About Us

---

Brad was born and raised in Caledonia, Michigan, which is southeast of Grand Rapids.  He graduated from Central Michigan University with a B.S.B.A. in finance and marketing.  His wife, Kelly and he worked in the insurance industry for a couple years before moving to Stow, OH in 1998 to open a restaurant, Bellacino's Pizza & Grinders.  As crazy as it sounds, they sold everything and took personal loans from banks and opened September 26, 1998.  They ran Bellacino's for 11 years and then built a small strip center about a half mile from their original location.  They moved to their new location in February 2009.  Brad was getting restless in the restaurant business and left Bellacino's in 2012 to become an account executive with Ritchie Marketing, which is a food service broker.  He moved into the Business Manager position in 2014 and ran a three-state territory for three years.  He was recruited to fill the position as President/CEO of Ascot Valley Foods (AVF) in October 2017.  He ran AVF for almost a year and was able to improve operations, sales and profitability during his tenure.  Brad moved on from AVF  for various reasons, but one of them was because he had started GLBA Inc. in 2016 and the business was taking off and it needed his full attention.  He had been selling businesses evenings and weekends for the past two years and it was too hard to do both.  He has over 20 years of business ownership experience and he enjoys walking business owners through the transition of ownership process.

Testimonials

Brad helped me sell my company, during a recession, during COVID-19, and during an especially difficult time for business financing. He was a broker, mentor, coach, therapist, and friend through a process that can be quite trying and emotional at times. He is a true professional who understands what it’s like to build, manage and sell a company. I would recommend him to anyone looking for help navigating a very intense and intricate process. You cannot find a better advocate for what you've built.

Ryan Kralic

Tallmadge, OH

Selling a business can be a roller coaster of emotions and events. When I decided to list our HVAC business for sale, Brad was best suited to bring the highest offer. His experience and professionalism brought potential buyers whom I surely never would have found on my own. Brad was available and with me the whole way as we had delays for buyer financing, COVID-19 and other reasons. Brad was supportive and remained level-headed and steady as we negotiated the details of the sale. Everything was kept confidential from employees, vendors and customers. Many thanks to you, Brad! Anyone considering selling their business should seriously consider having Brad Ruth as your broker. I highly recommend him and Great Lakes Business Alliance.

Roseann Cyngier

Cleveland, OH

I tried two other brokers to sell my restaurant, and neither were successful. I decided to give Brad a chance, but I wasn't optimistic. Not only did he sell my restaurant, he did it during a pandemic! He answered questions morning or night, 7 days a week. He was there every step of the way, instilling a sense of professionalism and sometimes humor to make the process less stressful. Definitely recommended. 

Greg Zagar

Painesville, OH

Dear Brad,
We want to thank you for the outstanding service that you provided in selling our business. We were impressed with your professionalism and the way that you covered all the details and requirements so well, helping us to understand what was needed to successfully sell our business. We highly recommend you to anyone desiring to sell their business. Thanks again for all your fine efforts in our behalf.

Sincerely,
Jim & Marie Bly

Perry, OH

We highly recommend Brad Ruth and Great Lakes Business Alliance to anyone interested in selling their business.  Brad helped us sell our business in 2017.  This was our first exposure to this process and Brad was very professional, patient and informative throughout the entire transaction, from the listing of the business through the closing date.  He provided knowledge, guidance and great customer support.

Kim & Nancy 

Tallmadge, Ohio 

We highly recommend Brad Ruth if your are looking to sell your business. Brad was very professional with us and all the potential buyers he brought to us. We had been trying to sell our business for two years on our own with no success. When Brad listed our business we had immediate interest from buyers and multiple offers. We closed the sale 6 months after listing with him. He was very knowledgeable regarding our business and we were very happy with the final sale price.

Jim & Denise

Stow, OH