Business Mergers & Acquisitions – Oklahoma.
The professionals at our Oklahoma affiliate – formerly BluestemUSA – have the local expertise you can count on to manage the sale of your business. From business valuation through sale or buy-side representation, we have the knowledge and the national network to assist you.
Our Oklahoma team is focused primarily on middle market clients located across the state and the Southwest U.S. with annual revenues ranging from $2 million to $50 million. However, our partnership with IBG affiliates ensures that whether you represent a family-owned business in rural Oklahoma or are a distributor with a global footprint, we have the experience and resources to manage your transaction.
Our Oklahoma affiliate was originally founded in 1987 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and has become one of the Southwest’s most experienced and trusted merger and acquisition business brokers. We know the local Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and regional markets, because we’ve lived in them for more than thirty years. Our knowledge is coupled with a full complement of resources to help you buy or sell a business on terms that meet or exceed your objectives.
Our clients comprise a broad sampling of all industries with a significant concentration in:
- Industrial manufacturing and distribution
- Oil and gas ancillary products and services
- Technology
- Professional services
As M&A brokers and advisors, our team also performs pre-sale business valuations, succession planning and pre-sale performance improvement strategies. With decades of experience in directing organizations, facilitating transactions, and providing M&A guidance, we invite you to examine our capabilities in managing your offering.
Find out how IBG can help you buy or sell a business by calling us at 918.749.6016.
Matt Frye
Managing Partner & Principal
MFrye@ibgbusiness.com | 918.749.6016
Matt is the Managing Partner responsible for the operations of IBG/Bluestem Resources Group, LLC (Bluestem USA). A native-Tulsan, Matt joined IBG/Bluestem following twenty-one years in Executive Management roles for multiple energy-based technology companies in Houston, Texas. Matt started his career in Tulsa in the domestic exploration and production business and migrated into commodity trading with Tulsa-based The Williams Companies. He then advanced to a series of executive level positions with technology start-ups and enterprise-wide software development ventures. His last ten years as a corporate executive culminated in the launching of the U.S division of the Natural Gas Exchange, an online energy commodity exchange and clearinghouse, which is now a subsidiary of the Intercontinental Exchange Group (ICE NYSE).
Experience
Matt’s vast leadership experience base spans from private-equity based technology startups to publicly held energy companies and commodity exchanges. He has launched multiple new ventures that introduced new products and services both domestically and internationally. This experience base combined with expertise in joint venture development and M&A serves IBG/Bluestem clients by maximizing their intrinsic and extrinsic value to broad target markets.
With over thirty years of deal making experience, Matt’s primary roles at IBG/Bluestem include: buyer and seller representation, pre-sale consultation, market segment analysis and company valuation.
Education & Awards
- BS in Finance from Oklahoma State University
- MBA from the University of Tulsa
Certifications/Licenses
- Merger and Acquisition Master Intermediary (M&AMI): The M&A Source
- Certified Business Intermediary (CBI): The IBBA
- Licensed Real Estate Agent: Oklahoma
Areas of Expertise
- Energy
- Information Technology/Software
- Manufacturing
- Wholesale Trade
- Construction
- Professional Services
Interests
When not serving the needs of IBG/Bluestem clients, you can find Matt and his wife at their hobby ranch south of Tulsa or serving at their church.
John C. Johnson
Managing Partner & Principal
JJohnson@IBGBusiness.com | 918.232.5723
John C. Johnson, M&A Broker and Advisor, is a specialist in selling a business. An IBG Business Founder, he is Managing Partner of the Tulsa Oklahoma office. John also founded and built Bluestem Resources - BluestemUSA. He is past President of the International Business Broker Association and The Merger and Acquisitions (M&A) Source and is a Certified Business Intermediary and Lifetime Master Merger & Acquisition Intermediary.
John's career began as a roustabout at Amoco Production Company/Standard Oil of Indiana, then in operations research and in field offices while completing his Petroleum Engineering degree. He worked at Champlin Petroleum/Union Pacific Corporation as he earned an MBA at Texas Christian University. At the two Fortune 100 companies - Standard of Indiana and Union Pacific - John held staff and management positions in strategy, investment analysis, and mergers and acquisitions.
John's expertise is demonstrated through his track record of success for clients, professional M&A certifications, as a court-appointed receiver, and as an expert witness in business valuation and petroleum property management. He has written "M&A Expert" series articles for international business publications, has taught peers in M&A broker courses and lectured on "best practice" panels.
Entrepreneurial/Industry Experience
John was raised in an entrepreneurial family and understands the sacrifices, stress, risks, and hard work business ownership brings to an owner and the owner’s family.
He is an experienced business owner. John owns and manages a land and cattle business with ranch lands, minerals, petroleum, and timber resources. John grew a startup petroleum gathering and distribution venture to a $12 million business before completing a strategic sale. He organized and manages properties for a group that bought distressed petroleum loans from the FDIC. He has bought and resold private businesses in manufacturing, business services, and oil processing.
John was born in Kansas and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His corporate career took him to Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, New York City, and back to Tulsa before he settled near his northeast Oklahoma ranch. In quiet times, Johns enjoys time with his wife, children and grandchildren as well as fishing, hunting, gardening, and working at their ranch.
Certifications/Licenses
- Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary (M&AMI): The M&A Source
- Certified Business Intermediary (CBI): International Business Broker Association
- Industry Expert Designation: Business Brokerage Press
- Licensed Real Estate Broker
Honors and Awards
- Acquisition International: USA M&A Broker of the Year
- The M&A Source: Darrell Fouts Award for visionary leadership in the M&A profession
- Tom West Award for exceptional contributions in promoting goals and ethics in business brokerage
- International Business Brokers Association (IBBA): Chairman’s Award for Leadership
- Tulsa’s Small Business Person of the Year: Finalist
- U.S. Small Business Administration: Oklahoma Financial Services Advocate of the Year
Memberships
- The M&A Source: Founding Member, Chairman, Officer, Director, Strategic Issues Task Force Co-Chair
- International Business Brokers Association (IBBA): Fellow; Life Member; President; Member, President’s Advisory Council; Director; Treasurer; Strategic Planning Chair; Co-Author, M&A Course and Certification Exam; Instructor; Speaker and Panelist
- Business Intermediary Education Foundation (BIEF): Founder and Director
- Tulsa Metro Chamber’s Financial Services Advocate of the Year
Business & Community Involvement
- Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce & Industry: Director
- Oklahoma Academy for State Goals: Director
- Leadership Oklahoma: Graduate, Director, Officer
- Tulsa Executives Association: Director
- Tulsa Economic Development Corporation: Director
- Entrepreneurs of Tulsa: Director & Officer
- Oklahoma Private Enterprise Forum: Director & President
- The Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence: Director
- M&A Joint Industry Campaign for Clarity: Steering Committee Co-Chair
- Rotary International: Paul Harris Fellow; President, Rotary Club of Vinita
- Youth Recreation Association: Director, Coach, Referee