The March Group M&A Musings Blog

March Group - Align With the BBB and Chamber of Commerce

With Friends Like These, Everybody Wins:

Integrity, transparency and honesty are just a few of the reasons that George E. Gifford, chairman of The March Group, originally joined the Better Business Bureau (BBB) almost 10 years ago.  The partnership has proven itself to be a powerful alliance for The March Group, a leading mergers and acquisitions firm that has helped thousands of individuals looking to sell or buy businesses.  “Business can always happen without the oversight of these reputable organizations, but a company that is above board has a lot of benefits by joining,” says Gifford.

The transparency of the Better Business Bureau is evidenced by its user-friendly Web sites, allowing prospective consumers and customers to easily access information on companies they’d like to do business with, non-profits or charities they’d like to donate to, or even access the BBB’s own annual reports.  Better still is the quick availability of national information on a company, as local chapters share their business information intrastate.  The March Group’s original Nashville affiliation still allows reports and complaints to be accessed on a national level, not just within a particular state of origin.  “This has assisted us to give our clients a sense of trust and security,” says The March Group’s Corporate Development Senior Vice President Perry Sheraw.  “People who invest their time with us want to know they can trust our values of honesty, integrity and that we will live up to our promises.”  

Questioned further, Sheraw uses The March Group as an example of how beneficial the BBB has been, citing only two complaints to the firm in the last three years.   The two claims were administratively closed after the BBB determined that The March Group had offered reasonable resolutions to consumer complaints.  “Both cases were dropped by the consumer, and we continue to retain an “A” rating in all our locations.  It’s great to have a third party interject; we definitely see the benefit of having somewhere for consumers to go to with their concerns.” 

Not to be forgotten as a globally powerful business alliance, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce remains the world’s largest federation, representing upwards of three million businesses of all sizes, locations and industry sectors, with local chapters throughout the nation.  The company’s main purpose is to fight for free enterprise before all forms of government, courts and regulatory agencies worldwide, and local chapters work on their local level. 

As members of local chapters, Chamber affiliation has had a significant impact on The March Group’s client network.   “In our Coral Springs office alone, we have benefited from the Coral Springs Chamber’s networking and referral programs when seeking services and gaining new clients,” continues Sheraw.  “People like to do business with people they trust — who share their values.  We uphold the mission statements put forth by both the Better Business Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce; we’re proud to affiliate ourselves with them.”

As members of the local Nashville chapter, all inquiries into the Better Business Bureau are followed up with a notice to March Group executives via the BBB alert system.  “We fully support prospective clients inquiring about our track record. We usually suggest it to people to instill consumer confidence. It also lets us know how we’re doing,” Sheraw adds.  E-mail alerts remain anonymous and only report on the results in regard to the company’s standing. The March Group continues to have “reliability reports” issued to these inquires that indicate its good standing.

“We are commonly asked what services are most recommended for small- to mid-sized companies, and we routinely recommend getting involved with both the BBB and your local or national Chamber of Commerce and start taking advantage of the professional business environments they support,” says Sheraw. Membership benefits of joining a local Chamber chapter include access to events, membership directories and business resources.  Sheraw concludes, “We believe that with friends like these, both businesses and consumers win.”

Founded in 1986, The March Group is headquartered in Coral Springs, Florida, and has offices throughout the United States and worldwide. The company employs over 200 professionals with a powerful network of business contacts all over the globe.  The March Group specializes in the marketing, negotiation and sale of privately held middle-market businesses. The March Group has successfully helped hundreds of business owners sell their companies by connecting them with buyers.