Sunbelt Business Brokers AZ

Tim Whipple

Principal and Designated Broker 
Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA)

Tim Whipple is the Designated Broker and Managing Principal of HUB Commercial, an affiliate of Sunbelt Business Brokers. He provides business brokerage and commercial real estate services throughout Arizona. Tim has successfully represented clients in hundreds of commercial real estate/business sale transactions.

Tim is an expert in business brokerage, marketing, real estate acquisitions, contract negotiations, lease review, and market research.  Tim is an active member of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) and is a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA). He has been recognized as a top producer in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021.

Bill Toole

Principal | Certified Main Street Business Broker

Bill’s passion is helping businesses drive outstanding results. With over 31 years as both an executive and entrepreneur, he has a unique perspective on leading teams and companies towards achieving long-term success.

Bill served as Chief Operating Officer for the last five years of his 31-year career with an international organization headquartered in Arizona and held various leadership positions before settling into his role as an executive. Bill was responsible for all aspects of operating this industry-leading chain which was home to over 150 locations and 3,500 team members in the United States and Mexico.

During his tenure as a senior leader, his company achieved record same-store sales growth for seven consecutive years. He is currently the co-owner of three high-volume local Arizona restaurants which operate as three separate brands as well as being a principal at Sunbelt Business Brokers.

Bill specializes in the sale of growing businesses and assisting sellers with securing a successful exit.

Brian Harron

Principal | Certified Business Broker 

Brian Harron specializes in selling restaurant and bar businesses throughout Arizona. With over 30 years of experience as both a restaurateur and restaurant broker, Brian has been privileged to sell many restaurant and bar businesses, and has owned and operated a few as well!

A former Chief Operating Officer of the National Restaurant Association, Brian has been the owner of a restaurant management, operations, and consulting company, president of a meat and grocery supply company, and publisher of a news magazine for the restaurant business.

He is a graduate of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at Cornell University. He holds a Master’s Degree in Education and Marketing from the University of North Dakota and has considerable professional education in the field of business brokerage and commercial real estate. He is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Arizona Business Brokers Association (AZBBA) Central Chapter and has won awards as an AZBBA Top Producer in 2014, 2015, & 2016 as well as the Top Producing Team in 2016 and 2017.

Brent Ainsworth

Business Broker

Brent Ainsworth boasts an impressive background advising small business owners for over 35 years. As an accountant by profession, he has witnessed the vast growth of the Metro Phoenix Valley and has worked directly with business owners in securing their positions in this entrepreneurial environment. The numbers say it all, or at least in part. Interpreting those numbers is the key, contrasted with the flow of operations, and the persona of management operandum. As a helping hand to business owners, Brent understands the implications to financing, taxable positions, cash strain or cash reserve, debt to equity – earnings to value.

Brent is a graduate of Boise State University with a degree in Accounting and Real Estate Finance.

Bryan Berkley

Business Broker

Bryan has an entrepreneurial spirit and over 35 years of business experience that he draws on. Starting at a young age, Bryan built a successful advertising company in NE Ohio. He is a seasoned hospitality veteran with 30 years of service and experience in the Arizona Restaurant industry.  Now he is a licensed broker at Sunbelt Business Brokers.

Bryan’s background includes ownership of multiple restaurants, corporate management with a Fortune 500 company, industry sales, and years of restaurant/bar/business brokerage experience having been originally licensed in 1996. He has owned a video/tv production company producing over 100 television episodes.

Currently, he co-owns a Holistic Spa with his wife and an e-commerce business that includes a full line of nourishing organic skin products. Bryan attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

Bryan Detwiler

Certified Main Street Business Broker

Bryan has over 25 years of business experience as an owner and CEO. In his various entrepreneurial ventures, Bryan has excelled in sales and marketing of both products and services. A well-known fact is that most Main Street businesses are sold through online advertising. With Bryan’s demonstrated skills in promotions and digital marketing, he can bring his insights, creativity, and experience to help you achieve the best deal possible on the sale of your business. 

Ansel Hall, CBI

Certified Business Intermediary | M&A Advisor

Ansel Hall has 25 years of investment banking experience providing M&A advisory and capital raising services to companies across multiple industry sectors including consumer products, retailing, manufacturing, business services, real estate services, industrial services, and human capital management, among others. He has sold companies to both private equity firms and strategic corporate buyers across the country which makes him a valuable team member at Sunbelt Business Brokers.

Ansel also co-founded a consumer products company and acquired an auto dealership providing him with first-hand experience in the joys, and trials, of owning and operating a small business as well as the start-up, acquisition, and sale of businesses. He is highly analytical with an ability to identify and address core transaction issues in advance of commencing a sale process.

He leverages his financial and transaction expertise to work through any challenges in representing his clients towards the successful completion of transactions. Ansel received his MBA with a concentration in Finance at UCLA and has a B.S in Agricultural Economics and Business Management from UC Davis.

Wes Hayne

Business Broker

Wes has served in various executive positions over the past in several business sectors including manufacturing, medical, entertainment, finance, restaurant, hospitality, building products and computer software/services. He has an especially strong background in finance having been founder and CEO of Hayne, Miller, Swearingen & Glore, an underwriter specializing in funding and advising young high growth companies in preparation for the public market through NASDQ listing. He is experienced in the purchase, sale, and acquisition process from his personal business experiences, owning several companies over the decades.

The true enjoyment of his business life has been helping to solve the challenges that companies face  thus developing their potential resulting in the creation of value.

He attended the University of Minnesota, was a member of the Minnesota Traders Association and Regional Investment Bankers Association, as well as having served on the Boards of First Team Sports, Inc., Innovative Bio-Technology, LLC, British American Business Council (BABC) of Minnesota, Minnesota Sinfonia (the family orchestra), K-Tel International (Chairman Audit Committee) , Chairman/Board/CEO of Biorefining, Inc.(Bio Chemical) and Board/CEO of Petvivo, Inc. (Bio Medical).

Sharon Mortensen, CCIM

Certified Main Street Business Broker | Associate Broker – Prescott Office

Sharon Mortensen is an Associate Broker and the Branch Manager for the company’s Prescott office. She specializes in commercial real estate sales and leasing, and business brokerage.  Her background compliments what we do at Sunbelt Business Brokers very well.

In addition, Sharon has 19 years of experience as a bar, restaurant, and coffee house owner and operator in Arizona. She graduated with a BS degree from Colorado State University and is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and a board member of the Prescott Area Commercial Group (PACG).

Sharon has been a Prescott resident since 2007.

Justin Turner

Business Broker

Justin is an Arizona native and lifelong Sun Devil. He’s been in sales & business development for over 20 years, and has had the opportunity to work in a wide range of industries including banking, radio advertising, insurance & financial services, event sales/production, travel, entertainment, national retail, and SAAS technology. This industry diversity has allowed him to meet and engage with a wide range of business owners and leaders, and develop a keen understanding of how these different verticals operate.

On top of that, Justin has been a business owner himself! For several years Justin operated his own insurance firm (Turner Insurance LLC) as a captive agent for State Farm. In addition, he ran a mobile tuning business focused on Toyota SUV and truck platforms. As a business broker, Justin understands first-hand the challenges, frustrations (and joys!) that come with running your own business. He holds an Arizona Real Estate salesperson license and is working on his Main Street Business Broker certification. But above all, Justin is eager to help you sell one of your most treasured assets…your business!

Elijah Wood

Business Broker – Prescott Office

Elijah Wood is a Business Broker and Commercial Realtor specializing in sales and leasing. He moved to Prescott, Arizona in 2020 from Colorado. He is an avid traveler and outdoor enthusiast.  Elijah has 7+ years in the hospitality industry of which he has experience in management service and bookkeeping. He has a keen understanding on running a successful restaurant business and extensive knowledge in the local market as well as insight into the local service industry. His connection to local business owners, professionalism and work ethic has guided him into a successful position within the rapidly growing market of restaurant business in Prescott.

View Arizona Businesses For Sale Right Now

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