This is the team I have assembled that will be your partner in preparing you and your company for a successful exit. We will be solely focused on ensuring that your transaction is as painless and profitable as it can be. I have the utmost confidence in the Ceibass Venture Partners team and in our abilities to assist you in what will be the most important business transaction of your career.

– Tom Fochtman

When it comes to preparing your business for sale, nobody knows the landscape like we do. Nobody.
Tom Fochtman
Tom Fochtman
CEO

Tom Fochtman has more than 40 years of experience working in the Green Industry. He founded CoCal Landscape in 1992, a Denver based commercial landscape company. At its peak, CoCal Landscape was a $33 million company, ranked #41 in the nation, and had 560 employees. Under Tom’s direction CoCal opened 3 branch offices, acquired two landscape companies for strategic growth purposes, and won more than 29 national and state awards for landscaping excellence. In 2011, he sold CoCal Landscape and founded Ceibass Venture Partners, an investment banking firm.

The team at Ceibass Venture Partners exists to help business owners in the green industry achieve their financial goals. They are a leader and a true resource for business owners in the green industry when it comes to thinking about, planning for, preparing for and executing exit strategies for the transfer or sale of their businesses. They help business owners understand the process, prepare their businesses for sale, and then get them the maximum dollar for their business.

Additionally, Tom has many lifetime achievements including: founding Next Level Network, a nationally renowned industry peer group; a Lawn & Landscape leadership award; an Ambassador and past President of the NALP Foundation; a 3-term board member of NALP and recipient of the “Bob Cannon Lifetime Achievement Award” presented by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.

Timothy J. Belber, JD
Timothy J. Belber, JD
Attorney

“Tim’s expertise is in estate and succession planning. What he really does is challenges you to think about the future … what happens after we close? And what you do after you hit the proverbial ‘home run’ will be critical to how satisfied you are with the rest of your life. Tim plays a critical role in exiting a business.”

Tim earned a business degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and law degree from Seton Hall University. Tim is a member of The Society of Financial Service Professionals (1983), The Legacy Wealth Coach Network (2000) and The Copper Beech Tree Society (2004). He speaks frequently on the subject of incorporating ethics and values into long term financial and estate plans. He is active in advising owners and families on business deals ranging from 15M to 250M, with a heavy concentration in the 50 to 75M range.
Dennis Buelow
Dennis Buelow
CPA, Partner

“Dennis is a brilliant tax strategist. In my opinion, the best on the planet. He will make sure your transaction is structured in the most sound and tax advantageous manner possible. Simply put, he will make sure you retain the majority of your proceeds.”

Dennis is a partner and industry leader for Colorado in the construction and real estate practice (CORE) at CliftonLarsonAllen. He has over 14 years of experience in public accounting and regularly works with clients on compliance, maximizing tax efficiency through entity selection, transaction planning, and specialty tax incentives.Dennis’ CORE industry group clients have an emphasis in the green industry, specifically general contractors, subcontractors and architectsengineers.

Dennis is a president elect of the Denver Active 2030 Children’s Foundation, a board member at the Tennyson Center for Children, a member of the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Tom Francis
Tom Francis
Mile High Banks lender

“Whether buying or selling, you need the perspective of the commercial banking community. You need to know how bankable your transaction is. Tom provides that perspective and is a true expert at how to utilize SBA funds.”

Tom Francis is a Business Development Officer for the Colorado region of Wells Fargo SBA. As part of SBA Lending, Tom works with small businesses to help choose the best loan for their growing business and implement solutions based on a comprehensive understanding of their goals and vision for their business. Over the past 6 years Tom has funded over $134M in SBA Loans, of which $32M were in business acquisition and partner buyout transactions.
Robert G. Hueston
Robert G. Hueston, P.C.
Attorney at Law

“Rob is what I refer to as a ‘transactional attorney’ but he also is very creative in determining how a transaction should be structured. He figures out how to get a deal closed and makes sure you are covered, legally.”

Robert Hueston is an established corporate lawyer with nearly two decades of experience. In addition to his active role as outside general counsel to both emerging and established businesses, Robert has significant experience assisting clients in the purchase or sale of all types of businesses, having structured, negotiated, and closed over 100 acquisition and sale transactions for a combined value in excess of $200 million.
Ken Rogers
Ken Rogers
Green Industry Consultant; CPA

“Ken possesses a unique skill set. In his prior role as a co-owner of a large landscape company, he focused on both operations and administrative process; he is also a CPA. Ken provides very strong and diverse analytical skills when evaluating a company.”

Ken is the former President and co-owner of Highgrove Partners, LLC, a prominent industry leading landscape maintenance and construction company located in Atlanta, Georgia. Ken led the operations and administrative groups to success in this $15 million organization. He has a depth of knowledge that is strong in operations, administrative process, and general accounting along with the skill set of a CPA.
Stephen N. Sangalis
Stephen N. Sangalis
Progress Equity

“As a partner in a private equity firm, Steve brings an investor mentality when analyzing a company and potential deal. He will let you know how ‘sound’ your company will look to an outside buyer. This is an invaluable perspective as we evaluate potential buyers of your business.”

Steve Sangalis is a founding partner of Progress Equity Partners, Ltd. Steve is a highly seasoned private equity professional with over eighteen years experience in sourcing, structuring, executing and managing private investments in lower middle market companies. Prior to forming Progress Equity, Steve was a founding partner of Rocky Mountain Capital Partners, a private equity and subordinated debt investment firm which managed over $200 million of institutional capital.