About the Sunbelt Franchise

business team having a meeting

Let us introduce ourselves.

Thank you for your interest in learning more about Sunbelt Business Brokers. We’re known worldwide as ‘the place to go, to buy or sell a business.’ And with the largest network of experienced brokers in the industry, we are likely in your backyard.

As business brokers, we help our clients confidentially buy and sell privately held businesses, aligning the interests of all parties for mutual success and satisfaction.

Sunbelt business brokers service both the Main Street and Middle Market sectors. While there is no one definition that clearly delineates these segments, we generally consider a Main Street business to be one valued at less than $1m, and Middle Market businesses to be valued above $1m.

Global reach. Local presence. Highest standards.

Sunbelt’s domestic and international footprint is unmatched. More importantly, we expect each of our office owners and brokers to adhere to the highest standards of education, professionalism, and ethics.

The Sunbelt Network has more Certified Business Intermediaries (CBIs) than any firm. Annually, Sunbelt also produces more than 150 hours of its own training programs exclusively for Sunbelt business brokers, and awards the Certified Main Street Business Broker (CMSBB) designation to those who complete the program and pass a competency exam.

Our franchise owners and brokers are experienced business people. Many own (or have owned) one or more businesses themselves, have held executive-level positions with sizable companies, and/or come from synergistic professions in the legal, accounting, and investing industries.

Contact your local Sunbelt office to learn more about your local team.

History

Sunbelt was founded by Ed Pendarvis in Charleston, South Carolina in 1978. Ed developed a highly successful business brokerage operation and began licensing business brokerage offices under the Sunbelt marks during the mid-1990s. Sunbelt has enjoyed tremendous success as a franchise system and has expanded to become the world’s largest business brokerage operation.

Sunbelt was acquired in 2006 by Merrymeeting, Inc. With the backing and resources of Merrymeeting, Sunbelt has been able to maintain its leadership in the business brokerage industry by investing in professional education programs, developing leading-edge technology and systems, and leveraging our international office network to better serve our clients.

Corporate management

brian knoderer of sunbelt business brokers
Brian Knoderer
President
jeff harcourt headshot
Jeff Harcourt
Chief Operating Officer
mark sweeterman headshot
Mark Sweeterman
Brand Manager

Why More Business Owners Choose Sunbelt

  • Largest Main Street and Lower Middle Market business intermediary firm in the world
  • Thousands of registered business buyers looking for just the right business
  • More Certified Business Intermediaries (CBI) than any other firm
  • We wrote the book (“Selling Your Business For Dummies“) on how to sell your business
  • More business-for-sale listings than all major competitors combined