Dallas–Fort Worth · Texas
Gainesville business brokers and M&A advisors
Gainesville owners who want to sell a company can bring in MDR & Associates, a firm of M&A advisors from the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex that represents only the seller. Gainesville is the Cooke County seat, at the crossing of Interstate 35 and U.S. Route 82, 71 miles north of downtown Dallas and seven miles from the Oklahoma border. Its largest employer, Safran Seats USA, builds commercial airline seats and employs about 1,500 people.
Cattle trails, barbed wire and airline seats
After the Civil War, Gainesville was a supply point for herds heading north, and in 1875 it became a distribution point for barbed wire. Three railroads arrived between 1879 and 1887, and during the Second World War Camp Howze brought major employment. The city, with 17,394 residents in 2020, remains an agribusiness center, and North Central Texas College, founded in 1924 and the oldest continuously operated community college in Texas, is headquartered here.
WinStar World Casino, less than ten miles north in Thackerville, Oklahoma, draws tourism through the area, and Amtrak's Heartland Flyer stops in town. The 1912 Beaux Arts Cooke County Courthouse anchors downtown, the Frank Buck Zoo is here, and the city sits 65 miles north of Fort Worth, with Valley View to the south, Whitesboro to the east and Lindsay to the west.
Gainesville at a glance
- CountyCooke County (county seat)
- Metro areaDallas–Fort Worth CSA
- Companies we sell$3M–$100M
- Typical transaction3–9 months
- Fee if we do not closeNone
A manufacturing and agribusiness market that reaches two states
A Gainesville company may sell into Oklahoma as easily as into Dallas, and a buyer will want that reach laid out: revenue by customer and by state, freight costs along I-35 and the workforce behind it. For a supplier to aerospace or other manufacturers, buyers also look at quality systems and how long key customers have stayed. Our manufacturing page explains how we prepare that kind of company.
Because the right buyer may be in the Metroplex, in Oklahoma or in another state entirely, we run a wide search: first our own lists of qualified buyers, then blind advertising if needed, with a confidentiality agreement signed before any name is shared.
How we meet owners in Gainesville
Our corporate office is in Frisco; for Gainesville owners, our advisors make the drive and meet at your business or a quiet location. There is no upfront fee, since we are paid only if the company sells. Every company we represent goes out with a confidential marketing package, a recast of its financials and a professionally filmed HD video, so distant buyers can understand it before making the trip north. Read how we sell a business, or see nearby markets on our Dallas–Fort Worth region page.
What we sell in and around Gainesville
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 Gainesville owners ask before they sell
Answered in full by the advisors who run the sales. Every Dallas–Fort Worth answer.
The process
How a Gainesville 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 Gainesville
Questions owners in Gainesville ask
I own an agribusiness company in Cooke County. Does MDR & Associates sell those?
If it distributes feed, equipment or supplies, or manufactures products, it may fit our distribution or manufacturing work, provided it is profitable with about $3 million or more in revenue. Farms and ranch land are outside what we do. We will tell you plainly at the first meeting whether we are the right fit.
Will a buyer want me to stay on after selling my Gainesville company?
Most buyers ask for a transition period so customers and staff meet the new owner while you are still there. The length and terms are negotiated in the letter of intent. In a smaller city where business relationships are personal, a well-planned handover protects the price you were paid.
Talk to an advisor about your Gainesville company
Four fields, a reply the same business day, and nothing shared with anyone. If you would rather talk, call (855) 637-2776.