It matters who you work with
Selling your business is one of the most important transactions of your life! And it’s important that you trust the people who are working for you and helping you to optimize your exit.
Our Core Values
PASSION
We empathize and understand that selling your business is an extremely difficult process. Serving you well is what motivates us. We’re passionate about bringing value, not just to your business, but to you personally.
INTEGRITY
Our relationships are founded on integrity. We practice full transparency and honesty with each one of our clients. We realize trust is of the utmost importance in what we do.
EXPERIENCE
With a combined 40+ years of experience, we have overseen numerous transactions across a wide-range of industries. Experience means knowing how to sell a business for its highest possible value within a reasonable time period.
RESULTS
We only achieve results when you achieve results. We see the transaction through to the end and are only satisfied when you are happy with the sale.
Our Leadership Team
Don Montgomery, CBI
President, M&A advisor
Don’s deep and passionate belief that he has the opportunity to positively impact and change people’s lives by providing a great client experience is what makes True North stand out in the mergers and acquisitions industry.
Prior to founding True North M&A (formerly Column B), Don built his 25-year career around enriching the customer experience in sales and management, eventually leading to his role as President of Pentax Medical. Over the years, Don has led and participated in extensive long-term strategic planning, including numerous M&A opportunities and ventures while sitting on “the other side of the desk.”
Through his many accomplishments and years of experience, he has developed an incredible grasp on how to lead and serve his clients (business sellers and buyers). After seeking to buy a business and personally finding the M&A service marketing lacking in Canada, Don’s passion for caring for the customer merged with his entrepreneurial personality and True North Mergers & Acquisitions (TNMA) was born.
Don and True North take pride in impacting businesses through the ability to connect, listen to, gain insight from, and deliver results for clients’ individual needs. This strength for listening and understanding clients allows True North to develop creative ideas about how to increase a business’ value, even in the final months prior to a sale.
Don is an active member with the IBBA (Int’l Business Brokers Assn) and IBBA Canada, and is a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) through the IBBA. He is also a Certified Value Builder with the Value Builder System™, building his knowledge of the M&A world for the betterment of his clients.
Email: don@truenorthma.ca
Kayla Shepard
Business Development Associate
Kayla’s passion for entrepreneurship and its ability to create immense value and impact in the world led her to join the True North team. Kayla strives to provide an exceptional client experience from start to finish. She’s now going to set the standard for our team and clients in the M&A world.
Prior to joining True North M&A, Kayla gained experience in various start-ups in areas from sales to operations. Most recently, Kayla led Business Operations at a fintech start-up where she contributed to business development, strategic planning, finance and fundraising efforts.
Throughout Kayla’s career she has developed a strong analytical approach to business with a passion for creating both long-term value and impact. She is passionate about genuinely helping her clients and finding solutions that benefit both sides of the deal.
Kayla received her Honors Business Administration Degree with Distinction from the Ivey Business School, graduating with the Ivey Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Don Lang Scholarship in Entrepreneurship.
Email: kayla@truenorthma.ca
Emily Hale
Marketing Director
Emily’s entrepreneurial spirit started from a young age, opening a summer horse riding camp at age 18. Creating a thoughtful customer experience, which greatly differentiated from the competition, came naturally and the business quickly became a success in the local community. She has brought that same drive and commitment to True North as Director of Marketing, leading critical marketing initiatives, and bringing the True North brand to the market with purpose and intention.
Emily didn’t always find herself working in small businesses, and spent almost 10 years managing major accounts for several Fortune 500 companies across the country. She brought creativity into all facets of her roles, and founded her client relationships on trust and delivering value.
Emily received her Honours in Management and Organization studies from the University of London Ontario, and spent her final year of studying business abroad in Stockholm, Sweden.
Email: emily@truenorthma.ca
Kelly Bagshaw
Creative Director
Kelly’s boundless creativity helps drive the vision of the True North brand. She is a true master of design, and her work with countless top shelf brands is a testament to her talent. True North is fortunate to have Kelly as part of the team to develop and oversee creative direction for the brand.
Kelly comes from a long and meaningful relationship with design and packaging. She worked for 17+ years in a senior capacity at leading creative firms, and gained experience in the CPG industry with Hardbite Chips, Silver Hills Bakery, One Degree Organics, Sunselect, Quail’s Gate Winery, Snowcrest Farms, Santevia Water Systems, to name a few. She is also well-known in BC real estate, having won several awards for outstanding design in her project’s discovery centers for various new developments.
Kelly received her B.A from Trinity Western University, followed by a degree in Graphic Design from Kwantlen University.
Email: kelly@truenorthma.ca
I worked with the True North M&A team in 2019 on a challenging transaction… Their focus, tenacity and practical advice throughout the process were instrumental in keeping the transaction alive, and ultimately getting to a satisfactory closing for our mutual clients.
Peter M.
Lawyer, Farris LLP, Kelowna B.C.
Their Advisor remained calm, always believed in and sought acceptable common ground to all stakeholders and managed to resurrect what seemed to be a collapsed transaction on a number of occasions… a big factor in the overall success was Don's (and True North's) efforts and leadership.
Hani Sbaiti
Professional Business Banker/Lender
Maximize Your Return
When choosing a brokerage firm for your business, “good enough” just isn't. Let us put our expertise and relationships to work for you to optimize your exit and maximize your return!