Meet Joah Butler
Occupation/Company: President and Lead Broker / Transworld Business Advisors of Baton Rouge
When and why did you get involved with BRAC?
I recently joined BRAC in 2021 after opening the Baton Rouge office of Transworld Business Advisors. While I was attending a grand opening for a local business, I couldn’t help but notice the support and engagement from all the BRAC representatives there. The BRAC ambassadors at the grand opening were totally committed to helping this new business take its first step into the Baton Rouge business community. This level of support for local business is exactly why I wanted to become involved with BRAC.
Tell us more about how you are involved in Baton Rouge (job or organizations).
Baton Rouge has an impressive history of successful small businesses. As the number one ranked business brokerage in the world, Transworld Business Advisors is a mergers and acquisitions firm that specializes in facilitating transactions for those small businesses. For 40 years, Transworld has worked with strategic investors and entrepreneurs to buy great existing companies and open exciting new franchises, so Baton Rouge was the obvious choice for our newest regional office. There are so many great businesses here in Baton Rouge, and we help local owners sell their business to ambitious buyers who can scale up with proper costing initiatives, innovative technology, and updated marketing. We even sell new locations of businesses that are looking to expand through franchising. I also enjoy staying involved in the local community by volunteering with local chapters of charitable non-profits with a great mission, like Capital Area United Way.
Why do you stay involved with BRAC?
BRAC is my go-to for local business resources. I am obsessed with industry and syndicated statistics. BRAC’s organized and comprehensive databases give me just what I need when conducting strategic analysis for my clients. Seminars and events hosted by BRAC keep me informed on the latest trends in the area and give me new perspectives to present to local business owners every week. Finally, the networking opportunities are endless. There is always a fun and productive BRAC event just around the corner, and I look forward to meeting with all the interesting and friendly BRAC investors when I attend those events.
What would you tell someone considering becoming a BRAC investor?
I sincerely believe every business in Baton Rouge can benefit tremendously by becoming a BRAC investor. BRAC can be your roadmap to success in so many business facets. Looking to expand your employee base? BRAC has the resources to connect you directly to a pool of ambitious job candidates. Want to promote your business in the Capital Area? BRAC offers marketing and PR resources like grand opening events that will bring tons of positive PR. Online treasure-troves of local enterprise data, exciting educational networking events, and economic development initiatives all demonstrate that BRAC is much more than your typical chamber of commerce.
What do you see for the future of Baton Rouge? How will we get there?
Baton Rouge consistently ranks as one of the most diverse economies in the country, so the opportunities are there for synergies between multiple industries. This makes Baton Rouge fertile ground for small businesses development. Baton Rouge has produced phenomenal success stories in engineering, manufacturing, healthcare, continuing education, government, and franchised restaurants while also fostering a thriving ecosystem for information technology. There is no doubt that Baton Rouge will become a hub for small business. To become that hub, organizations like BRAC will spearhead initiatives to promote Baton Rouge’s infrastructure to attract fast-growing startups, new franchise locations, and strategic business units of larger companies.
What’s one of the most exciting things you see happening in the Baton Rouge Area today?
Infrastructure investment from the private sector is leading to new developments in areas that have not seen much action in the past few decades. I get excited when I see companies like Amazon, Ochsner, and others expanding throughout the city. There are so many areas of Baton Rouge that will see revitalized retail, office space, and industrial production in proximity to these expansions. We are witnessing a domino effect of business development in Baton Rouge, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us!