About
Tennessee Business Brokers is a professional Business Brokerage Firm with a long history and experience working with businesses spanning from International Investment Banking clients on Wall Street to serving Main Street businesses in the Mid-South market with special focus on Tennessee and also serving Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri.
Karen Schorkopf Managing Director
M&A Advisor/Business Broker/Commercial Realtor
Karen Schorkopf is the Managing Director of TBB and is a Certified Business Intermediary with 38 years’ experience working with businesses spanning from International Investment Banking clients on Wall Street to serving Main Street & Middle Market businesses in a variety of professional roles. In addition to her vast experience selling businesses, other positions have included decades as a Business Banker, Consultant, Loan Production Leader, and a variety of Sale & Service Leadership positions.
Karen graduated from Duke University with a BS Degree in Economics. Thereafter, she completed the Commercial Finance and Corporate Analysis Program at New York University’s Sterns School of Business. Karen has also received advanced training through the IBBA (International Business Brokerage Association) rigorous Certified Business Intermediary certification program as well as the M&A Source’s Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary program. In addition, she is a licensed commercial realtor.
Karen currently is active in numerous professional and civic organizations. She has served on several corporate and nonprofit boards including roles in Chambers of Commerce, banks, real estate groups, senior organizations, professional services groups and economic development organizations.
What you will get when you work with Karen:
- A seasoned business and community leader with extensive networking resources both locally and globally.
- Strong skills necessary to close deals honed over decades of corporate experience including financial analysis, marketing, due diligence, business valuations, inter-mediation, lending/underwriting and negotiations.
- Karen’s key to success is her ability to inspire trust, her commitment to communication, her perseverance and her strong desire for “win-win” outcomes.
Testimonial from Karen's Clients
Jim Shaub Senior M&A Advisor/Business Broker
Commercial Realtor
Jim Shaub is an experienced business sales intermediary, M&A Advisor, and bank and private capital sourcing specialist, having been involved in all aspects of a business’s life cycle. This experience includes starting, selling, buying, on the Board of a startup bank they took public on the NASDAQ, mergers, family and management ownership transitions, restructuring and bankruptcy reorganizations. He is a published journal author on the subjects of financing a business, and investment business analysis
.
He has an understanding and empathy of a business owner’s challenges and issues when facing the transition of a business, one that often embodies the owners themselves. This is often the first and only time the owner will be going through this process, which makes it critically important to engage a partner who has the experience and understanding of how this transition will affect all the parties involved with the sale, or a purchase.
After graduating Vanderbilt with a degree in business, he joined the family business with his father and brother, quickly learning the dynamics of a multi-generational family business, ultimately starting his own successful company. An entrepreneurial spirit and drive were launched which has led to him buying, selling, merging, advising, going Public and investing in multiple businesses throughout his 35 year career. As a licensed real estate agent and previous owner and developer of multiple shopping centers and offices, he is able to offer firsthand guidance and knowledge on options to consider when selling businesses with real estate involved. Working with his and the owner’s team of CPA, financial and legal advisors, he will work diligently, seeking to maximize profits on the sale and capture the best after tax returns, which may involve retaining the real estate as a retirement vehicle or tax strategy inheritance annuity.
Confidentiality, Trust, Experience and Diligence are required for any successful completed transaction. Jim will bring all of these to the table for you, your company, and your stakeholders.
Clayton Fields Business Broker
With over 25 years of experience bringing buyers and sellers together for successful transactions, Clayton is dedicated to helping business owners realize the full value of what they’ve built. Drawing on a unique blend of operations management expertise and go-to-market leadership, Clayton provides a results-driven, strategic approach to selling businesses.
Early in his career, Clayton spent five years managing front-of-house operations in the restaurant industry for small and large brands, developing a hands-on appreciation for service excellence, team leadership, and customer relationships—the same principles that now guide his approach to client service.
Before becoming a business broker, Clayton spent 15 years leading go-to-market operations for software, SaaS, and professional services companies—partnering with CEOs and executive teams to streamline operations, identify growth opportunities, and position businesses for acquisition and expansion. This deep understanding of what makes companies valuable in the eyes of buyers allows Clayton to expertly prepare and present businesses for maximum return.
In addition to his business and operations background, Clayton brings over 15 years of experience in real estate purchases and sales of single-family homes, condominiums, and land. This hands-on experience in real property transactions has honed his negotiation skills, market insight, and ability to manage complex deals—skills that translate seamlessly into structuring and closing business sales with confidence and precision.
Today, as a trusted advisor and business broker, Clayton helps owners navigate the often complex process of selling their companies with confidence and clarity while connecting the right buyers and sellers to deliver successful, seamless transactions that honor the hard work behind every business.
Areas of Expertise:
- Business Sales & Valuation
- Go-to-Market Strategy & Positioning
- Process Optimization & Operational Efficiency
- Buyer-Seller Negotiations
- Exit Planning & Transaction Management
Tracy Scrima
Business Broker
Tracy is an experienced Business Broker, bringing over 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship, business consulting, and business development. She has a comprehensive background in managing and expanding businesses, with particular expertise in the retail, hospitality, medical, and service sectors. Previously, Tracy founded and grew Medical Spas, multi-location Lash and Brow and beauty education business in Boston, where she demonstrated a strong aptitude for driving business growth and maximizing shareholder value.
In addition to her entrepreneurial endeavors, Tracy has served as a consultant, advising small to mid-sized companies on strategic growth initiatives, operational efficiency, and market positioning. Tracy has specialized in mergers and acquisitions, providing invaluable insights to businesses navigating the complexities of the marketplace.
Tracy is committed to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct in all business dealings. With strategic communication skills and rigorous approach to client service Tracy is a trusted advisor to business owners seeking to buy, sell, or expand their enterprises.
A graduate of Berklee College of Music and a former professional singer, she brings a disciplined and creative approach to her work. She is dedicated to leveraging her extensive industry knowledge to facilitate successful transactions for Tennessee Business Broker clients.
Paul Schorkopf Business Broker
Paul Schorkopf has over 30 years’ experience in the Financial Markets, starting as a specialist on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and continuing into the futures markets in New York and Chicago, and in Mortgage Back Securities and Asset Backed origination on Wall Street. Paul also worked as an award-winning engineer for Dell and Verizon. In 2002 Paul and his family moved to Brentwood, Tennessee. To teach their three sons how to run their own business, Paul worked with them to restore a 1969 Good Humor Ice Cream truck.
Paul is customer focused, and believes integrity is at the core of all successful transactions.
David Newell
Senior M&A Advisor
David Newell has over 40+ years of financial experience in commercial and investment banking. Initially trained as a commercial lender, David gravitated to the Asset/Liability side of a major regional bank and dealt with the buying and selling of the bank’s loan portfolio. Subsequently he was asked by the Union Planters Bank (NYSE: UPC) to develop and manage the bank’s Trust business within its community bank network. David was the only officer outside of the Memphis headquarters authorized to accept fiduciary business for the bank in both personal and corporate trust matters. In this role he became very familiar in dealing with business owners exit strategies and the proper management of the sales proceeds post transaction. He served as Trustee for several large leveraged Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and in all cases was asked to make presentations to the employees on the rights, benefits, and importance of employee ownership whether the transaction be qualified or non-qualified.
Because many of David’s corporate clients were in the healthcare industry, he was recruited away by Healthcare Financial Partners (NYSE:HCFP), a specialty finance group dedicated to healthcare companies. HCFP was acquired by Heller Financial (NYSE:HF) and ultimately GE Capital (NYSE:GE). Throughout all organizations, David was the leader in closed transactions by dollar volume.
In addition, David has extensive experience as a serial entrepreneur. He has been a cofounder in three separate companies. First with a specialty pharma company that received multiyear multimillion dollar contracts with the Department of Defense post 9/11. This company developed a large library of intellectual property based on clinical protocols for the warfighter which was the basis for its sale to a publicly traded company. David served as the CEO and dealt with Members of Congress and the various military counterparties. Second, he participated in the startup of a Healthcare REIT for medical properties that merged with an established REIT post formation. Third, he served as Managing Partner and cofounder of Elmhurst Enterprise Solutions a company dedicated to the commercial banking community in providing products and technology that would enhance or increase their “share of wallet”
with their customer base.
David attended the University of Alabama with a focus on Money and Banking. He received a BS Degree in Finance and subsequent MBA studies at the University of South Alabama. He has held the professional designations of Certified Cash Manager (CCM) through the Treasury Management Association and Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) granted by the Wharton School of Finance.
David is married to his wife Katherine of 45 years. They have four grown children and five grandchildren.
What you get when you work with TN Business Brokers:
Client-Centered and Results Driven
Their key to success is their ability to inspire trust, their commitment to communication, their perseverance and also strong desire for “win-win” outcomes.
Decades of Corporate Experience
Strong skills necessary to close deals honed over decades of corporate experience including financial analysis, marketing, due diligence, business valuations, intermediation, lending/underwriting and negotiations.
Seasoned Business and Community Leaders
Seasoned business and community leaders with very extensive networking resources both locally and globally.
Brokerage Affiliation and Experience
The Tennessee Business Brokerage Team is well connected throughout the Regions they serve. Their Brokers are affiliated with multiple Real Estate Groups and work closely with other Business Brokerage firms to assure their clients find the maximum leads for their opportunities. Their Centers of Influence include an extensive list of CPA firms, Private Equity Groups, Private Investors, Strategic Corporate Buyers, Banks, Attorneys, Exit Planners and Professional Consultants. All of these business partners have vast experience working with sophisticated valuation models, in depth due diligence processes and the professional teams involved in strategic acquisitions including legal experts, investment bankers, and due diligence and compliance examiners.
Commercial Real Estate
Karen Schorkopf is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and is affiliated with Westgate Enterprises, an integrated services Commercial Real Estate Company for Nashville and Surrounding Areas. While her focus is on facilitating the sale of owner occupied commercial real estate related to the Businesses she is selling, her partners at Westgate are experts in handling the full spectrum or your commercial real estate needs-- from brokerage and leasing to design and development. At Westgate, we also pride ourselves on being a family-owned company with an experienced, focused and personable team. Westgate agents stay up-to-date on zoning, codes, regulations, vacancies, off-market opportunities and market comps. Our agents also have access to the most advanced CRE tools on the market, including CoStar, LoopNet, Reonomy and ESRI.
