East Texas · Texas
Rusk business brokers and M&A advisors
For an owner in Rusk, MDR & Associates is a sell-side M&A advisor: we represent you, not the buyer, and handle the valuation, marketing and negotiation of your company's sale. Rusk is the Cherokee County seat, where U.S. 69 and U.S. 84 cross, and our advisors come to meet you there or anywhere more private.
The crossroads of Cherokee County
Rusk was founded in 1846 and named for Thomas Jefferson Rusk. Its 2020 population was 5,285. U.S. 69 runs 14 miles northwest to Jacksonville and 43 miles southeast to Lufkin, and U.S. 84 runs 30 miles east to Mount Enterprise and the same distance west to Palestine. Tyler is about 40 miles north; Dallas and Houston are 125 and 160 miles away.
The best-known institutions in town are public. The Texas Department of State Health Services operates Rusk State Hospital, and the Texas State Railroad runs between Rusk and Palestine, drawing visitors along with Rusk State Park and Jim Hogg Park. Published detail about private companies here is thin, which is one more reason we start every engagement by listening to the owner.
Rusk at a glance
- CountyCherokee County
- RegionEast Texas
- Companies we sell$3M–$100M
- Typical transaction3–9 months
- Fee if we do not closeNone
Where buyers for a Rusk company come from
A company with steady earnings in a town of five thousand is not limited to local buyers. Our database holds individual buyers, capital groups and private equity firms who acquire Texas companies of $3 million to $100 million in revenue. Home service trades are a good example of what they look for: HVAC, plumbing, roofing and pest control companies with repeat customers and trained crews, as our home services page explains.
Every buyer sees a blind profile first and must sign a confidentiality agreement and prove funding before learning your name. We then encourage several letters of intent to arrive at the same time, because competition sets the price. To see a first range for your company, start with our free valuation snapshot. Other towns in the area are covered on the East Texas page.
What we sell in and around Rusk
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 Rusk owners ask before they sell
Answered in full by the advisors who run the sales. Every Texas-wide answer.
The process
How a Rusk 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 Rusk
Questions owners in Rusk ask
Can a Rusk company sell to someone who will not move to Cherokee County?
Often, yes. Capital groups and private equity buyers usually keep the existing manager in place, so the key question is who runs the business day to day after you leave. If a trusted manager already handles operations, the pool of possible buyers becomes much wider.
My business serves Rusk State Hospital or other public agencies. Is that a problem for buyers?
Government customers can be steady, but buyers will want to know how contracts are awarded, when they renew and whether they transfer to a new owner. We gather those documents early so the question is answered in the marketing package, not discovered during due diligence.
Talk to an advisor about your Rusk company
Four fields, a reply the same business day, and nothing shared with anyone. If you would rather talk, call (855) 637-2776.