About American Business Brokers Group
The American Business Brokers Group, LLC provides business valuation, business brokerage and advisory services for small and medium sized businesses in the Northern Indiana and Chicagoland areas. Our Principals have a great deal of experience and expertise in the business valuation and brokerage, tax and accounting, operations management, and consulting fields working with companies in a variety of industries around the world. This experience and expertise has often times resulted in sale values above the seller agreed upon business value.
Our Team
Thomas M. Krafft, C.P.A.
Tom has significant experience with business transition and brokerage services including business valuation and family, employee, or unrelated-buyer transition of family-owned businesses. Tom’s experience includes the preparation and procurement of SBA or conventional business loans. Tom has over fifty years of experience providing comprehensive business profitability planning, income tax minimization and personal financial planning including investment consultation, risk-management, and estate and retirement planning services. His litigation work includes lost earnings analysis, business valuation for purchase or sale of a business, partner dissolution or partner buy-out valuation and financing.
Professional History:
American Business Brokers Group, LLC - successor to Krafft Business Brokerage Services, Inc.
Krafft Business Brokerage Services, Inc. - specialized in business valuation and succession planning.
Krafft & Company PC., CPAs - business and personal consulting and tax services.
Krafft Real Estate Development Company - real estate development, residential and commercial real estate.
Licenses and Certifications:
Certified Public Accountant, since 1971.
Certified Financial Planning Designation, 1985, retired in year 2017.
Registered Representative with Lakeside Wealth Management LLC.
First Allied Securities, Inc. (retired in year 2017).
Licensed Real Estate Broker in State of Indiana.
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Academic Credentials:
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration Indiana University, 1971.
William M. Barnes
Bill has over 45 years demonstrating his leadership ability as an entrepreneur, business manager and change agent experienced in growing revenue and reducing costs in business. He has started and grown companies through joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, and partnering. Bill has also grown company profits by restructuring marketing, sales, operations, logistics, and IT units. He has done work for organizations on 5 continents.
Professional History:
Prior to ABBG, Bill was the Operations and Entrepreneurial Manager in the Purdue Technology Center in Northwest Indiana. In this role, Bill supported the facility and its tenants, and worked to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem in The Region.
Bill has been a manufacturing and distribution industry consultant for much of his career, some of his earlier work includes:
Starting the Eastern Shore Manufacturing Council to grow manufacturers on the Delmarva Peninsula in the eastern United States.
Leading the University of Maryland Manufacturing Assistance Program which was part of the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland in College Park.
Leading the consulting arm of MAGNET for over a decade, a not-for-profit manufacturing consulting service provider in Ohio.
Spending over 12 years with Arthur Andersen & Co. in Chicago primarily consulting with manufacturing and distribution clients.
Working with The Chicago Group which was a strategic marketing consulting organization supporting companies around the world.
Leading the Logistics and Marketing efforts at WaterPro a large water products distributor that was headquartered in the Minneapolis area.
Bill was also Treasurer of the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce in Northwest Indiana. A role he held for 5 years. Bill helped lead the Chamber through the transition of the CEO position and the difficult first two years of the covid-19 pandemic. In 2019 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award and in 2021 he was awarded the Chairman of the Board Award for his service.
Academic Credentials:
Bill graduated from Purdue University in W. Lafayette, Indiana in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in General Management with options in accounting, finance and marketing. He is a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
Our Team
Isaac Carr, JD MBA
As a practical-oriented business development advisor, Isaac has spent over a decade focused on business, real estate, law, and entrepreneurism. He focuses on business growth and expansion through acquisitions, mergers, consolidations, by expanding to new locations, or by corporate structuring and holding companies. Through experience in a variety of industries including real estate, industrial, hospitality, automotive, e-commerce, professional services, and retail, Isaac has successfully negotiated and closed transactions with business owners, private investors, corporate leaders, and municipalities.
Professional History:
Manager and Business Attorney of Carr Skadberg LLC, dba CCSK Law, Oct 2016
Chief Of Staff, Sun FundED, Oct 2020
Insurance Representative, Mutual of Omaha, Sept 2015 - Mar 2018
SCORE Mentor, Mar 2017 - Aug 2012
Chairman of Board of Directors, Gasvoda Group, Jan 2023
Member of Board of Directors, Music Neighbors, Dec 2014
Member of Board of Directors, Neighbors' Educational Opportunities, Mar 2018
Licenses and Certifications:
Licensed Real Estate Broker, Indiana and Illinois, Jan 2023
Attorney at law, Indiana and Michigan, Sept 2015
Life, Health, & Disability Insurance licensure, Aug 2015 (retired in 2018)
Academic Credentials:
Juris Doctorate, summa cum laude, June 2015
Masters in Business Administration, AACSB-accreditation, June 2016
Bachelors in Criminal Justice and Criminology, June 2012