Thanks to Sunbelt, Good Company Steakhouse Finds Perfect Buyer



From left to right: Steve and Cynthia Shann (Former Owners);
 Michael Naprawa, President of Sunbelt Business Brokers in Nanaimo;
Francis Hoogendoorn and Edwin van Duist (New Owners)



From the Netherlands to Canada! A successful European restaurateur embraces the beauty of Vancouver Island. Edwin van Duist is the previous owner of the renowned river-floating pancake restaurant on a ship and the new owner of Good Company Steakhouse in Duncan. It was a fairy tale transaction but the happy ending didn’t come without a few bumps in the road.



Edwin and his family originally made the continental voyage for another business, but the deal fell through. After months of searching, Edwin contacted Sunbelt Nanaimo. Here’s where the story accelerates. “Early one Saturday morning, I received an inquiry from Edwin about one of our business listings,” says Michael Naprawa of Sunbelt. “We met that morning spending two hours discussing his needs & skill set…it was clear that the business he had first inquired about was not a good fit. But I knew of a potential match—only a couple weeks earlier we had a call from a Duncan restaurant owner who wanted to sell, but the listing process had not even begun! By that Friday, an offer was prepared, accepted the week after, and the entire transaction closed within 7 weeks of that first meeting!”

Michael Naprawa who is the owner of Sunbelt Nanaimo says that after five years in the business brokerage industry, Sunbelt has established relationships with a pool of qualified buyers. Their “matchmaking” process between buyers and sellers of businesses makes timely transactions like this one increasingly common. “We were prepared to wait 1-2 years for the business to sell and couldn’t believe it sold so fast,” says Steve & Cynthia Shann of Good Company Steakhouse, who are exceedingly pleased with how Sunbelt handled the smooth transaction. Both parties describe their experience with Sunbelt Nanaimo as “very efficient” and highly recommend Sunbelt Nanaimo for selling or buying a quality business.

As for Good Company Steakhouse, the original owners will stay on during training and transition and business will continue as usual. Drop in for a good meal and experience a warm Dutch welcome from the new owner, Edwin! This is just one of the many success stories that buyers and sellers have had with us.

If you are contemplating the sale of your business, or considering small business ownership, contact the Sunbelt Nanaimo office at 1-877-289-0969.