Bob Forbes, CBI, M&AMI
President
Bob Forbes has 20 years of experience in business transactions, as a business intermediary, owner, and private equity executive. His exceptional service to his clients is backed by his extensive experience in strategic and tactical marketing, negotiating complex business transactions, capital planning and placement, and business valuations.
Prior to forming Forbes Mergers & Acquisitions, Bob was an owner and key executive for five other businesses in the energy, information technology, and service sectors, where he orchestrated a number of M&A transactions. Prior to his entrepreneurial career, Bob performed transaction work for two private equity groups. He has served on the board for seven different companies.
Bob is a Mergers & Acquisitions Master Intermediary, Certified Business Intermediary, and has a degree in Finance and International Business from the University of Colorado at Denver. He is a member of the International Business Brokers Association, Association for Corporate Growth, and Colorado Association of Business Intermediaries, and he holds a Real Estate Broker’s License. He is an acclaimed business speaker and author of numerous published articles.
email: Bob@ForbesMA.com
phone: (303) 882-8868 / (303) 770-6017, Ext 102
Michael Burt, CBI
Michael Burt joined Forbes M&A in 2006 to contribute to the rapid growth of the firm’s lower middle market M&A division. In Michael’s short tenure, he has worked side by side with clients of the firm in over $50M of closed M&A transactions. He has spoken to thousands of investors and strategic buyers across a breadth of industries and is an expert in the drivers of lower middle market business value. He works closely with several regional and national banks and accounting firms to strategically package companies for a successful transaction. Prior to joining Forbes Mergers & Acquisitions, Michael ran several small family businesses focused on wholesale and retail food distribution.
Michael completed his graduate studies at the University of Denver, earning a Masters in Finance degree. He has taught finance for the undergraduate, graduate and executive programs at DU and is highly regarded for bridging academia with real time Corporate Finance/M&A. His undergraduate studies were completed at Creighton University in Psychology and Business.
Michael is a Certified Business Intermediary and completed the Complex Business Negotiations program at Harvard Law School. He is an active member of the Colorado Association of Business Intermediaries, IBBA, and Denver’s chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth.
email: MichaelBurt@ForbesMA.com
phone: (970) 726-6958 / (303) 883-8896
John Claybough, CPA
John Claybough has over 30 years of domestic and international finance experience in Fortune 50, middle market and startup companies. His background covers a broad range of transactions including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, complicated financings and green field project development.
John has held senior financial management positions in multiple industries including oil & gas, healthcare, technology, minerals, manufacturing and entertainment. His prior experience includes executive positions with Phillips Petroleum Company, US Recycling Industries, and a privately owned multi-national holding company. In 1996 John established Global Capital Group, which provides companies with entry into international markets, business development and financing.
John's academic background includes a BS in Management from Missouri Southern State College, an MBA in Finance and Economics from the University of Tulsa and numerous accounting courses at the University of Colorado. He is a Certified Public Accountant registered in Texas.
email: JClaybough@ForbesMA.com
phone: (303) 589-1817
Jim Johnston, CBI
Business transactions are in Jim Johnston's genes. His mother, Peg Johnston, founded one of the first business brokerage firms in the Rocky Mountain West nearly 30 years ago. Over those 30 years, Jim developed relationships with most of the major intermediaries, corporate acquisition advisors, business brokers, and transition specialists in the region.
With intimate knowledge of the passion that drives the needs and concerns of owners selling their businesses and the value added by top advisors, Jim entered the transaction world and quickly became a regional force. As a transaction advisor, Jim has led and completed an impressive breadth of deals in a variety of sectors including business services, technology, construction and maintenance, real estate and manufacturing. These sectors span business-to-business, direct to consumer, distribution, manufacturing, retail, and wholesale channels.
Before joining Forbes, Jim spent six years as a senior transaction advisor with Business Acquisitions Ltd, and received his designation as a Certified Business Intermediary in 2005. Prior to this Jim worked as an administrator and educator, both domestically and abroad, upon which he built his highly consultative approach and unique ability to bridge gaps between people in order to get transactions closed. Jim has a BA from Kenyon College and an MBA from the University of Denver.
Jim is a Colorado native, and is a passionate member of Rotary International through the Rotary Club of Denver. He serves on the board of The Gift of Giving, a non-profit organization that enables people to better give gifts that truly make a difference. He is an active squash player at the Denver Athletic Club, has completed two marathons, and is a member of the Denver Botanic Gardens with his wife, Pam, who runs a landscape design practice.
email: Jim@ForbesMA.com
phone: (303) 770-6017
Bob Newkirk, JD
Bob Newkirk’s 20-year career includes extensive experience with transactions involving small- and mid-sized companies in the healthcare, manufacturing, and technology sectors as a transaction specialist, venture capitalist, and business advisor. Bob applies his legal, financial, and business operations background to assist businesses in meeting their strategic objectives.
Prior to joining Forbes Mergers & Acquisitions, Bob was a Partner with Evergreen Mergers & Acquisitions (EMA), where he worked with clients in the manufacturing, business services, consumer products, and healthcare industries, providing mergers, acquisitions, and corporate development services. Bob came to EMA from UnitedHealth Group, where as Vice President he led a variety of development efforts ranging from new distribution channels to enhanced fraud detection analytics. From 1998 to 2003, Bob was a General Partner in Validus Partners, a technology and healthcare venture capital fund financed by UnitedHealth Group that invested nearly $90 million in 16 private companies, achieving returns well in excess of its peers. While a director on four corporate boards, he identified, negotiated and managed numerous equity investments, as well as evaluated and approved various debt, merger, and acquisition transactions.
Prior to moving into business roles, Bob was a transactional attorney handling mergers, acquisitions, and software licensing for UnitedHealth Group, and practiced corporate law at Dorsey & Whitney, LLP, in Minneapolis, where many of his clients were emerging growth companies. While living in Washington, D.C., he worked for the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and clerked on the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Having first passed the C.P.A. exam, his professional career started with Arthur Young in the firm's Entrepreneurial Services Group, based in Chicago, providing both audit and tax services.
Bob has a law degree from The University of Chicago, with honors, and a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The University of Illinois, both with highest honors. He currently serves on the board of directors of Third Wave Systems, Inc., a material-based, machining modeling software and services.
email: BNewkirk@ForbesMA.com
phone: (303) 770-6017, Ext 108
Tom Schmidt, CBI
Tom Schmidt has over 20 years experience in business transactions, as a business intermediary, financial officer and corporate finance executive. His background includes a broad range of transactions including mergers & acquisitions, sale of privately-held businesses, initial public equity and debt offerings, public and private debt placements, sale/leaseback transactions and various other complex corporate transactions.
Tom’s background includes Chief Financial Officer responsibilities for several technology, software and service companies. At the CFO level, he completed an Initial Public Offering for a leading technology company as well as merger & acquisition work. As a business intermediary, Tom has advised numerous owners of privately-held companies including service, distribution, medical, health, manufacturing, oil/gas and various other industries.
Tom is a Certified Business Intermediary and has a MBA degree in Finance from Villanova University. He is a member of the International Business Brokers Association and M&A Source. Tom is a frequent speaker on exit planning for business owners.
email: tschmidt@ForbesMA.com
phone: (303) 522-7255
Lon Sears
Lon brings to Forbes a deep understanding of the health care delivery system and healthcare mergers and acquisitions. Lon has owned, bought and sold numerous healthcare businesses over the past 17 years. These have included medical and non-medical home health care, outpatient care facilities and assisted living companies. Ultimately these were divested in a sale orchestrated by Forbes Mergers & Acquisitions.
Lon received his Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Bachelors of Arts in Business Management from the University of Northern Colorado - UNC in 1988. While attending UNC and after graduation he worked for Northern Colorado Medical Center, until accepting a business development role with Merck Pharmaceuticals.
After working for several years at Merck, Lon moved back to his home town of Denver and attended the University of Denver. It was there that he completed his MBA with an entrepreneurial emphasis. This education culminated in the creation of his thesis and business plan to open a high quality home health care agency in the Denver metro area, where he served as the owner and agency administrator for 17 years.
Lon was able to create a level of corporate performance that allowed his various healthcare delivery models to flourish over the years. This focus over time held steadfast and helped earn numerous awards, including one of the Top 500 Agencies in the nation, along with the recognition of being voted “One of the Best Places to Work in Denver”. Lon's sustained attention to key value drivers, coupled with Forbes sophisticated sale process, ultimately attracted many strategic and financial buyers, and allowed Lon to transition the business to the best buyer under the most favorable terms available.
Lon has served on numerous boards and professional organizations including Young Entrepreneurs Organization, Vistage CEO Organization, the Colorado Department of Health home health licensing panel and other health care and geriatric focused entities.
email: Lon@ForbesMA.com
phone: (303) 770-6017