Fox & Fin - Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions
Contact Header Icon
480.421.9789
 
Fox & Fin Team
  Breadcrumb Icon
The Fox & Fin Team
Breadcrumb Icon

 The Power of Teamwork

Jim Afinowich | Bruce Fox | John Crosby | Georgann Crosby | Lance Meilech | Mark Benavidez | John Gates

One of the important qualities that distinguish Fox & Fin from other members of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) industry is our team approach to selling your business. Our professionals are not self-sustaining “gunslingers” who simply share space and compete with each other for opportunities. On the contrary, each of us is a former business owner and senior executive who brings unique and valuable knowledge, experience and insight to every Fox & Fin engagement. Effectively coordinated, that combination produces the best ideas and results for you.

Well-managed teamwork yields important resources at critical points. For example, getting a fast turnaround on offering memoranda, conducting initial prospect interviews after a marketing push, or delivering rapid offer analysis often requires an all-hands effort. You deserve, and you will get, the best we have to offer. Your access to the entire Fox & Fin team delivers on that commitment.

Jim Afinowich M&AMI, CBI, Founding Principal, Designated Broker

jim@foxfin.com

JimAfinowich, M&AMI, CBI, Founding Principal, Designated Broker

The former owner of more than 15 businesses in the manufacturing, marketing, publishing and international trade sectors, Jim is not just experienced in closing deals – he is experienced in business. He started his first company when he was 20 years old, and by the time he reached 30 he had launched multiple businesses, employing hundreds of people and, like you, experiencing the joys and challenges of business ownership.

Jim has more than a quarter century of successful experience in the M&A industry, in one memorable year selling 21 companies. Also, he has provided expert-witness service in a variety of court cases relating to business transfers. He is a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) and Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary (M&AMI), the highest levels of accreditation in the industry.

Jim is a member of the M&A Source and is a Fellow and past president of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA), the industry’s largest trade association. Nationally recognized in the M&A industry, Jim is a frequent presenter at IBBA conventions, and he is consistently among the organization’s most highly rated speakers.

Bruce Fox CBI, Founding Principal, Managing Partner

bruce@foxfin.com

Bruce Fox, CBI, Founding Principal, Managing Partner

Bruce’s experience and gracious manner have contributed to his long-standing reputation for excellence among his peers in the M&A industry, both in Arizona and across the U.S. A seasoned industry veteran, Bruce has more than 25 years of experience in business sales, mergers and acquisitions.

He is a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) and has represented client companies with annual sales ranging from $500,000 to over $100 million.

He also has 12 years of experience as an entrepreneur and 17 years as a corporate executive, during which he was the vice president and general manager of a $100 million international company and division president of a national hotel company.

Bruce offers you a unique perspective and demonstrated experience in business development, marketing, financing and operations.

John Crosby, M&A Advisor

jcrosby@foxfin.com

John Crosby, M&A Advisor

John is a former Fortune 500 senior executive and has over 35 years experience in high-technology manufacturing, business services and management consulting. He is experienced in both domestic and international operations and has held technical and management positions ranging from design engineer to CEO.

He has founded or co-founded five companies and was a principal of The Family-Business Roundtable, a consultancy that served the marketing, planning, management and governance needs of closely-held businesses. He has authored two books, one on strategic marketing and sales, and the other on practical forecasting techniques for marketing and sales.

He is one of the 50 primary contributors to the Blue Chip Economic Indicators and is editor and publisher of Turning Points and Micrometrics, monthly publications that assess macroeconomic risk.

He is an elected officer of the Valley Board of Business Brokers and a member of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA). A native Arizonan, John is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Orme School of Arizona and holds B.S., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Arizona State University.

Georgann Crosby, M&A Advisor

georgann@foxfin.com

Georgann Crosby, M&A Advisor

Georgann focuses primarily on working with women business owners. She offers over 30 years of experience in consulting with a wide range of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to family and women-owned businesses. She has co-owned and founded several businesses and was president of The Family Business Roundtable, a consulting organization working with family businesses on generational succession, career planning, defining roles and other complexities of combining family and business.

As a partner in a recruiting and outplacement firm, she worked with individuals and organizations during times of transition due to mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations. A frequent speaker for associations, she also served as an editor and columnist for regional and national trade magazines.

With her background in financial planning, business consulting and running her own business, Georgann brings a wealth of experience to the business sales process. She is a member of the Valley Board of Business Brokers, the International Business Brokers Association, National Association of Women Business Owners and WATT, a Phoenix-based group of businesswomen. Georgann holds B.S., MPA and Ph.D. degrees from Arizona State University.

Lance Meilech, M&A Advisor

lance@foxfin.com

Lance Meilech, M&A Advisor

Lance Meilech is a merger and acquisition advisor who began working with Fox & Fin in 2006. Lance started his business career in sales, representing companies that sell office equipment and computers, and eventually became a securities dealer. Lance has extensive experience in international markets and is fluent in multiple languages. As an entrepreneur, Lance has started, built and sold several companies, including a software development company and a multi-location education company. Immediately prior to his association with Fox & Fin, he started and built from the ground up one of Arizona’s largest CPA tax firms.

He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, a Masters Degree in Finance and a Masters in Taxation. He is a licensed Arizona CPA, (see note below), and holds an Arizona real estate license. Lance has decades of experience in valuing businesses and advising clients on a wide range of strategic and management issues for companies small and large, and he has testified numerous times in depositions and courts of law as an expert witness on business valuations.

His in-depth practical experience in multiple aspects of business operations, financial background and educational credentials enables Lance to understand the concerns of business owners and buyers. This unique combination of experience and skills enables him to help clients through all aspects of the business transfer process.

Mark Benavidez

mark@foxfin.com

Mark Benavidez

Mark is a former Fortune 500 executive with over 17 years of hands on business management. He has had diverse experience in executive management, strategic analysis, start-up planning, and competitive intelligence, operations management, sales and marketing.

This wide range of practical experience has given Mark valuable insight and knowledge of the business sale and acquisition process. By working with a range of small to large businesses in various industries, Mark has an ability to identify and extract the value from multi-faceted transactions.

While Mark has the business knowledge to work in most any business segment he has in depth knowledge and past experience in the transportation, logistics and waste industries.

He is a member of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA), the profession's largest trade association. Mark is committed to an ethical practice, providing the highest possible level of professionalism and service and achieving the results his clients desire.

John Gates

jgates@foxfin.com

John Gates

John spent the first 20 years of his career in sales and marketing for three major international business services companies. In his last corporate position, he served as National Sales Director for a three billion dollar NYSE company.

His first entrepreneurial venture occurred in Phoenix, Arizona. He, along with a partner, purchased a small home services company. After 10 successful years of dramatic growth in both sales and profitability, the company was sold to a publically traded international home services organization.

Prior to joining Fox & Fin, John owned and managed his own business brokerage practice. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, he and his 15 associates assisted more than 1,500 Arizona business owners in the marketing of their Arizona, California and Nevada businesses.

John earned the prestigious designation of Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Broker Association in 1993. He has served on the board of directors of the Valley Board of Business Brokers in Phoenix and is a past president of that organization.

Note: All clients are advised to employ their own CPAs for due diligence and tax advice. Lance is working as an M&A advisor and not in any other capacity.

Fox & Fin footer border

HOME | THE COMPANY | SELLER SERVICES | BUYER SERVICES | FAQ & INFORMATION | CONTACT US  | SITEMAP