodology which really helped us make the final, difficult decision to sell a business that we have been part of for over 40 years. 

We are happy to report that the entire sales process took less than six months. Max and Kent did an outstanding job of locating a motivated and qualified buyer and getting the deal done. 

Thank you, Rua Asssociates! We highly recommend your services to any manufacturing business owner thinking of selling their company!

Jayne Flaska

Co-Owner, Van Pelt Industries

"Selling a well established business is more difficult than running a well established business, so unless you have an inordinate amount of time, patience and a PhD in mergers and acquisitions, don’t try it on your own. The business I was attempting to sell had been in existence for 53 years, had only two owners and for most of those years was very profitable. With all of those positive factors, I thought the sale process would be easy from start to finish and buyers would be lined up at the door. A rapidly declining economy and an industry in transition presented multiple issues for me in trying to sell my business and property. For twelve months I attempted to work through the issues and finally decided, at the suggestion of a business associate, to look for professional assistance.

From the initial interview I was convinced that I could work with Rua Associates. Randy explained the process, explained the fee structure and the engagement letter was immediately signed to get the process started. I was assured, and felt confident, that my business' identity would be disguised to the general public, without sacrificing exposure to the broadest market possible.

Randy and his team met regularly, almost weekly, with the prospective buyer and never let the dust settle on any issue which kept the process fluid. He communicated with me daily or weekly and never hesitated to work with me in the evenings if necessary. I always knew exactly how the sale was progressing and we discussed any issues that were pertinent for that day. There were many times that the negotiations became very hectic and things seemed to be getting off track but Randy was always calm, kept a positive attitude and was able to get things back on course. Rua Associates worked closely with all of the attorneys involved which was also a great help to me. The entire transaction was completed in approximately nineteen months; twelve months were on my own and seven months once Rua Associates was hired. At first I thought Randy’s commission was high but now that the transaction is complete and as I consider the time and energy his team invested they were worth every penny.

I would highly recommend Rua Associates to anyone thinking of selling or buying a business. It was a pleasure to work with Randy and his team." 

Bob Warner

Former Owner of the University Book Store