The Tranzequity practice area within ABI Business Sales, Mergers and Acquisitions, was formed and is operated by Dick Bransford to serve closely held companies whose needs are not adequately met by other business brokers or investment banks.

ABI Business Sales, Mergers and Acquisitions, formerly known as Allen Business Investments, is one of the oldest and most reputable business brokerages on the West Coast. Since 1984, the company has handled the sale and acquisition of hundreds of companies across a multitude of industries and among businesses of varying size.

The company has maintained an industry leadership position, playing a seminal role in the formation of business brokerage as an industry in the 1970’s, and consistently contributing to the ever-increasing professionalism of the industry. The owner of ABI, Ron Johnson, was the 2007 Chairman of the International Business Brokers Association, a professional and educational group representing 26 nations, and former President of the California Association of Business Brokers.

ABI Business Sales, Mergers and Acquisitions has the capability to serve the business brokerage, merger and acquisition needs of small, privately held companies, from a probable transaction range of under $1 million to $25 million.

Phone: (925) 838-8150  Fax: (415) 634-1447

• Masters of Business Administration, international business focus
• Certified Business Intermediary (CBI)
• CFA Candidate

Dick brings diversified, senior level operational experience to his work as a business broker-mergers & acquisitions intermediary. He has worked in consulting, consumer packaged goods, financial services, healthcare, information technology, advertising agency account management, and has personally acquired a small company.

He has over 20 years of experience in product management, strategy and operations, both inside organizations and as an outside advisor. He has been both a Vice President of Corporate Strategy and a Vice President of Marketing with a $2 billion insurance company, and a Product Manager with P&L accountability for consumer products businesses generating $65 million in annual revenue. As a consultant, he helped an acquirer evaluate businesses, prepared a company for sale, launched a start up, and developed turnaround plans for unprofitable businesses.

• MBA (with Honors), Transnational Executive Program taught in U.S., Asia & Europe, with long-term consulting project for Vietnam’s largest brewery; College of Business and Economics, California State University
• Executive education program in corporate strategy, Harvard Business School
• Post-graduate studies, University of California, Berkeley
• B.S., University of Texas, Austin

Companies between $2.5 and $20 million revenue that fall "between Main Street and Wall Street."

Principally, though not exclusively, Northern California, through our primary office in San Ramon in proximity of Silicon Valley, and a satellite location in Mill Valley, near San Francisco.

Strategic advisory services, such as valuation enhancement, acquisition or divestment strategy, development of strategic alliances (consulting contract basis)

Association for Corporate Growth
Association of Professional Merger & Acquisition Advisors
California Association of Business Brokers
International Business Brokers Association
M&A Source
National Association for Business Economics