M&A Affiliates

With 30 years of dealmaking under our belt, key differentiators set us apart. Our advisors attend professional development training, serve on industry boards and participate in best practice groups allowing us to leverage our already deep-standing relationships with other successful intermediaries across the country.

Below are some highlighted M&A Affiliates with whom we regularly interact. Contact ABI with any need for a deal related advisor and we will connect you or your client to the best resources.

Jim Afinowich, M&AMI, CBI

Fox & Fin Financial Group, L.C., Scottsdale, AZ
Jim Afinowich, CBI, Founding Principal, Designated Broker With more than 25 years of successful experience in selling businesses, Jim adds further depth to the leadership team. A Certified Business Intermediary, he too has achieved the highest level of accreditation in the industry. Jim has owned more than 15 businesses, which gives him first-hand experience in the manufacturing, marketing, publishing and international trade sectors. Jim is a member of the M&A Source, and a fellow and past President of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA), the profession’s largest trade association. Jim also has provided expert-witness service in a variety of court cases relating to business transfers.

Pino Bacinello, CBI, MCBI, M&AMI

Pacific Mergers and Acquisitions Inc., Vancouver BC Canada
Pino Bacinello is President and Founder of Pacific Mergers and Acquisitions Inc. His academic background includes Electronics Engineering and Business Administration. Specific to Investment Banking and Business Brokerage, Mr. Bacinello holds mergers and acquisitions industry-specific designations as a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI), Mergers and Acquisitions Master Intermediary (M&AMI), Certified Machinery and Equipment Appraiser (CMEA), and a Certified Senior Business Analyst (CSBA)

Sara Burden - Walden, Principal, CBI, M&AMI, FMAS, FIBBA, CM&AP

Walden Businesses, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Sara Burden entered the mergers and acquisitions industry in March 1991 and has been actively involved in Walden’s successful closings of small to middle market sized companies. While Sara specializes in owner representation, she has handled unique buyer representations in the national marketplace. She has represented and sold companies with sophisticated high profiles in the service sector, heavy manufacturing and distribution businesses with equal success. She is closely involved in the firm’s valuation services and has been engaged as an expert witness by several of Atlanta’s accounting and legal firms.

Russel Cohen, M&AMI, CBI, BCI, CM&AI, CM&AP

South Florida M&A Advisors, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Russell Cohen is the President of South Florida M&A Advisors, Inc. with more than 25 years of deal-making experience focused in Florida. Throughout his tenure, Russell has sold more than businesses than any other advisor in the state of Florida. Russell has a deep understanding of the intricacies of the business sales process and has a proven track record of successfully navigating transactions of all sizes in all industries. Russell prides himself on personally supporting sellers from engagement to closing through all facets of the transaction with experience, dedication, and integrity.

Rebecca Robinson Davis, CBI

Practice Sales Advisors, St. Simons Island, GA
Rebecca is an accomplished and effective practice broker. Her business conglomeration experience began in 2004 and expanded her already diverse set of skills encompassing the complexities of the brokerage business. She is currently a licensed broker in twenty-two states.For Rebecca, commitment to her clients is paramount. She has acted as a liaison for scores of transactions via valuation analysis, mergers and acquisitions.

Clint Fiore, CBI, CM&AP, M&AMI

Bison business, Kerrville, TX
The company’s Founder and CEO, Clint Fiore, has a unique combination of entrepreneurial, executive leadership, and high-tech systems experience. He has utilized these attributes to create a first-of-its-kind business that systematically removes the mystery and obstacles associated with finding a business, buying and financing the business you want, preparing your existing business for sale, and marketing your business efficiently to its next owner.

Kyle Griffith, CBI, CM&AP

The NYBB Group, NY
Kyle Griffith is a seasoned business professional serving as the managing partner and principal of The NYBB Group and NYBB Commercial Real Estate, Inc. With over 13 years of experience representing small and mid-sized businesses in mergers and acquisitions, Kyle is a trusted advisor for companies looking to buy or sell. He brings a wealth of expertise to the table, specializing in HVAC, trucking, and distribution while offering his services to clients across different sectors.

Sarah Grossman, CBI Principal

BayState Business Brokers, Greater Boston MA
Sarah Grossman is the Principal and Owner of BayState Business Brokers and has over a decade of experience working with clients to facilitate one of the most important transactions of their career – selling their business. As a champion of small businesses, Sarah is passionate about working with business owners to maximize the value of their companies during a sale and sell to the best buyer. Sarah has sold over 100 companies with revenues between $1-30 million in a variety of industries, and has a particular niche of selling family and multi-generational businesses.

Trent Lee, MBA, CBI, CMAP, MAMI, ECA

Trent Lee of First Choice Business Brokers Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV

Trent Lee was the recipient of the award as the #1 business broker in the country for most closed transactions. IBBA (International Business Broker Association) Top Individual Deal Maker of the Year Award: Given to the individual who sold the greatest number of qualified businesses in the 2019 calendar year. The IBBA is pleased to congratulate: Trent Lee: Las Vegas, Nevada.

Adam Petricoff, CBI, CMAP

VR Business Brokers, Charlotte Metro
Adam has over 25 years of sales, marketing and management experience working with a variety of different industries including textiles, hospitality, healthcare, distribution, and manufacturing. Adam is a native of Cincinnati, OH but is happy to call Charlotte his home after moving to Charlotte in 1998. He received his B.A. in Political Science from The American University in Washington, D.C. Adam loves to play tennis, volunteer at his house of worship and travel with his wife of 21 years and his two teenage children. When on the road they love to seek out local ice cream shops. Adam can be reached via email at apetricoff@vrcharlotte.com.

Jaclyn Ring, CM&AP, M&AMI

Reag M&A Brokers, Greater Pittsburgh Region
Ring joined REAG in 2013 and has over 10 years of mergers and acquisitions experience. She is responsible for the execution of buy-side and sell-side transactions. Ring is an active member of the M&A Source earning the prestigious CM&AP designation in 2020 and more recently, M&AMI. She is a member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and an active participant in the ACG Women’s Network. She was elected to the M&A Source Board of Governors in 2023 and serves as the sponsorship chair.

John Zayac, CBI, M&AMI

IBG Business Services, Inc., Greenwood Village, CO
John R. Zayac founded IBG Business Services, Inc. in 1982 to provide the mid-market business seller with the same level of resources and sophisticated services traditionally reserved for firms valued over $100 million. Over the last fifteen years, Zayac has built IBG into the industry’s most comprehensive provider of valuation analysis, strategic planning, marketing, and transaction structuring services for mid-market business sellers. In addition to his responsibilities as founder and CEO of IBG, Zayac has owned and operated a variety of businesses, including a printing company, an automobile importing agency, and a chain of car washes. Zayac’s success as a business intermediary includes hundreds of completed transactions with a combined value exceeding $300 million.

A Powerful Network of Professionals

Each business owner’s situation is unique and as an exit plan or sale process is initiated, several professionals are often required to assist at some point. Our advisors are skilled in asking the right questions to know when and who might be needed. We have forged deep relationships with some of the best advisors in each field. We know who are dealmakers and who can deliver the results needed. Let us collaborate to get connected.
  • Transaction Attorneys
  • Tax Advisors
  • CPAs & Accountants
  • Machinery and Equipment Appraisers
  • Specialist Attorneys: IP, Employment, Environmental, Divorce, etc.
  • Lenders: Conventional, SBA, Mezzanine, et al
  • Wealth Managers and Financial Planners
  • Estate Planners
  • Commercial Real Estate Brokers and Appraisers
  • Insurance Brokers
  • Human Resource Consultants
  • Escrow Firms