Business Succession Planning

Whether your long-term goal is to sell the business or keep it in the family, let us help you bring all the pieces together.

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The Rawls Company is dedicated to business succession by preserving and perpetuating family business legacies through the next generation.

The Rawls Company defines a family business as one where two or more people are in business together for reasons beyond financial gain. Therefore, we assist the owners of family and privately-owned businesses with any issue impacting business succession.

As succession planners, we are team players who partner with you, key employees, your family attorneys, accountants and other advisors to follow a well-defined service process.

Our mission is to preserve the family business by protecting the continuity of the business, not just the individual. This way we are able to provide a viable and technically secure succession plan, to our clients, their banking institutions and suppliers.

The Rawls Company believes

  • Succession planning is an ongoing process of improvement and preparation.
  • Addresses profitability and success within a business.
  • Allows you to choose your disposition decision – creditors, franchisors, vendors, employees and potential buyers will want to know your succession plan.
  • Succession planning builds value, impacts lives and perpetuates a legacy.

History

The professionals of The Rawls Company are passionate about helping business owners achieve their succession goals.

Established in 1973, Loyd H. Rawls identified early in his career that business transition planning went well beyond financial documents and planning for the transfer of wealth. He found that his clients were afraid to address key issues impacting their business for fear of alienating family or business partnerships. As a result, Loyd was motivated to develop a process and a team of professionals with diverse backgrounds to facilitate the discussion and resolution of sensitive issues so that everyone invested in the business felt reassured about the organization’s health and welfare.

Since Loyd’s initial vision, The Rawls Company team has continued to expand, providing business succession planning for the owners and key executives of capital intensive businesses across the country.

Our Process

Goals, vision, people, values, and culture make every business situation unique.

Therefore, to meet the specific goals of our clients, we approach business succession through a three phase process that is dedicated to addressing the critical factors impacting your business goals. 

Our three phase approach is designed to give you full control of the process. At the completion of each phase, we provide you a detailed presentation with observations for you to review and determine if you would like to proceed with the next developmental phase of your plan.

This initial phase of our service provides a review to confirm and/or determine your detailed goals and existing circumstances. The focal points of Phase I are data gathering and personal interviews to confirm goals, followed by a presentation reflecting our analysis that will identify potential problems and undeveloped opportunities impacting the achievement of your confirmed succession planning goals.

These services confirm and refine a succession plan compatible to your unique goals and environment. A Succession Plan Implementation Check List is developed to create an organized activity schedule for everyone involved in your planning. We supervise and coordinate the efforts of the various members of the succession planning team, including your attorney, accountant, insurance company and family. The goal of Phase II is to provide you the confidence that you have implemented a state of the art succession plan that will help achieve your goals.

In an effort to maintain an ongoing service relationship, we assist with evolving business succession planning projects, provide a proactive annual review of your planning and follow-up with the planning team for needed updates and enhancements. This service includes easy to read planning activity reviews, reports on investment portfolios, retirement plans, gifting programs or any special projects that may arise.

Our Team

loyd-rawls-the-rawls-group-family-business-succession-plannerLoyd H. Rawls

Founder and Chairman

Succession Advisor

lhrawls@rawlsgroup.com
407.578.4455
Orlando, FL

Since 1973, Mr. Rawls and his associates have provided business succession services for the owners and key executives of closely-held, capital intensive family businesses throughout the country.

A native of Fayetteville, NC, Mr. Rawls is a graduate of North Carolina State University. After serving 4 years as an officer in the US Air Force, Loyd moved to Orlando, Florida and began a career as a financial planner. In 1973, Loyd’s business expanded when he founded “The Rawls Company,” which later evolved into The Rawls Group, a business succession firm. Loyd achieved designations of a Certified Chartered Life Underwriter®, Chartered Financial Consultant® and earned his Master of Science in Financial Services from the American College.

After approximately five years as a financial planner, Loyd enhanced his practice and began specializing in business succession planning. As he gained experience and recognition, his practice expanded nationally and he confirmed theories regarding the critical factors that impact business succession and the role key managers can play in a succession initiative. As Loyd presented his succession planning concepts and processes, he recruited partners from various career fields that impact business succession, such as business management, management training, strategic planning and interpersonal relationship facilitation. In 2000, Loyd developed the concept of an analytical tool to empower business planning professionals to assess Succession Positioning and, subsequently, became a co-founder of the International Succession Planning Association®.

Loyd is a frequently requested speaker by local, state and national organizations. An avid writer, Loyd has published four succession-focused publications: “Seeking Succession – How to Continue the Family Business Legacy,” “The Succession Bridge – Key Manager Alternatives for Family Owned Businesses,” “Your Golden Goose,” “The Family Business Council”, and is currently working on his fifth publication, “Estate of Mine.” In addition, Loyd’s columns are frequently featured in Family Business Magazine, BottomLine Business, DEALER Magazine, Expert Business Source online blog and RV News. Loyd is married to Pat and they have three children: Amy, Kendall and Champ.

International Succession Planning Association® is not affiliated with Lincoln Investment or Capital Analysts.

david-ciambella-the-rawls-group-family-business-succession-plannerDavid Ciambella

President and CEO

Succession Advisor

djciambella@rawlsgroup.com
407.578.4455
Orlando, FL

For more than two decades, David has worked with successful, closely held business owners, family members and executive management teams to address a myriad of family business succession planning issues. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, David specializes in solving complex problems and addressing challenging family dynamics issues that are inherent in family owned businesses. David works in a collaborative fashion with attorneys, accountants, valuation experts and other professional service providers to help clients achieve their planning goals and objectives. Areas of specialized knowledge include: exit strategy, successor identification/preparation, facilitating strategic asset transfers, key manager retention, leadership continuity, family governance and corporate governance. David is a co-founder of the International Succession Planning Association™ (ISPA®), an organization dedicated to providing professionals, business owners and strategic partners access to a network of knowledge, educational tools and resources to enhance business longevity and value.

David’s knowledge with privately held and family owned businesses is also shared throughout various industries. He is a frequent speaker and presenter for national organizations and contributes articles in publications that span industries including professional services, automotive and other franchise concepts.

A native of Philadelphia, David graduated from Rollins College in 1991 with a B.A. in Psychology. He currently resides in Winter Park, Florida with his wife and three sons. David enjoys spending time with his wife, children and friends at the beach, supporting his children in various sports activities, fishing and playing an occasional round of golf.

International Succession Planning Association® is not affiliated with Lincoln Investments or Capital Analysts.

hugh-roberts-the-rawls-group-family-business-succession-plannerHugh B. Roberts

Partner

Succession Advisor

hbroberts@rawlsgroup.com
818.702.0889 x 1155
Woodland Hills, CA

Office Location

1800 Burbank Blvd., Ste. 200
Woodland Hills, CA 91367

Executive Assistant

Meg Snow
818-702-0889, extension  1141
msnow@rawlsgroup.com

Hugh B. Roberts, CFP®, specializes in dealing with the issues that must be resolved by business owners and their families in order to help preserve assets and develop succession plans for their dealerships.

Working in concert with the client’s other advisors, Hugh orchestrates the development of an integrated plan addressing the business, tax, financial, family and emotional issues, which must be overcome to ensure the preservation of businesses, estates and families.

Associated with The Rawls Group since 1996, Hugh B. Roberts became the managing partner of the Woodland Hills, California office in 2002. Hugh has been providing estate and business succession planning leadership to automobile dealers nationwide since 1982.

In the past ten years Hugh has provided seminars to over 60 Automotive Twenty-Groups, the North Carolina, Utah and Michigan Auto Dealers Associations, and the 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013 NADA Conventions. He is currently working with auto dealers in 43 states nationwide. Hugh has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado and a Master of Arts degree from Fuller Seminary.

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