News

New Restaurateurs Brant and Tómas Allan Keller Continue Galisteo Bistro’s Tradition with Their Own Signature Flair

Santa Fe, NM, June 16, 2014–The critically acclaimed Galisteo Basin (www.galisteobistro.com) officially transferred ownership from chefs Marge and Robert Chickering to Brant Keller on June 3, 2014. The Bistro will continue as a family operation. While Keller will be running the front of the house, his son chef Tómas Allan Keller will oversee the kitchen. The ownership hand-off took place at the office of local business brokerage Sam Goldenberg & Associates (www.samgoldenberg.com). The Galisteo Bistro is Sam Goldenberg & Associates’ second restaurant sale of 2014, and its eleventh restaurant or food-related sale in the past two years. The transition was seamless. The brokerage’s president Michael Green ensured the purchase agreement provided ample time for training and uninterrupted transfer of the beer and wine license. The Galisteo Bistro stayed open throughout, and the Kellers have kept all wait and kitchen staff on.

We enjoyed reading about the success SGA's client and restaurant buyer Lane Sanders and is having with his new enterprise Elevation Bistro, formerly the Atomic Bar and Grill. We handled the sale of this downtown restaurant in Fall 2013 and Lane immediately impressed at the time. The Santa Fe Reporter recently stopped by the bistro to give us a behind-the-scenes look at what is happening at one of the only handful of Santa Fe's late-night dining...

With SGA's own highly informal survey based on chatting with our past Santa Fe business buying clients, New Mexico appears aligned with these national trends. Small-Business Owners Love What They Do, Despite the Economy A new Gallup poll shows that eight of 10 small-business owners would do it all again if they could. May 22, 2014 By Matt Vasilogambros The National Journal The economy may rise and fall, but small-business owners remain happy with their career choice. In a new Gallup and Wells...

With Small Business Week (May 12 - 16, 2014) just wrapped up, we wanted to acknowledge the winners of 2014's New Mexico SBA small business awards. Thank you all for your hard work and for making New Mexico a better place for the small business owner. sba-awards-2014Small Business Week Winners Include a Family Restaurant Veteran Las Cruces Sun News Posted May 19, 2014 Finance New Mexico LAS CRUCES: Angela Atencio-Sanchez grew up busing tables at her parents' restaurant on State Route 76 in Española, and she was promoted to working the cash register before going off to college and a career as an assistant comptroller for Santa Fe Public Schools. Today the daughter of El Paragua Restaurant founders Luis and Frances Atencio is the president of Las Brazas Enterprises — a company that owns and manages El Paragua and El Parasol restaurant in Española. The business was just named this year's Family Owned Small Business of the Year by the Small Business Administration in New Mexico.

SGA_SBNM Logo

Santa Fe Business Brokerage Sam Goldenberg & Associates (SGA) Expands to Service the Entire State

Santa Fe, NM, May 15, 2014–Sunbelt® (www.sunbeltnetwork.com), the world’s largest network of Main Street and Lower Middle Market business intermediaries, finalized an agreement with Michael Greene, president of Sunbelt’s northern New Mexico affiliate Sam Goldenberg & Associates (Santa Fe, www.SamGoldenberg.com) to be its exclusive representative for the state of New Mexico. Long-time Albuquerque Sunbelt Broker Doug Anderson has retired.

“We are pleased Michael Greene and his team will anchor New Mexico for the Sunbelt Network,” says Sunbelt president and CEO John Davies. “When Doug Anderson notified us he was ready to leave, we looked for the best solution. Sam Goldenberg & Associates was our first choice.”

Davies’ conviction is based on SGA’s consistent high performance and longevity in New Mexico. 2014 is already on track to be a record-breaking year for the Santa Fe-based business brokerage. Since the start of 2014, SGA sold four businesses and concluded several asset sales and business valuations. SGA has four businesses under contract, is finalizing several more offers, and has an active portfolio of 27 businesses for sale. Greene reports that several more listings are in the pipeline. This robust activity makes Greene bullish about New Mexico’s main street businesses, but he cites another reason for acquiring Sunbelt Albuquerque.

“We advocate buying an established business as a proven strategy to gain market share,” says Greene. “Becoming the Sunbelt brokerage for all New Mexico demonstrates our belief in this policy.”

[caption id="attachment_2544" align="alignleft" width="288"] Courtesy of Albuquerque Business First[/caption] Damon Scott Reporter- Albuquerque Business FirstMay 5, 2014If the city’s Downtown Albuquerque plans coalesce as hoped, could the real and perceived barriers between the corridor and East Downtown melt away? Last week, the city announced a slew of plans to revitalize Downtown. Those plans include an attempt to harness the momentum and opportunity already taking place with its EDo neighbors. All the activity would have big implications for the city’s...

farmingtonAn interesting article recently appeared in the Farmington Daily Times discussing a movement just getting underway to make Farmington one of New Mexico's Arts & Cultural Districts.
Farmington artists, business owners consider New Mexico Arts and Cultural District designation
Joining program could increase tourism, revitalize downtown, officials say
April 22, 2014
By Hannah Grover, The Daily Times
FARMINGTON — Local artists hope to transform downtown Farmington into one of New Mexico's Arts and Cultural Districts over the next few years.
Running your own business is not just another job; it’s a lifestyle. With employers demanding more and giving less, many consider the trade-off worth it. What one person perceives as a burden, another relishes as an opportunity, but this is not to say that owning and running your own business is necessarily for everyone. We encourage you to look at some of the Pros and Cons and to talk to acquaintances, friends and family members who have experience owning a New Mexico business for a well-rounded idea of what the reality of running your own company is like.

Damon Scott for Albuquerque Business First October 18, 2013 Michael T. Greene, the president of one of Santa Fe’s most established brokerages, Sam Goldenberg and Associates, said he closed 10 small business transactions in the third quarter. Greene said people who have been wanting to move to another area of the country are doing so, and many that purchased a small business in Santa Fe did so because they’ve wanted to move there. Full article available at Biz...

Dennis J. Carroll for The Santa Fe New Mexican November 19, 2013 It's the qualities of the city cited by McBride — that its special lure often turns visitors into residents — that makes Santa Fe unique in its ability to attract new businesses and new owners for old businesses. "Some people want to buy a business to get to Santa Fe," Greene said. "But it needs to be a perfect storm involving finances, family matters and...

Slew of Santa Fe Restaurants Have New Owners Damon Scott for Albuquerque Business First October 24, 2013 Restaurant-rich Santa Fe has seen a bevy of eateries sell, close or change hands in recent months. Santa Fe’s Atomic Grill, a longtime favorite of downtown’s late-night crowd, has been sold to new owners. Michael T. Greene, the president of Sam Goldenberg and Associates, was the broker on the sale. Full article available at Slew of Santa Fe ...

Abiquiu-BadlandsOver 2014, Sam Goldenberg & Associates completed 11 sales. We will have finalized two business sales by the end of January 2015 and more are to be announced. Everyday we receive inquiries from prospective buyers interested in our portfolio of businesses for sale. What accounts for this strong activity? Several factors are at work. The lending environment has improved. The Albuquerque Business Journal explains: “U.S. banks had $287.64 billion in outstanding loans to small businesses as of Dec. 31, up 1.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. In January, the dollars loaned to small businesses by banks, independent commercial finance companies and corporations, increased 4 percent from last year, according to Thomson Reuters and PayNet.” As banks realize that American main street businesses are a good investment opportunity, it is bringing more buyers into the market. For someone who wants to secure their financial livelihood, an established business makes sense. It has a history of income generation and cash flow. This allow business buyers - and lending institutions - to quantify risk.
passportEB-5 Immigration Assistance This is rather a glib title for what often is a long, complex process. We make every effort to help our foreign clients find a business investment suitable for their immigration and personal needs. New Mexico's multicultural milieu and bustling immigrant populations make it an attractive choice for the foreign investor. Every year, visitors from Canada, Germany, the U.K, Israel and elsewhere make Santa Fe one of their top North American destinations. When a visitor decides to live here, they sometimes review the option of an Immigrant Investor Visa, more commonly known as an EB-5 Visa. Congress created the Immigrant Investor Program  in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors. The program provides foreign investors with a green card in exchange for investing a minimum of $1 million U.S. dollars in a new or distressed U.S business. The condition is that the business venture has to generate a minimum of 10 full-time U.S. jobs for Americans, excluding the investor or the investor's family members. According to a peer-reviewed study released by The Association to Invest in the USA, each year spending associated with EB-5 investors supports over 16,000 U.S. jobs each year, contributes $1.3 billion to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), and investor spending brings an additional $713 million in federal tax revenue and $109 million in state and local tax revenue.
What Exactly Do You Buy When You Buy a New Mexico Business? SGA will help you understand the type of transaction it is. The vast majority of business purchases we facilitate are defined as “asset” purchases. An asset purchase specifically identifies the assets and liabilities you are purchasing or assuming. Sometimes business owners own their assets inside a corporation. The owner owns Stock in the corporation, while the corporation owns the assets. A buyer typically forms their own legal entity, such as an LLC or S Corporation, to purchase the assets from the seller’s corporation.