Locations

Richard Smetana, CBI Broker, President,

Richard earned his CBI (Certified Business Intermediary) designation from the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA). He has been assisting buyers and sellers in small businesses since he purchased the Sunbelt office in July, 2004. Sunbelt has over 300 offices throughout the U. S. and 25 offices within California. He represents business owners and buyers in East Riverside County, one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. The territory includes all cities in the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio), from Idyllwild, Banning and Beaumont and Blythe.

 Prior to becoming a business broker, Richard had a successful career in management of privately held corporations in the restaurant and resort industry. He was the Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of a corporation developed and operated by Desert Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Lowe Enterprises. Richard had the responsibilities of overseeing the operations of this six million dollar gross revenue business, including establishing budgets, financial controls, hiring and organizing multiple departments. After this corporation was successfully sold, Richard purchased Sunbelt Business Brokers of Coachella Valley.

Richard has management, financial, organizational and marketing skills. He has a BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) from Eastern Michigan University Business School. He has a post graduate degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from Northern Virginia College and did post graduate studies in accounting at UCLA. In addition to being a member of IBBA, he is also a member of California Association of Business Brokers (CABB), Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, Rotary Club, the National and California Restaurant Associations, and the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA).

Richard has been living in the Coachella Valley for over eighteen years and is active in the community. He is very proud to be a founding member of the Board of Directors and past President of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Desert.

Bill assists current and potentially new organizations in identifying and solving their major problems. Practice areas include, but are not limited to:
• Strategic Planning               
• Leadership Development
• Budgeting
• Board/Management Relationships
• Business Evaluations
• Organization/Succession Planning
• Business Plans (to raise capital)
• Marketing Planning 
• Business Development
• Acquisition Evaluations 
• New Product Development   
• Cost Reduction Programs  
• Facilitations .
Bill holds a BA in Economics from Yale University and a MBA in Marketing from Columbia University.
His career includes five years as President of Bachman, an almost hundred million dollar regional snack food company located in Reading, PA; seven years as President/CEO of Diamond, a couple hundred million dollar nut processing company located in Stockton, CA; and two years as President/CEO of GreatFood.com, an award winning e-commerce startup, which was sold to 1-800-Flowers for cash. Here in the Coachella Valley since 2001, he has provided management consulting services to organizations/individuals in numerous fields (e.g., restaurants, construction, country clubs, landscaping, healthcare, automotive services, insurance, professional firms, retail sales, manufacturing, non-profits).
Bill has taught at COD; served as Treasurer, Executive Committee member and Board member of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership; and is Treasurer and Board member of Leadership Coachella Valley.

Wes has more than thirty years of business leadership experience, including turnaround, acquisition and divestiture, startup and CFO experience. Wes began his business career in finance for a major retailer, moved into CFO duties in the food service and the media industries, and spent 13 years in CEO roles prior to his current career in Mergers and Acquisitions. Wes has led turnarounds in the media and distribution industries and has also taught others how to lead business transitions. His areas of focus include financial leadership and restructuring, strategic planning and implementation, new business development, sales management, market building, customer-focused data collection, and process management. His real-world experience includes:

• Developed and led the strategy for a media company that built revenue from $16-million to over $40-million in five years – through the acquisition of businesses and new product lines.

• Instrumental in acquiring businesses and negotiating multi-million dollar licensing agreements with major corporations. Also experienced in negotiating international contracts for the acquisition of various types of businesses and intellectual properties.

• Successfully led the integration of several acquisitions into the culture of the acquiring corporation while maintaining employee morale and revenue growth.

Mr. Monty fully understands that successful mergers and acquisitions must have a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts Wes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance - Lawrence University, MI. Wes has been on the Board of Directors for: Sea Movies, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA – 1993 to 1996, KKFI Films – Tokyo, Japan – 1989 to 1996, Visual Education Centre – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – 1991 to1994, and SportatHome.com Inc.