Eric Lineback Joins Team at Country Business Inc.

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Eric Lineback recently joined Country Business Inc. (CBI), a regionally based New England business-brokerage and merger-and-acquisition firm. He will be focusing his efforts serving clients in Western Mass.

Lineback previously worked as a strategic management consultant with McKinsey & Co. in Chicago on projects for various Fortune 500 companies. He then went on to work as a senior analyst for a mid-size private-investment company in Houston and then Washington, D.C., helping to manage a $500 million diverse portfolio of assorted assets, including several operating companies, real-estate investments, equity buy-out funds, and marketable securities. In the mid-’90s, as the Internet was emerging commercially, he co-founded and managed for almost 20 years a successful boutique Internet design and development firm, helping clients create an engaging online and offline presence. Lineback’s work with CBI enables him to apply his entrepreneurial, investment, and financial-management experience in assisting business owners with their succession plans.

“We are excited that Mr. Lineback has joined our firm,” said Philip Steckler, a principal with CBI. “While we have managed the sale of numerous businesses in Western Massachusetts over the years, his focus on that region enables us to enhance our services and broaden our client base.”

Since 1976, CBI has managed the sale of more than 1,200 businesses, ranging in price from $500,000 to $30 million. The company has represented businesses across many industries and sectors, including manufacturing, distribution, retail, and hospitality. CBI is an industry leader in successfully completing sales of client businesses. The firm traditionally completes 80% to 90% of the businesses it is retained to sell — far higher than industry norms.

“I’m excited to be working with such an established and successful company, one which has had a significant positive impact on the local economy,” Lineback said. “My passion has always been working with entrepreneurs and small-business owners.”