Our Team
Stewart Baker, BA (Hons.), LLB
President – Quispamsis, New Brunswick
Stewart Baker established CBI in Atlantic Canada in 1997 and has served as President of the company since that time. From the beginning, Stu set out to assemble a highly motivated team of professionals with complimentary fields of expertise to create the leading business brokerage in New Brunswick.
Stu brings more than twenty years of business succession and brokerage experience and over twenty years of legal expertise to CBI clients. He possesses the required manager’s and broker’s licenses in New Brunswick.
His responsibilities include the overall management of CBI and the supervision of the CBI business associates in Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton. In addition, Stu particularly enjoys working with the owners of businesses that are a little out of the ordinary to develop exit strategies that meet their goals. Prior to CBI, Stu practiced law for over twenty years as a partner in a Saint John law firm, concentrating in the areas of commercial, business, real estate and franchise law. In addition, he has served as General Counsel for a large real estate development company and is a former Chairman of the New Brunswick Employment Standards Tribunal.
Gary Belding – Associate – Fredericton, New Brunswick
Gary Belding has over 37 years of experience in the private and public sectors including retail management, business and financial consulting as well as economic development encompassing business development and commercial lending. Gary has served as Manager of Financial Programs with the provincial department of Business New Brunswick. He currently operates his own business, Belding Business Financing Solutions, raising capital for business acquisitions, start-ups and expansions. In April 2012, Gary published an article in Risky Business magazine, called “Put on a Bankers Face”. Gary has extensive contacts within the Fredericton business community. Gary’s strengths include financial analysis and accessing capital for term financing and working capital for business acquisitions, start-ups and expansions through sources such as government support programs, conventional lenders, private sources of funding and venture capital.
Michael Petrovici – Associate – Bathurst, New Brunswick
Michael Petrovici, a seasoned entrepreneur in Northern New Brunswick, now embarks on a new venture as a business broker in the Chaleur region. With a rich background in establishing and growing diverse businesses, Michael brings invaluable insight into the local market, assisting sellers in optimizing their exit strategies and guiding buyers towards successful acquisitions.
His academic foundation in commerce, combined with practical experience in leading significant retail operations, equips Michael with a nuanced understanding of business dynamics. His contributions to revitalizing downtown Bathurst and his active participation in community economic development underscore his commitment to the region’s prosperity.
As a respected figure in the business community and a recipient of the Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 award, Michael is uniquely positioned to facilitate impactful business transactions, driving growth and opportunity in Northern New Brunswick.
Sara Phalen – Moncton, New Brunswick, Member Advisory Board
Sara is a small business specialist that focuses on Business Analysis/ Diagnostics and Planning; working with entrepreneurs to take an inventory of where they are today and creating a plan to get them where they want to be, including exit. She has over 25 years’ experience maximizing organizational performance through strategic planning, leadership, operational efficiencies, and empowering people to reach goals, grow their business and exit on their own terms. Industry expertise in manufacturing and distribution, professional service providers, renewable energy, SaaS, retail and healthcare. After exiting her own brick and mortar business in 2010, Sara joined the CBI team as an Associate Broker covering southeastern New Brunswick and then moved on to supporting the organization with Succession Planning services and being a member of the Advisory Board. An Award-Winning Entrepreneur, an ICF Certified Business and Executive Coach, Strategic Consultant and mentor, who is actively involved with business communities across Atlantic Canada.
Andrew Bryson – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Member Advisory Board
Andrew has over 20 years of experience in business ownership and management in the fields of retail, franchising, manufacturing, real estate development and export market development. Since 1998, as co-founder and Vice President of ElectroBraid Fence Ltd, Andrew has developed experience in manufacturing, global sourcing, export development, conventional nternational marketing, internet marketing, in-store retail marketing, patents and patent enforcement. In the 1990s Andrew was President of Atlantic Corrosion Control Ltd. Throughout his career, Andrew has been involved in the development of commercial shopping malls and residential sub-division in Atlantic Canada through the family businesses of Bryson Associates Limited and Three Brooks Development Corporation Limited. Andrew has a passion for business. His principal professional objective is to help others achieve their personal goals through successful business sales and acquisitions.
Matt Baker – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Member, Advisory Board
Currently Vice President – Sales with Innovatia Inc., Matt is a bilingual executive with over 20 years of increasingly senior level experience in marketing and sales. He has created and implemented highly successful marketing plans and coached and mentored sales teams in the credit management, business management, software and telecom industries.
Over the years, Matt has developed an extensive knowledge of the Atlantic Canadian business community while establishing effective relationships within that community.