About Us

JAMES R. DUBROY LTD is a duly registered brokerage under the Ontario Trust in Real Estate Services Act 2002 (formerly, Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002) and as such is both a business and real estate brokerage.

The firm is headed by its founder and broker of record, James Dubroy.

James is Certified Management Consultant and a highly trained and experienced business valuator and consultant.

Before founding JAMES R. DUBROY LTD in the late 1980s, James was Executive Vice President of a longstanding Ottawa-based commercial real estate and appraisal firm where he established the firm’s business brokerage and valuation division. Prior to the private sector experience, James was employed as:

  • Senior Officer of the Treasury Board of Canada
  • Policy Advisor with Supply and Services Canada
  • Economic analyst with an Ottawa-based economic consulting firm
  • Independent consultant with the Science Council of Canada

James has a degree in Economics and Political Science and has completed the multi-year rigorous program of study of Canada’s pre-eminent and internationally-recognized and affiliated business valuation organization.

James has conducted, been a guest speaker or participated in numerous seminars on business valuation and buying and selling businesses, and presented for instance at Canada Revenue Agency’s annual training seminar in Ottawa for its business valuators.

On request, James conducts tutorials in real estate appraisal theory and methods.

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Our Services

Business For Sale

When the time comes to sell your business, JAMES R. DUBROY LTD, Business Brokerage, prides itself on its ability to provide you, the business owner, with the peace of mind that all issues can be handled effectively, skillfully and confidentially.

We have been helping business owners sell businesses for nearly 30 years.

During this time, as an experienced and effective business broker, we have discretely advised business owners on the pricing of their business, dealing with customers, employees, competitors and others who usually do not have a need to know, structuring a transaction for best results, and other such related matters.

As with business intermediary services or real estate brokerage, to provide business brokerage services in Ontario, one must be registered under the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act 2002, or be a practising attorney providing a legal service.

JAMES R. DUBROY LTD focuses on Ottawa, eastern Ontario and western Quebec and has assisted business owners sell their companies and/or business operations in virtually all sectors of the economy including the resource, manufacturing and service sectors.

We take pride – and are sure our clients will attest to this assertion – in putting the best interest of our clients first and foremost.

We understand we cannot be of assistance to all business owners who wish to sell their company and/or business. If you have a substantive business located in eastern Ontario or western Quebec and wish to consider selling the company and/or business, it would be our pleasure to speak with you on a no-obligation and totally confidential basis. Should you decide to sell your company and/or business, the buyer might already be in our active buyer file and/or we can discretely and confidentially undertake a systematic search for buyer candidates.

In addition to business brokerage, we also offer business intermediary services, business valuation and appraisal services, real estate brokerage, and business and management consulting.

Business Intermediary Services

Business intermediary services involve acting between or amongst parties buying and selling a business, who typically know each other, to bring about a successful reconciliation of the differing economic and other interests of the parties.

The parties might be competitors, suppliers, co-shareholders, family members and/or employees, or most frequently, the management team of a company. Although the underlying process is invariably dynamic and the players and issues differ, the ultimate the form of a successful and effective reconciliation remains relatively constant from case-to-case.

As with business brokerage services, to provide business intermediary services in Ontario, one must be registered under the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act 2002, or be a practising attorney providing a legal service.

Over the last three decades, JAMES R. DUBROY LTD, a business intermediary and business brokerage boutique, has been involved in a number of management buy-outs and has often been engaged to provide service where:

the parties to the transaction already knew each other and/or

the discussions were already underway, but there was a need for an experienced third-party to guide and advise on the process, handle the negotiations, and structure and document the transaction.

A closely related service offered by JAMES R. DUBROY LTD is business brokerage, which service involves assisting parties generally buy and sell businesses.

In addition to business intermediary services and business brokerage, we also offer business valuation and appraisal services, real estate brokerage, and business and management consulting.

Real Estate Brokerage

Buying or selling a company and/or business often involves a real estate transaction. The real estate can include industrial, commercial, recreational, residential, agricultural, natural resource based properties, or special-use properties such as churches, cemeteries or government property.

The transaction might involve buying, selling, leasing or renting real estate, or on occasion, a combination of these activities.

As a duly registered real estate and business brokerage under Ontario’s Real Estate and Business Brokers Act 2002, JAMES R. DUBROY LTD has been assisting parties for nearly 30 years acquire or dispose of real estate either as part of buying or selling a company and/or business, or as a stand-alone transaction. As a result, as a real estate broker, we bring extensive experience, knowledge, skill and seasoned insight to each real estate transaction in which we are involved.

Although we generally focus on Ottawa and eastern Ontario, we have assisted parties with their real estate needs and requirements throughout Ontario, across the country, and in the USA.

We take pride – and are sure our clients will attest to this assertion – in putting the best interest of our clients first and foremost.

In addition to real estate brokerage services, we also offer business brokerage, business intermediary services, business valuation and appraisal services, and business and management consulting.

Business Valuation

Business valuation is a process of determining the economic value of ownership interest in a business. The process is also sometimes referred to as business appraisal, or company valuation or company appraisal. Business valuations are conducted for any number of reasons

including determining a price to offer to buy or to sell a business and to determine value in shareholder disputes, matrimonial breakdown, and in tax and/or succession planning.

The value to be determined, be it for instance fair market value or fair value, is largely a function of the purpose of the business or company valuation or appraisal.

The interest being valued might represent 100% of the ownership of a business or a company, as a whole, or it may constitute a lesser proportion such as in the case of a minority interest.

The choice of many lawyers and accountants in eastern Ontario, JAMES R. DUBROY LTD, is a business brokerage boutique that offers theoretically sound, market-based valuation and consulting services. The firm is headed by its founder James Dubroy.

James, a Certified Management Consultant, has a degree in economics and political science and has completed the multi-year, rigorous program of study of Canada’s pre-eminent and internationally-affiliated business valuation organization.

Trained in formal valuation theory (concepts, principles, approaches and techniques) and with nearly 30 years of experience in business brokerage – the buying and selling of companies and business operations – James brings a wealth of knowledge, skill, experience and special insight to business valuation engagements.

In addition to business valuation and appraisal services, we also offer business brokerage, business intermediary services, real estate brokerage, and business and management consulting.

Business and Management Consulting

Sometimes it’s strategy. Sometimes it’s execution. Frequently it’s both. Sometimes a challenge, or sometimes an opportunity. What is often required, however, is a certified business and management advisor whose experience, knowledge and integrity can be trusted.

Through decades of consulting to business and governments, James Dubroy, the head of JAMES R. DUBROY LTD and a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), has developed and exhibits a wealth of experience and knowledge in business and management and constantly strives for integrity and professionalism.

The Certified Management Consultant designation is the profession’s only international certification mark, recognized in over 40 countries. It represents a commitment to the highest standards of consulting and personal and professional ethics.

James’ consulting career started shortly after university graduation working as an analyst with an economic consulting firm. He was then engaged by an industry-government advisory board to assist with a study of the transfer of technology from government to the private sector. In government, James was an advisor on government procurement and contracting policy, and for several years, a Senior Officer with the Treasury Board of Canada.

Since returning to the private sector, James has consulted to international governments and extensively with numerous individual businesses.

In addition to various business valuation assignments, projects with small to mid-sized enterprises have included developing a multifaceted pricing policy for a project management firm in the construction industry; succession planning with a number of family-run enterprises; developing detailed operating and capital budgets for a not-for-profit, start-up in a highly regulated industry, and integration plans, guidance and advice for firms coming together through acquisition or merger.

Government funds are available to help small to mid-sized firms in Canada that need business or management consulting services, and James is a CMC specifically pre-qualified to provide such consulting services.

James brings decades of experience, an analytical yet empathetic approach to problem solving, and a structured and disciplined approach to the management of each project.

In addition to business and management consulting, we also offer business brokerage, real estate brokerage, and business valuation and appraisal services.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is illegal in most jurisdictions in Canada, for a party to broker and/or represent a buyer or seller in the purchase and sale of a privately-held business, unless the party is a specifically registered under provincial legislation to perform such services, or a practising attorney providing a legal service.

JAMES R. DUBROY LTD is a duly registered under Ontario’s Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002, and as such it is both a business brokerage and a real estate brokerage.

In all professions, there are generalists and there are those who focus.

In business brokerage or with business intermediary services, generalists tend to list any type or size of business and are often franchises or residential real estate agencies that also list small businesses for sale. In either case, a generalist’s website will typically reveal an array of small or marginal businesses for sale.

Brokerages that focus tend to concentrate on a particular size or type of business. The higher the level of focus, the greater the expertise.

JAMES R. DUBROY LTD, a business brokerage boutique, has focused for nearly three decades in providing highly customized service to owners of substantive business operations located for the most part in eastern Ontario and western Quebec. Buyers of course can be from anywhere, though, in most cases the buyer will be from the same geographical area or in the same field as the entity being sold.

In theory, yes, anyone can value a business. Since ownership of a business often represents major or significant value to shareholders or business owners, it is best, however, to engage the services of an individual specifically trained in business valuation.

James Dubroy, a Certified Management Consultant and the broker of record of JAMES R. DUBROY LITD, a business brokerage boutique, has completed the rigorous program study of Canada’s pre-eminent business valuation organization, and has nearly three decades of experience in providing expert business valuation and appraisal services and advice.

Business or management consultants are often sought out when business owners and/or managers of organizations, are faced with particular problems, challenges or opportunities.

Choosing the right consultant is critical.

James Dubroy is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and as such is specifically trained and experienced in assessing and defining business and management problems, developing business and management strategies, and implementing recommendations dealing with business and management issues.

Government funds are available to assist small to mid-sized firms in Canada that need business or management consulting services, and James is a CMC specifically pre-qualified to provide such consulting services. This government-funded management advisory service helps owners and/or management define issues, set priorities and establish action plans. Engagements cover a wide range of projects from strategy and human resources to financial planning and marketing.

Fees vary with the nature and scope of the engagement, and are as agreed on a case-by-case basis between the parties.

  • 1) Business brokerage or real estate brokerage fees are either a flat fee, or percentage commission, or some combination of both, depending on the particulars of the undertaking.

  • 2) Business intermediary and/or business valuation services are typically conducted on the basis of a flat fee.

  • 3) Business or management consulting assignments can be conducted on the basis of a unit rate (e.g. hourly, daily, weekly) against achievement of pre-determined milestones, a fixed price contract, and/or arranged as a success-based fee.

Contact Us

To contact JAMES R. DUBROY LTD, Business Brokerage, directly, please call, or simply complete the contact form below. We very much look forward to hearing from you.