East Texas · Texas
Athens business brokers and M&A advisors
MDR & Associates acts as business brokers and M&A advisors for owners in Athens who are thinking about selling a substantial company and want it handled quietly. Athens, the Henderson County seat, lies about 36 miles from Tyler and 72 from Dallas, and our advisors come to you there, at your office or anywhere discreet.
A lake town between Tyler, Corsicana and Dallas
Athens was incorporated in 1856 and named after the capital of Greece. The 2020 census counted 12,857 residents. Lake Athens, an 1,800-acre reservoir, sits in the eastern half of the city, and the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, run by Texas Parks and Wildlife, is on the lake east of town. Cedar Creek Reservoir to the northwest is a popular getaway for Metroplex residents, and Lake Palestine lies to the east. The main campus of Trinity Valley Community College is here. Athens calls itself the Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World, and Fletcher Davis of Athens is one of several Americans credited with inventing the hamburger.
For an owner, the useful point is geography. Athens sits among several larger markets, with Corsicana 37 miles away, Palestine 34 and Kaufman 40, so a company based here may already serve customers well beyond the county. Buyers value that reach when it shows up in the numbers.
Athens at a glance
- CountyHenderson County
- RegionEast Texas
- Companies we sell$3M–$100M
- Typical transaction3–9 months
- Fee if we do not closeNone
Who buys an Athens company, and how they find it
Most serious buyers for a profitable company with $3 million to $100 million in revenue are private equity groups, capital groups, larger companies in the same field and qualified individuals, and many come from outside Henderson County. We go to our own database of those buyers first. Only if that pool falls short do we run anonymous listings on the large for-sale websites. Every buyer sees an anonymous profile until they sign an NDA and complete a financial profile. In a county seat of this size, that step is what keeps customers and employees from hearing the news early.
Getting a value first
The first step is free: a discovery meeting and an opinion of value, given as a low-to-high range after we review three years of financials. For a quick online estimate, start with the valuation snapshot. If you go ahead, our fee is earned only at closing; if no sale happens, you owe nothing. Athens is one of the communities on our East Texas page.
What we sell in and around Athens
Industry decides the buyer, the multiple and the diligence. These are the four sectors we work in most.
Manufacturing
Equipment, real estate, backlog and customer concentration decide what a manufacturer is worth.
How buyers value itHome Services
Plumbing, HVAC, roofing, landscaping and other home service companies — where repeat customers, crews and technicians decide the price.
How buyers value itDistribution & Wholesale
Inventory, working capital and supplier agreements decide what a distributor is worth.
How buyers value itBusiness Services
Recurring revenue and owner dependence separate a two-times business from a six-times business.
How buyers value itStraight answers
Questions Athens owners ask before they sell
Answered in full by the advisors who run the sales. Every Texas-wide answer.
The process
How an Athens sale runs
Ten steps in four stages, typically three to nine months. Click any step to see it in full.
- Prepare
- Go to market
- Negotiate
- Close
We also work with owners near Athens
Questions owners in Athens ask
Do Dallas buyers look at companies in Athens?
Some do. Athens is about 72 miles from Dallas, and Cedar Creek Reservoir already draws many Metroplex residents to the area. More important than distance is whether the company runs without the owner and has reliable records. We present the business to qualified buyers well beyond Henderson County, and Dallas buyers are one group among several.
My Athens business depends on lake visitors in summer. How do buyers treat seasonal revenue?
They look at several years, not one season, and at how you cover costs in the slow months. We recast your financials to show normal annual earnings, explain the seasonal pattern clearly and point to repeat customers. A seasonal business with steady year-over-year results can still sell well.
Talk to an advisor about your Athens company
Four fields, a reply the same business day, and nothing shared with anyone. If you would rather talk, call (855) 637-2776.