Page 32 - ATR 4 2013

FOR SALE,
Continued from page 23

to customer base.
Once a seller has a thorough
Tractor-trailer financing for understanding of his company’s attri-
butes and potential problem areas, he
Arkansas transportation companies must then be realistic in his pricing
expectations.
“The reason most deals fall through
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance offers: is the seller makes demands that are not
• Term loans and a variety of lease options reasonable,” Ahern said.
• Trailers available for lease directly from
Wells Fargo a bUyEr’S pErSpEcTivE
• Competitive rates and structures Often sellers listen to their own
• Attentive, professional service accountants or legal teams, people who
are skilled at what they do but may not
have a thorough understanding of the
trucking industry and what is impor-
Ready to learn more? Call or email today. tant to a buyer.
Dave Modde • 1-800-670-0408 ext. 18 • david.p.modde@wellsfargo.com “What you have to do is under-
stand the psychology of the seller,”
Ahern said. “You have to understand
the moral values and family values and
wellsfargo.com/trucks
© 2012 Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Inc. All applications you have to match it with someone who
subject to credit approval. All rights reserved. MC-4044 has the same moral and ethical and
family values. Otherwise it’s just not
going to work.”
MC-4044_WFEFI_AK trucking association ad.indd 1 4/18/12 12:30 PM
Ahern noted that buyers come in
Go capacity buyers because they are only
two categories: Strategic and capacity.
Ahern says he avoids advising

looking for drivers and trucks and are
AheAd unconcerned about the other people,
the human capital, that help make a
company valuable.
“We don’t represent capacity buy-
And ers because you’re not going to get any
value for your business,” he said.
Strategic buyers will look at a
company’s intellectual capital, things
StAre like management team and operating
footprint as well as the drivers, Ahern
said. And strategic buyers will look at a
company’s capacity for growth.
“Strategic buyers are looking at how
they can leverage your existing busi-
We knoW We look Good. ness and get better paying customers or
shoppers,” Ahern said.
Ahern recalled a seller on the East
Coast who wanted to ensure that all his
For more information, call Jennifer Matthews kidd, publisher, of his employees would get contracts
at 501-907-6776 or e-mail jennifer@matthewspublishing.com. under their new ownership.
“I said ‘Look, that’s your obliga-

32 arkansas Trucking reporT | issue 4 2013