VALUE-A-BUSINESS.COM The online business valuation center of C&S Associates Helping business owners since 1979

For over twenty five years, PETE SMITH has served small and medium sized business owners as general partner of C&S Associates, a financial consulting firm specializing in business valuation, business sales, succession planning, and related financial matters.

His prior experience includes Division Controller positions with two Fortune 500 companies and a consulting position with an international management consulting company.

He made numerous valuations in a variety of industries, with emphasis on electrical, mechanical, and electronic service and sales companies. Descriptions of some of these assignments are in the top, right hand corner of the home page.

As an intermediary, he has completed over twenty-five merger or acquisition transactions.

He has consulted well over one hundred clients in: executive management reviews, succession planning, acquisition and refinancing business plans, restructuring programs, ratio analysis and more.

Pete has made numerous business presentations to local, regional, and international associations on business valuations, business sales, and other financial topics.

He has written for Mergers and Acquisitions, The Journal of Corporate Venture, and has been published in other trade magazines and newsletters.

He earned an undergraduate Bachelor's of Management Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. He earned his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and was a Ph.D. candidate there. He has additional finance, tax and real estate post-graduate courses from the University of New Haven and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

References and prior employers available upon request.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Pete Smith
C&S Associates
P.O. Box 361325
Birmingham, AL 35236

Office: (205) 987-5315
Cell: (205) 837-4845
Email: petesmith@value-a-business.com

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BUSINESS VALUATION STANDARDS

Interested parties know, or should know, that the credibility of a Business Valuation increases or decreases according to the degree of adherence to the generally accepted Business Valuation standards listed below.

1. Independence
A Business Valuation Specialist or Appraiser should not act in favor of the client or any other party. This does not mean that he or she will be an adversary, just that neutrality to all parties is a cornerstone for business valuation.

2. Non-Contingency Compensation
Fees based upon a percentage of the valuation or contingent on other outside variables are unethical and are not allowed.

3. Explicit statement of all limiting conditions
Material Events: Actual or seriously threatened: Any material or potentially material events that are not already reflected in the financial statements of the client and are known to the appraiser should be disclosed in the report of the results. Lawsuits, regulatory actions, tax liens, markets or technology changes, human resource issues, including threatened labor actions, etc., are all events that should be disclosed

Other limitations: Any limitations related to the possession, use or dissemination of the Business Valuation or limitations on the future involvement of the appraiser, such as legal dispositions, should be disclosed.

4. Participation disclosure
Every professional materially participating in the preparation of a Business Valuation or Appraisal should be sign and attest to their adherence to the Business Valuation Standards.

5. Information disclosure and reliance
All material sources used in the preparation or the Business Valuation should be listed in the report. The degree of reliance or degree of due diligence to verify (or not) the information should be stated.

6. Report Contents
In addition to the IRS Valuation Guidelines Business Valuation reports should address at least the following:

• Purpose and scope of the assignment,
• Degree of adherence to the Business Valuation Standards,
• Valuation date being employed,
• Identification of the specific interest being evaluated,
• Any laws or regulations (state or federal) that would materially effect the outcome of the valuation, Scope of the procedures employed,

RELEVANCY NOW

As these items relate to the service offerings on this web site, the following:

• I adhere to the Independence and Non-Contingency Compensation Standards
• They are not applicable to the "How to Value Your Own Business" and the Business Valuation Calculator.
• The Summary Business Valuation only partially adheres to the remaining standards.
• The Business Valuation and Business Appraisal adhere to the remaining standards. As explained elsewhere, the Business Valuation uses limited external market or industry data.