In 18 months’ time, Milwaukee-based BEACON Business Group has grown from a one-man, home-based operation to a team of six and has just expanded to larger offices, the company announced today.
“The market for buying and selling small companies has grown substantially in the last few years, and it’s still trending up,” says Steve Boylan, owner and president of BEACON, a business brokerage that specializes in helping owners of family-owned and privately held businesses get the greatest financial benefit when they sell. “Both the team and office expansion were necessary to meet the increasing demand we’ve seen from business owners who are retiring or ready to move in a different direction.” The company’s new offices are located in downtown Milwaukee’s historic Colby-Abbott building at 759 N. Milwaukee Street.
The newest addition to the BEACON team is Nathan Welch, a self-titled “serial entrepreneur” who has purchased and sold businesses that he has built and scaled. He has more than 17 years of business experience and was corporately trained in operations, finance, six sigma and supply chain management at a Fortune 500 company. Nathan has been a licensed Broker since 2013.
Joining the team full time this spring, Rick Huedepohl is a seasoned business broker with 14 years of M&A experience and more than 25 years in business ownership and general business management. His hands-on experience and understanding of how businesses function and react through the ongoing economic changes in today’s world help him identify with the current business market. Rick’s skill set uniquely qualifies him to guide people through the intricacies of their business sale or acquisition.
Rachel Norante accepted the newly created position of Brokerage Manager in September 2018. Prior to joining BEACON Business Group, she was a paralegal for the law firm of von Briesen & Roper, where she worked in the Trust & Estates division. In her capacity as a paralegal, she assisted both attorneys and clients with various administrative needs, including preparing tax, real estate and estate-planning documentation; completing valuations of estate assets; and managing all financial transactions within estates and trusts. Rachel is a Notary Public in the state of Wisconsin and a longtime coach for the Milwaukee Public Schools Special Olympics program.
Managing BEACON’s marketing activities are Tami Krupski and Catherine Cassidy. Tami Krupski serves as BEACON’s Database and Digital Marketing Specialist, managing all outbound hard mail, email and social media marketing efforts. Most recently employed at Allen Edmonds, Tami has more than 10 years of B2B and B2C email marketing experience and a broad range of marketing skills: campaign development, database management, segmentation, reporting and social media. At Allen Edmonds, she played an integral role in increasing the company’s website traffic by 25 percent and online sales by 15 percent in just two years.
Before joining BEACON Business Group, Catherine spent more than 35 years in publishing and national media, where as editor-in-chief she led major editorial brands such as Taste of Home, the world’s largest food media brand, and Prevention, the nation’s largest health magazine. As Vice President of Marketing for BEACON, Catherine brings a wealth of experience developing marketing and brand messaging for editorial products sold online, through the mail, at retail and on television. At BEACON, she puts this expertise into leading the effort to optimally showcase clients’ businesses for sale and to spread the word about how the company’s experts can help owners sell their businesses for the best value.
Serving business owners and buyers since 2006, Steve Boylan has more than 16 years of business brokerage experience and has personally sold more than 100 businesses in a wide variety of industries. He is a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) with the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) and an Accredited Business Intermediary (ABI) with the American Business Brokers Association (ABBA). He is a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a board member of the Wisconsin Association of Financial Professionals.
BEACON Business Group is dedicated to helping small- to mid-size business owners build value in their businesses and get the greatest financial benefit when they sell their companies. Seasoned brokers qualify all prospective buyers, provide honest, accurate business valuations and require strict confidentiality through the entire selling process. Since 2006, the company has achieved a 95 percent closing rate as compared to the industry average of 30 to 35 percent. That success comes from depth of experience and an unwavering commitment to be honest, fair, transparent and responsive to clients and their advisors. BEACON Business Group serves clients throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Visit the website at www.beaconbiz.net.
For more information, contact:
Catherine Cassidy catherinec@beaconbiz.net
Rachel Norante racheln@beaconbiz.net