High End and Difficult Appraisals

SHANNON P. PRATT

CFA, ARM, ABAR, FASA, MCBA, CM&AA

Dr. Pratt is a well-known authority in the field of business valuation and has written numerous books that articulate many of the concepts used in modern business valuation around the world.

Shannon Pratt is the previous Chairman and CEO of Shannon Pratt Valuations, Inc., a business valuation firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon. He is also a member of the board of directors of Paulson Capital Corporation, an investment banking firm that specializes in small cap IPOs.

Over the last 45 years, he has performed valuation engagements for mergers and acquisitions, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), fairness opinions, gift and estate taxes, incentive stock options, buy-sell agreements, corporate and partnership dissolutions, dissenting stockholder actions, damages, marital dissolutions, and many other business valuation purposes. He has testified in a wide variety of federal and state courts across the country and frequently participates in arbitration and mediation proceedings.

He holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Washington and a doctorate in business administration, majoring in finance, from Indiana University. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Appraisers, a Master Certified Business Appraiser, a Chartered Financial Analyst, a Master Certified Business Counselor, and is certified in mergers and acquisitions.

Dr. Pratt's professional recognitions include being designated a life member of the Business Valuation Committee of the American Society of Appraisers, a life member of the American Society of Appraisers, past chairman and a life member of the ESOP Association Advisory Committee on Valuation, a life member of the Institute of Business Appraisers, the Magna Cum Laude in Business Appraisal award from the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, and the distinguished service award of the Portland Society of Financial Analysts. He recently completed two three-year terms as trustee-at-large of the Appraisal Foundation.

Dr. Pratt is the author of:

• Standards of Value, 2nd Edition, with William Morrison and Jay Fishman.  Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
• Guide to Business Valuations, 23rd Edition, with Jay Fishman, J. Clifford Griffith, and James Hitchner. Fort Worth, Tex.: Practitioners Publishing Company, 2013.
• Business Valuation and Federal Taxes:  Procedure, Law, and Perspective, 2nd Edition, with Judge David Laro.  Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
• Cost of Capital in Litigation:  Applications and Examples, with Roger Grabowski.  Hoboken, New Jersey:  John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
• Cost of Capital Fourth Edition Workbook and Technical Supplement. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
• Cost of Capital: Applications and Examples, 4th edition, with Roger Grabowski. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
• The Lawyer’s Business Valuation Handbook. 2nd edition, with Alina V. Niculita.  Chicago: American Bar Association, 2010.
• Business Valuation Discounts and Premiums, 2nd edition, Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
• Valuing a Business: The Analysis and Appraisal of Closely Held Companies, 5th edition, with Alina V. Niculita. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
• The Best of Shannon Pratt.  Portland, Oregon: Business Valuation Resources, LLC, 2006.
• The Market Approach to Valuing Businesses, 2nd edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.
• The Market Approach to Valuing Businesses Workbook, 2nd edition, with Alina Niculita. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.
• Business Valuation Body of Knowledge: Exam Review and Professional Reference, 2nd edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2003.
• Business Valuation Body of Knowledge Workbook, 2nd edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2003.
• Valuing Small Businesses and Professional Practices, 3rd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998.

He is publisher emeritus of a monthly newsletter, Business Valuation Update (primarily for the professional appraisal community).

Dr. Pratt develops and teaches business valuation courses for the American Society of Appraisers and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and frequently speaks on business valuation at national legal, professional, and trade association meetings. He also developed and often teaches a full-day seminar (sometimes divided into two partial days) on business valuation for judges and lawyers.

GEORGE D. ABRAHAM

CBA,CVA,MCBC,BCA,
CMEA,AIBA,FCBI CEO & Chief Appraiser

George D. Abraham has been involved in the transfer of over 450 businesses and his company has performed over 12,000 appraisals since 1973. Two of the appraisals Mr. Abraham was involved in passed the scrutiny of the World Bank.  He has performed close to 2,000 appraisals for bank and SBA financing purposes. He has done several appraisals valued over $7 billion. He has owned and operated several types of businesses throughout his career. His company has trained valuation partners around the country that enable his company to perform appraisal and consulting assignments at competitive rates.  His company was the first in the nation to develop and gain national attention for its unique and highly accurate business evaluation software programs that have been marketed to business brokers and appraisers all over the country.  At present, the programs are being updated and marketed under the supervision of Mr. Abraham, by ValuSource.  He has consulted with the nation's top intermediaries, accountants, attorneys and appraisal companies, and his programs are being used in nearly 2,000 offices nationwide, as well as in Canada and England.  He is a licensed Real Estate Broker, Certified Valuation Analysts (C.V.A.), Certified Business Appraiser (C.B.A.), Business Certified Appraiser (B.C.A.), Certified Machinery and Equipment Appraiser (C.M.E.A.), Real Estate Appraiser, Business Appraiser, Board Certified Business Broker, Certified Business Intermediary, Accredited Review Appraiser, Master Certified Business Counselor (M.C.B.C), and prior instructor for the Continuing Education Real Estate Course in Business Appraisal at the University of Houston.  Attorneys, accountants, and other clients retain him regularly for appraisals and consulting, as well as for court testimony as an expert witness, on the local, national and international level.  He has previously served two consecutive terms as a board member and panel chairman for the Galveston Central Appraisal Review Board.  In September of 2007, he was awarded the Master Certified Business Counselor designation by the Institute of Certified Business Counselors.  Also in October 2007 he was presented with the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in Business Appraisal by the Society of Business Analysts and the NEBB Institute.

He is one of the founding charter members and a Past State President of the Texas Association of Business Brokers and served two consecutive terms as State Vice President of Education.  In July of 1997, Mr. Abraham was awarded a "Life Membership" from the Board of Directors for his contributions to the association.  He has served on the National Board of Directors for the Institute of Certified Business Counselors for the past eight years as Vice President of Education and has served two consecutive terms as the National President (1998 to 2000).  He is one of the first to qualify and receive the "Board Certified Broker" designation from the Texas Association of Business Brokers and one of the first to qualify for the "Certified Business Intermediary" designation by the International Business Brokers Association.  In the fall of 1994, Mr. Abraham was named a "Fellow" of the International Business Brokers Association by its Board of Directors for his significant contribution to the association and the business intermediary industry.

His related activities enable him to remain current in industry trends, comparable sales information, comparative operating ratios and other factors necessary to effectively appraise and enhance going concerns.

In addition to valuation of complete businesses, Mr. Abraham also specializes in the valuation of machinery and equipment, business consulting and business enhancement programs and implementation.  He is contracted on a regular basis to perform these assignments for other major valuation firms.  Mr. Abraham has extensive national and international consulting experience.  The work he has performed has labeled Mr. Abraham as a turnaround specialist in privatization and he was listed as one of the top appraisers in 1993 in the Turnarounds & Workouts news publication.

The types of oilfield appraisals and enhancement consulting that Mr. Abraham has been involved in include drilling rigs, well service rigs, refineries, pipelines, rental company inventory, oil and gas production equipment and offshore oil transportation equipment.   In addition to equipment used in exploration or production, he has had experience appraising machinery and equipment used to manufacture oilfield equipment.  Mr. Abraham has performed appraisals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and the Bahamas.  Two of his international appraisal and enhancement consulting assignments were for government owned oil companies to obtain financing through the World Bank for the country's privatization efforts.

Education

Lamar Tech University (1966-1967) - Economics Major
University of Houston (1967-1970) - Economics Major

Designations and Licenses
   (Present and Historical)

Present

Certified Valuation Analysts (C.V.A.), National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts

Certified Business Appraiser (C.B.A.), Institute of Business Appraisers

Accredited in Business Appraisal (A.I.B.A.), Institute of Business Appraisers

Business Certified Appraiser (B.C.A.) International Society of Business Analysts

Master Certified Business Counselor (M.C.B.C.), Institute of Certified Business Counselors

Certified Machinery and Equipment Appraiser (C.M.E.A.), National Equipment & Business Builders Institute

Board Certified Broker (B.C.B.), Texas Association of Business Brokers

Certified Business Intermediary "Fellow" (F.C.B.I.), International Business Brokers Association (one of the first 5 to receive this designation)

Texas Real Estate Broker (License # 216656)

Historical

 Board Certified in Business Appraisal (B.C.B.A.), (Cert. # 846) National Society of Appraiser Specialists

Accredited in Appraisal Review (A.A.R.), National Society of Appraiser Specialists

Certified Environmental Inspector (C.E.I.), (#4868), National Society of Appraiser Specialists

Certified State Property Tax Consultant, (S.P.T.C.), (#792), Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations

Certified Farm Equipment Appraiser (C.F.E.A.), (#03473) American Society of Farm Equipment Appraisers

Nevada Real Estate Broker-Salesman (License # 35781)

Professional and Trade Affiliations (Present and Historical)

American Society of Appraisers

Institute of Business Appraisers

National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA)

International Society of Business Analysts

BCA Board of Advisors (2014 to present)

Education Committee Member (2013 to present) 

National Equipment Business Bureau

Texas Association of Business Brokers, Charter Member

Past State President (1985-1986)

•  State Vice President of Education (1991-1992) (1992-1993)
•  Past State Vice President and Treasurer (1984-1985)
•  Past Chapter Chairman (1983-1984)
•  Past Chapter Treasurer (1982-1983)
•  Chairman of various committees (1981-1985)

International Business Brokers Association

•  Co-Chair, Fellow’s Committee (2005 to present)

 Institute of Certified Business Counselors

• Previously on the National Board of Directors (1990 – 2000), Past President (September 1998 – September 2000)
•  National Vice President of Education (1992 - 1998)
• Accredited Review Appraisers Council

National Association of Real Estate Appraisers

Environmental Assessment Association

Galveston Central Appraisal Review Board

• Member Appraisal Review Board Member (1990-1991)
• Panel Chairman, Industrial Appraisal Review Board (1991-1993)
  • Settled over 1,400 appraisal disputes
  • Settled dispute of one of the largest shipping companies on the Gulf Coast
  • Valued one of the largest Resort Properties for litigation – value accepted with no challenge
  • Valued one of the largest banking chains in south Texas for litigation – value accepted with no challenge

Medical Practice Valuation Study Group

Small Business Survival Committee

Chief Executive Officer's Club

Alliance of Merger and Acquisition Advisors (AMAA)

Miscellaneous

Instructor and Creator, University of Houston, Continuing Education Real Estate Course, "Market Value of a Business" (1987-1990)

Instructor and Creator, International Business Brokers Association, "Business Valuation

Course 104. National Certification Program, (1989). Recasting Financial Statements. Course 210, (1998).

Presenter, Basic Business Valuation, Angelo State University (1993)

Currently listed in four Marquis Who's Who Publications as: "Who's Who in the World"; "Who's Who in America"; "Who's Who in the Southwest"; and "Who's Who in Finance and Industry."

Author, Business Evaluation Systems Software, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997

Contributing Author, Buying and Selling Businesses (Valuation Chapter), John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998

Owner, Business Evaluation Systems

Founder and National Director of the Society of Business Analysts (1998 to 2006)

Owner, Abraham and Associates Business Brokerage Co. (no longer active since 1998)

JEFFREY D. JONES

ASA, CBA, NACV, CBI

http://certifiedappraisers.com

Jeff holds a masters degree in business from Pepperdine University and is licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission and the Texas Securities Commission. He is a designated member of:

• The American Society of Appraisers (ASA)
• The Institute of Business Appraisers (CBA)
• The Texas Association of Business Brokers (BCB)
• The International Business Brokers Association (CBI).

APPRAISAL AND BUSINESS BROKERAGE EXPERIENCE:

As President of Certified Appraisers, Inc., he manages the firm's multidiscipline appraisal practice, including the valuation of businesses, machinery and equipment, and real estate.  His firm conducts appraisals for buy/sell, divorce, partnership disputes, economic damages, and estate planning.  He frequently testifies in depositions and courts of law as an expert witness on valuation issues. His clients include closely held companies, publicly-held companies, the IRS and other governmental agencies.  
 
Jeff is also President of Advanced Business Brokers. Since 1976, he has been involved in appraising and selling small to midsize businesses, including manufacturing, distribution, retail and service companies. He and his staff have sold over 1,000 businesses in Texas and the Southwest United States.
 
As a member of SCORE, the U. S. Small Business Administration's business consulting group, Jeff serves as an instructor and counselor for entrepreneurs starting new businesses, or helping existing business owners improve their profitability.

PUBLICATIONS, ARTICLES, AND SPEECHES

Jeff is the co-editor of the Handbook of Business Valuation and Mergers and Acquisitions Handbook for Small and Midsize Companies published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. He has written many articles on valuation and merger and acquisition issues, and is a featured speaker at many professional associations.