Brian Knight joined CBI in 1984 and has served as the President and CEO of the company since 1990 He is responsible for leading CBI to its current position as New England and Atlantic Canada's leading business brokerage.

Brian is a strategic thinker with a keen understanding of the underlying issues in any brokerage assignment. He is able to quickly identify the critical success factors in a business and articulate this into a compelling sales presentation.

Elected twice as President of the International Business Brokers Association he has authored a number of papers, and is recognized as one of the leading authorities on the valuation of privately held businesses. Prior to joining CBI he had a distinguished business career as President of a division of Litton Industries and President of the USA highway safety operations Redland Limited.

Active in community affairs, Brian is a Trustee of the Village of Manchester Vermont, and a Board member of the Southwestern Vermont Health Care Corporation. He is the author of Buying the Right Business at the Right Price, and has been designated as a Certified Business Intermediary, and a Fellow of the IBBA.

Philip Steckler became a principal of CBI in 1976. Since that time, Mr. Steckler has managed the sale of hundreds of business transactions throughout New England. Steckler helped formulate the mission of CBI-"to manage the sale of successful businesses to qualified buyers who will continue to be successful."

Steckler frequently addresses business owners, accountants, and bankers on business succession planning and valuing businesses. Since moving to the Brattleboro area in 1971, he has been involved in business, cultural, educational and sports activities in the region as well as in worldwide efforts. Business and development activities include serving as President and executive board member of The Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the State of Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and past President and current board member of The Brattleboro Regional Development Credit Corporation. Phil and his wife, Marcia, were named 2007 persons of the year by the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce for their many contributions to the betterment of the region.

Mr. Steckler earned his Bachelors in Economics from the University of Vermont and a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Missouri. He is a Certified Business Intermediary by the International Business Brokers Association as well as a Fellow of the organization.

John Stimets has been the lead intermediary in the Burlington office since 1991. He has managed the sale of businesses in every major industrial category. John's Accounting and Business Management degree from the University of Vermont and his 20 years experience as a commercial lender for Vermont Banks helps him identify critical value drivers for each business represented.

John's former ownership of his own business provides a unique perspective as to the emotional and transfer issues that each client and buyer undergoes. John's expertise in finance, sales, negotiation and management assures his clients of positive results when he is retained to manage the transfer of their business. Additionally, a personal devotion to his clients and a desire to work hard on their behalf leaves the clients knowing that they have retained an industry leader and expert. John is a member of the IBBA (International Business Brokers Association) and has achieved the Certified Business Intermediary designation which is the highest standard within the industry.

Donald F. Giancola has successfully led assignments on behalf of CBI clients for nearly twenty-five years. Giancola has focused on mid-sized businesses with unusual characteristics; many one-of-a-kind companies with strategic elements which provide significant barriers to entry, making them unusual and outside of the norm, and where he can focus on achieving premium transaction values. New England is made up of many businesses that fit this model and Giancola has been adept at identifying buyers who can add value to these firms.

Prior to joining CBI, Giancola held senior management positions with several of the nation's leading retail companies. During that time, he gained extensive overseas experience including the establishment and development of foreign offices in European and Far East markets. Mr. Giancola was one of the first US executives to trade with China and was invited by Chinese officials to China shortly after Richard Nixon normalized relations.

Donald Giancola's commitment to improving the level of professionalism in the brokerage industry is evidenced by his active involvement in the International Business Brokers Association where he served on the Education Committee, and where he earned the professional designation, Certified Business Intermediary.

Mr. Giancola obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Economics from Northeastern University and has participated in the advanced studies program at Harvard University, focusing on Corporate Finance and Strategic Planning. He is one of only 500 intermediaries who have earned the professional designation, Certified Business Intermediary.

Heidi is the Administrative Manger working out of our headquarters located in Manchester, Vermont. She is responsible for the Operations and works closely with our offices located throughout New England, Eastern New York and Atlantic Canada. She is responsible for maintaining the CBI website, quality control of listings, preparing marketing materials, marketing reports and maintaining databases. Heidi joined the CBI team in 2007. She is originally from Seattle, Washington and attended the University of Washington where she obtained a Bachelors Degree in Sociology. Heidi formerly worked as a Certified Financial Counselor and managed a small veterinary hospital. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for her local school district and is also a licensed Real Estate Salesperson in the state of Vermont.

Steven Card has owned small businesses in Maine for over 20 years. He has consistently been an industry leader introducing new technologies & systems to Maine Businesses since 1991. His career has been an entrepreneurial one which includes three successful start-ups and five business acquisitions, each employing up to 30 people. All of his enterprises were eventually sold or merged into his primary company which provides Steve with the unique advantage of intimately understanding transactions from both sides of the table. From the emotional to the financial implications of buying or selling a business he has experienced and managed those situations first hand.

Card has been active as both President and Treasurer of his trade association’s Executive Committee and brings great technical vision to transaction’s with respect to systemization and operational issues to help a business transition as seamlessly as possible from one owner to another with high customer and employee retention. He has a great talent in achieving a true win-win scenario in his dealings. Card exemplifies CBI’s mission statement “to manage the sale of successful businesses to qualified buyers who will continue to be successful.

Dennis George brings nearly 30 years of entrepreneurial experience to CBI. Dennis has an unusually strong ability to identify business growth opportunities. He’s a sharp numbers guy, but also is a keen-listening, straight-talking person who inspires trust and confidence with the people around him.

In the 1970s, Dennis and his wife Sue bought a small, New England-based wholesale fish market. “Fixer-upper” was an understatement for the condition of that business, but they determined a restaurant would be a good add-on venture. Several years, a major renovation - and a few gray hairs – later, the Georges were steering a highly profitable destination seafood restaurant that served 1,100 meals on peak days.

When it came time to exit his business, Dennis chose CBI to lead the sale. Always stringent about offering the highest levels of customer service, Dennis found CBI was the only company that matched his core values. The match was so good, that CBI soon invited Dennis to join the company!

Dennis is an excellent judge of character; a trait that has served him well when hiring staff for the restaurant, and today serves CBI in creating solid matches between sellers and buyers. “Customer service has always been my number one priority,” says Dennis. “Here at CBI, I strive to give business owners a relaxed, completely confidential opportunity to market their business.”

Outside of work, Dennis’s passion is drag racing. He and his wife spend much of their free time racing his 1963 Chevy Nova throughout racetracks of New England.

Educated at Vermont Academy, Saxton's River, Vermont and The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Stuart Wichert (Kim) brings the personal knowledge and acumen gained in his nearly four decades of experience with leading corporations including sales and management positions with Xerox Corp. and as the President of a subsidiary of International Data Corp., a multinational publishing company devoted to the information technology industry. As an entrepreneur Kim has bought, developed and sold two successful small businesses.

Kim's success in business is due in large part to his ability to forge lasting relationships with his clients and his dedication to client service and satisfaction. Having been on both sides of buying and selling businesses, he is keenly aware of the emotional and the pragmatic issues involved.

Active in community affairs, Kim serves on the board of Burr & Burton Academy, an independent school located in Manchester Vermont, and The Green Mountain Academy for Life Long Learning, a nonprofit educational organization that offers courses and programs to learners of all ages, also located in Manchester. He formally was Chair of the Board of Greater Boston Rehabilitation Service, a sheltered workshop organization that creates employment opportunities for adults with special needs.

A lifelong Vermonter, Gordon has been licensed as a real estate agent since 1973. In addition to his extensive knowledge of the process of acquiring and marketing interests in realty he has also; managed over 4000 units of subsidized housing, is experienced in residential design and construction, served as a legislative lobbyist, provided network management and information technology support at several multi-national firms in addition to participating in municipal planning for a small Vermont community.

His professional and community involvement includes; President and Principal Broker of Green Mountain Real Estate, a member of the Government Affairs Committee of the Vermont Home Builders Association and the Vermont Association of Realtors, a member of the Town of Huntington’s Planning Commission, and a member of the Flat Coated Retriever Society of America.

In addition to his professional activities, Gordon resides in Huntington, Vermont and enjoys the company of his wife, his two adult children and three granddaughters, plus 3 dogs, including showing at AKC confirmation events, 2 Flat Coated Retrievers.

Donald Caldera brings the wisdom and skills of forty years of corporate experience across a variety of industries in acquisitions, development and management to CBI clients.

Prior to joining the CBI team in 1998, Don was a principal in a Palm Beach merchant bank with particular focus on expansion and roll-up transactions in healthcare, leisure, maritime and aerospace firms. He was EVP Development of a maritime energy services company which he helped to grow through acquisitions from $30 million to $180 million, via an initial public offering and over $300 million in financing. Prior thereto, Don was CEO of a Geneva Switzerland based joint venture for cruising, hotels and tourism in the Soviet Union. This assignment followed hi successful turnaround, as Chairman/CEO of a cruise line that he expanded, publicly financed and subsequently sold.

A native of Hudson Valley and a Lake Placid homeowner since 1974, Don received a BS in engineering from the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture and a JD from Yale Law School in 1960. He is a member of the New York Bar, the American Arbitration Association, the International Business Broker Association, the New York Association of Business Brokers and the New York State Association of Realtors.

Dennis Beckert has spent almost twenty years advising small businesses on matters of debt & equity fundraising, tax compliance and acquisition integration. Since leaving a Big 4 accounting firm for private industry, he has filled executive level financial positions for companies ranging in size from $1MM to $400MM in revenue with a particular need for cash forecasting and budgeting.

A native of New York's Hudson Valley, Dennis has longstanding ties to the North Country, from his studies at SUNY Potsdam (1991), where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics, to his recent work as Controller for one of the largest development projects in the Adirondacks – here in Lake Placid - since the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Dennis has received Masters Degrees in both Accounting and Business Administration from Northeastern University in Boston. He is a member of the Upstate Venture Association of New York.

Over the course of his 10+ years of mergers & acquisitions experience, Ted Henderson has successfully managed the acquisition and sale of small and mid-sized companies across various industries. He has worked closely with private equity firms and bankers on equity offerings and commercial lending arrangements.

Over the past 20 years, Ted worked with the former 'Big 4' public accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand before fulfilling the responsibilities of senior finance and general management positions, including CFO, COO and CEO, with private and publicly-held companies.

A certified public accountant and former senior management executive, Ted applies his extensive background to identify and present each client's unique attributes, to recommend optimal pricing and transaction structure, and to maximize seller proceeds. Further, Ted applies to each engagement his passion for consistently meeting his client's objectives with professionalism and expertise.

Melissa is the office manager of the Brattleboro Affiliate Office serving southern Vermont, western Massachusetts, and western New Hampshire. She oversees and creates marketing material, performs database research and coordinates correspondence with client companies and target acquisition candidates. Melissa is from New Jersey where she was a supervisor in the lands records department at the Bergen County Clerk's office. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a concentration in graphic design. Melissa is also a licensed Real Estate Salesperson in Vermont.

G. Stewart Baker established CBI Business Brokers in Atlantic Canada in 1997. He brings more than ten years of business brokerage experience and twenty years of legal expertise to CBI clients. Stu practiced law for over 20 years concentrating in the areas of commercial, business, real estate and franchise law as a partner in a Saint John law firm.

In addition, he served as General Counsel for a large real estate development company. He is a former chairman of the New Brunswick Employment Standards Tribunal. Stu is a member of the New Brunswick Law Society, the Canadian Bar Association and the Atlantic Provinces Arbitration and Mediation Institute. He is a licensed business broker in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Darryl Goyetche is an accomplished association management professional with a well developed network of contacts in business, government and the media.

Providing leadership to a variety of business organizations for more than thirty years, he served as President/General Manager of the Saint John Board of Trade and in similar capacities with the Greater Moncton Chamber and Atlantic Provinces Chamber of Commerce and Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Ottawa.

Goyetche is a graduate of the Canadian Institute for Organization Management at the University of Western Ontario. Darryl is an Employer Panel Member of the Employment Insurance Board of Referees, a member of the Canadian Society of Association Executives and a former Director of the Greater Saint John Economic Development Agency.

Mark Honkanen brings to CBI the wisdom and knowledge gained through many years of entrepreneurial and international business experience at the senior management level.

Mark has been a successful business owner having started, grown and sold his own company. In addition, he has enjoyed a distinguished career as Vice President - International of Bacou-Dalloz, a multi-national corporation based in Paris, France and with the Wurth Group based in Germany which carries on business in over 86 countries around the world. During his career, he managed international sales and marketing, global product line launching and developed expertise in the areas of strategic planning, business development and the negotiation of corporate acquisitions and divestitures in diverse international markets. Prior to joining CBI Mark was a senior manager with a major Maritime company.

Mark's unique combination of Canadian and international business experience combined with his strong network of European business contacts and keen understanding of international business cultures creates unique opportunities for his clients.

Born in Finland and educated at the University of Tampere and the Mercuri International Business School, Mark is a licensed business broker in Nova Scotia.

Darrell Banfield has thirty-three years experience in retail management, including many years as Eastern Regional Manager of a national department store chain. He has served as General Manager of a large business association in the Moncton area and as a director of a provincial business improvement organization.

Darrell is licensed under the New Brunswick Real Estate Agents Act. He holds a Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Mediation. Banfield has an extensive background in business development and has served as Chairman of the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce's Municipal Affairs Committee. Darrell is also active in a number of community volunteer organizations.

Duncan is a seasoned Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of comptrollership, tax, financial and succession planning experience. He has worked extensively in property development, manufacturing, heavy equipment supply, lumber, wholesale, distribution, high tech and hospitality sectors.

Tax planning and transaction structuring are crucial to the success of every transaction and CBI’s goal is to secure the best after-tax value for the owners of each of the companies that CBI is engaged to market. Duncan works with CBI clients to ensure that all tax options and their impact on net cash and family planning have been fully considered.

Duncan has two grown children and has lived for the past 25 years with his wife, Pam in Fredericton. He has served a long list of Provincial and local charities. A former UNB hockey player, he continues to enjoy and support various levels of the sport.