National/Regional Valuation Services

Knowing the value of your business is an essential part of doing business.  A business valuation can be an integral part of estate and gift planning, tax liability, purchase or sale of a business, buy sell agreements, succession planning, and divorce proceedings, as well as shareholder disputes.  Many factors are taken into consideration when a professional valuator determines the value of your business.

There is no active market to establish the value of closely held businesses.  However, many owners of closely held businesses have the need to determine the value of their interest.  Business valuations of closely held businesses are performed for tax, litigation or transactional purposes.  The need to value a closely held interest for tax purposes arises when valuing the interest held by a decedent in his or her estate, valuing a gift of a closely held business interest, valuing closely held stock transferred to an employee in connection with a stock bonus plan or stock option plan, valuing the allocation of tangible and intangible assets in connection with a sale, valuing the built-in gain when electing to convert to an S Corporation, etc.  Litigation may arise in the event of disputes between business owners, bankruptcies, divorce, dissenting shareholder cases, breach of contracts, lost profits, etc.  When a transaction involving closely held stock is contemplated, the buyer or the seller will generally seek the opinion of a valuation expert to assist them with valuing the sale or purchase of a closely held business. 

Some business owners engage business valuation professionals to track the value of their businesses and provide them with strategic objectives to enhance the value of their business.  These entrepreneurs have a clear growth strategy, they use valuation professionals to help them identify their value drivers, they eliminate barriers that erode value, and they use valuation professionals to monitor value and help them increase the value of their company. 

It is important that you choose a qualified and experienced business valuator to assist you with your valuation needs.  To become certified, business valuators, like Value Defined's staff, must complete extensive training, testing, and critiquing of their work.  But that is just the start; you need to choose a business valuation firm that has extensive experience and references that will attest to their experience and ability to complete your assignment. 

The valuation process must adhere to valuation standards prescribed by nationally recognized valuation organizations.  The valuator must consider the asset, income and market approaches and apply generally accepted valuation principals and methodologies in arriving at their valuation conclusion.  It is imperative that the valuator gains a thorough understanding of the owner’s industry and the internal and external economic factors affecting the success or failure of the entrepreneur. 

Value Defined is comprised of qualified experienced business valuators.  We have been selected to perform hundreds of valuations for numerous reasons.  The more difficult the project or when the stakes get higher, Value Defined is the firm chosen by more attorneys and CPAs than any other regional/ Northwest Ohio firm.  We have performed numerous valuations for tax purposes and numerous successful IRS audits.  We have successfully testified in federal, state, and county courts regarding numerous valuation matters.  Additionally, we have assisted numerous business owners with the sale of their company or the purchase/merger of businesses.  With nationally recognized valuator’s on staff active in the valuation industry:  on the standards committee, national and international instructor, ethics and oversight board, curriculum development and review, and certification grader, our firm stays abreast of the latest developments in the valuation community.  Value Defined is devoted to maintaining all of the resources needed to perform business valuation services including numerous transactional databases, an extensive library, continuing education for all of our valuation staff, adhere to recertification requirements, and most of all, the devotion of thousands of hours annually providing business valuation services nationally, regionally and locally. 

When choosing a valuation firm, choose Value Defined, the firm that is experienced and qualified to meet your needs.

About Our Valuators 

Garth Tebay, CPA, CVA, CM&AA, Managing Partner, directs the business valuation services, with the assistance of Gary Pfundt, CPA, CVA, Valuation Partner, Phillip E. Platz, CPA, CFE, CVA,  Steven J. Wenzlick, CPA, CVA, and Thomas J. Beutler, CPA, CVA.  All are all Certified Valuation Analysts (CVA) by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA).  In addition, Mr. Tebay has taken the certification course for the Certified Forensic Financial Analyst (CFFA) and is in the final stages of his certification requirements.

Our staff has performed hundreds of valuations since 1980.  Mr. Tebay has also been qualified in various municipal and federal courts as an expert witness and has given testimony in divorce cases, personal injury cases, lost profits, economic damages and shareholder disputes.  Both Mr. Tebay & Mr. Pfundt have been called upon to consult in various valuation matters.  Mr. Tebay has also served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.

Our valuation staff is very active in NACVA.  Since 2001, Mr. Tebay has been an instructor for the NACVA and has taught the Fundamentals Techniques & Theory (FT&T) course as well as the Case course for NACVA’s certification program, has presented the program for the Internal Revenue Service, the Small Business Administration (SBIC Division), and The Korean Valuation Association.  He is currently the Team Leader for FT&T and Case.  In addition, Mr. Tebay has written portions of the curriculum and presented numerous speeches on the topic of business valuations.  Mr. Tebay also serves as a member of the Standards Committee, Course Review Committee, Mentor Support Group, and the Speakers Bureau at NACVA, and has co-authored a valuation book that will be published in April 2005.   Mr. Pfundt is a member of the following committees:  NACVA grading team, State Chapter Committee, and the Exam & Grading Committee.

Having completed hundreds of valuations, our firm offers years of training and experience in the preparation of business valuations.

For more information on the CVA and why you should choose a CVA, click here.