Tidewater Business Brokerage is the business broker Arlington Heights owners call when they want the highest price the market will pay, not the first offer a local buyer makes. Since 1997, we have brought a national buyer network and 2,100+ private equity firms to deals a single-market broker never reaches.
Confidentiality comes first. Your inquiry stays private, and no one learns you are exploring a sale unless.
Book your confidential appointment today.
Private equity groups send emails and letters to Northwest suburban manufacturers every week. But if you answer, the buyer sets the terms. If you’re considering selling your business, find out what your company is worth when several buyers compete for it.
Running a company is already a full-time job. We handle the sale from end to end, from valuation and buyer outreach to negotiation and closing, so you never take your eye off operations. Your business stays strong through closing, and that strength is what protects your value.
Tidewater has closed hundreds of sales this way since 1997. Every step is built to move your deal forward while you keep the business running at full strength.
We work through four years of financials, equipment values, and any real estate to set what your company is worth in the current Northwest suburban market.
We market your business as a blind profile, running targeted, multi-channel outreach to private equity groups and corporate buyers nationwide and abroad.
We vet every buyer for fit, funding, and serious intent before they see anything that identifies you.
We manage the offers, counters, and terms. You get the best price the market supports, in a deal structure that still works for you after the sale.
We coordinate everyone involved in the deal, from lenders and attorneys to accountants and landlords, so nothing slips through the cracks and holds up your closing.
We match your buyer to the right financing, drawing on 30+ SBA and conventional lender relationships, so a funding gap never costs you the sale.
We support your attorney through the purchase agreement and lending documents, and we manage the handoff of vendor contracts and the lease.
We hold the closing timeline, structure the transition plan, and keep the handover organized so you leave nothing unfinished.
Arlington Heights sits in the middle of the Northwest suburbs’ industrial base. Elk Grove Village and the largest industrial park in North America are minutes away, and the I-90 corridor runs straight to Schaumburg. Space costs less out here than in the city, which is why so many owners in this area own their building, their equipment, and have access to a skilled workforce. When the sale includes the whole operation, the buyer who pays the most for it is rarely someone down the street. They are the corporate businesses and private equity firms that come to the Northwest suburbs specifically to buy companies like yours.
Most owners hire a single-market broker which results in fewer offers, less competition, and a lower sale price. When one buyer is at the table, that buyer sets the price. When five qualified buyers want the same company, you do. We track which buyers are investing along the I-90 corridor right now. Then we position your company so the ones who will pay the most compete to win it.
Your Arlington Heights business broker, backed by the buyer networks where the real deals happen.
You built something real out here. Our job is to find the buyers who want it most and put them in a room to compete for it.
Owner, Plastics Manufacturing | Verified Seller, Google
"As a woman founder in the tech space, I was nervous about selling my company. Tidewater Business Brokerage handled everything with professionalism and care from start to close."
Founder, Technology | Verified Seller, Google
"The deal nearly fell apart three separate times, but this team never wavered. Their dedication, calm approach, and buyer relationships kept everything on track to a successful close."
Principal | Verified Seller, Google
Straight answers to the questions owners ask us before a valuation, sale, or first confidential conversation.
A business broker in Arlington Heights manages the sale end to end while you stay focused on the company. We price the business, build the buyer pool, vet everyone who is interested, negotiate the offer and terms, steer due diligence, and coordinate the close. We work under best-efforts confidentiality, so your competitors learn about the sale only after it closes.
If the goal is top price and a clean handoff, a brokerage is the difference. An owner selling alone reaches a small buyer pool, takes one offer at a time, and runs a year-long process while still keeping the business running. We bring several vetted buyers into the same conversation, manage due diligence from start to finish, and protect your confidentiality throughout. We work on a success fee, so you only pay us when your deal closes on terms you approve.
You can, and most who try leave money behind. Owners who sell independently typically close at 20 to 40 percent below full market value. Accurate pricing, genuine buyer competition, and disciplined negotiation impact the final price point. A deal is also far more likely to close when an expert coordinates the process.
You pay nothing up front. There is no retainer, no listing fee, and no monthly invoice, just a success fee that is paid out when your deal closes. If the sale does not happen, you owe us nothing.
Deal size is the main dividing line. A brokerage typically handles companies with revenue under $5M, and an M&A advisory firm takes on larger, more complex transactions. Tidewater does both, matching the depth of the engagement to your deal.
We give you a confidential valuation based on the most probable sale price of the company. The number is grounded in four years of financials, the record buyers and lenders rely on to make a fair offer. We then weigh what your property, equipment, and customer base would bring from the buyers most likely to want them.
If you are not ready to sell, the smart next step is a Broker Opinion of Value. Owners use a BOV every few years to see how their decisions are moving the value of the company, not only as a pre-sale step. Tidewater’s BOV is $1,695 for the business alone and up to $3,500 when it includes real estate, against a market rate closer to $2,200. If you list with us to sell your business, the fee credits toward your engagement, so there is no sunk cost. It is the experienced way to know your company’s valuation long before you need it.
Before your business ever reaches the market, we do the groundwork: a confidential consultation, valuation, and prospectus that tells your story to the buyers who matter. From there we take it to our national buyer network and 2,100+ private equity firms, vetting each one before they see anything confidential.
Plan on 7 to 16 months from listing to close. Where you fall in that range depends on your industry, the strength of your financials, how the business is priced, and the deal terms, which are not always about price. Owners assume price sets the timeline, but the structure of the deal usually matters more. Clean books and realistic pricing keep things on schedule.
We protect your confidentiality at every stage of the sale. Buyers see only a blind profile, and we release identifying details only after a signed NDA is in place. In most cases, your employees, customers, and competitors do not find out until the deal has closed.
Demand is strong right now for owners who bring the right buyers to the table. Private equity firms and corporate buyers are actively searching for Northwest suburban companies, especially manufacturers and industrial service firms with consistent cash flow. Buyer appetite moves in cycles, so the window matters. What does not change is the math: several buyers competing for your company will always beat one buyer negotiating you down. We keep the process competitive so the timing works in your favor.
We sell businesses across Arlington Heights and the wider Northwest suburbs, including Rolling Meadows, Palatine, Mount Prospect, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Hoffman Estates, and Prospect Heights. Wherever you are located, you work with people who know your market, backed by a buyer network that goes far beyond it.
The dividing line is cost per square foot. In Chicago it is expensive, which favors smaller retail and office-based operations. In Arlington Heights and the Northwest suburbs it costs less, which is why the space-heavy businesses, manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing, are out here. Since 1997 we have sold in both, and we tailor the deal to the business, not its location.
Manufacturing and machining leads the list, followed by construction, commercial and residential services, and professional services and B2B firms, all at $1M+ in annual sales. In Arlington Heights we work with owners of companies between $1M and $50M in revenue.
Your exact figure comes from your accountant, because it depends on how the deal is structured and how your company is set up. In general, the profit on the sale is subject to federal capital gains treatment plus Illinois state income tax, and the way the deal is structured can change what you owe significantly. We coordinate with your CPA and attorney throughout so the deal supports the best after-tax result for you. The tax rate is only half of it. How the purchase price is allocated across the assets directly affects what you actually pay. Tidewater works to preserve a beneficial allocation of purchase price in your favor, coordinating with your CPA and attorney so that the structure holds up. Most owners never realize a broker negotiates this at all.
A big number in an opening offer means nothing if the buyer cannot finance it or walks away in month nine. We confirm a buyer can afford the deal and is serious before you ever sit down, then manage due diligence so the deal does not lose steam. That discipline is why 90% of Tidewater deals under contract make it to closing.
Find out what your company could sell for, based on what buyers across the Northwest suburbs are paying today. No cost, no exposure, no obligation.
Or call now: (773) 733-3387 | 
Confidential Process
Thinking about selling your business?
Talk to someone who has done it before.
"As the owner of a large plastics manufacturing company, I had high expectations when it came time to sell. Tidewater exceeded every one of them with their process and network."