About Us
A Leadership Team Rooted in Real-World Success
Southern Oak Business Brokers was founded on the principle that business owners deserve sophisticated, high-level financial expertise regardless of their company's size. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, and serving the broader Southeast region—including Tennessee, Alabama, and North Florida—we bridge the gap between local brokerage and global M&A advisory.
Patrick Lynch
Our team is led by Patrick Lynch, a seasoned Corporate Finance executive and licensed CPA with over 30 years of experience, including two decades as a CFO for multibillion-dollar global companies. Having successfully transformed and sold his own business as an entrepreneur, Patrick understands the emotional and financial weight of the selling process. We provide our clients with a dedicated team of analysts, business developers, and closers who work tirelessly to find qualified buyers and negotiate the most favorable terms possible. At Southern Oak, we combine our powerful national presence with a personalized approach to ensure every client moves forward with confidence. Reach out to our Atlanta office today to begin your next chapter with an expert team by your side.
Jac Counts
I truly love what I do for a living. As one of the owners of Capstone Benefits Consulting, I am very fortunate to be part of a very talented and experienced team of employee benefits experts that take great pride in providing our clients with the best opportunities to manage and control their healthcare spend. I am a firm believer in a culture of empowerment and transparency, and this resonates internally within our team, as well as externally to our clients. I also believe in the power of partnership and spend a great deal of my time identifying and developing relationships with industry leaders across multiple specialties that can provide value to our clients. Our professional advisor network is an extension of our team and we view each of those relationships as a partnership. I, as well as everyone in our firm, believe in putting the client first when making decisions and providing value with all the solutions we help develop.
I am an avid golfer and fortunately get to have fun with my favorite hobby at work. I also love doing most things outdoors, including bird hunting, deer hunting, and just about anything that qualifies as exercise. Many of the professional advisors I work with enjoy some of the same activities, so we often get together for “meetings” and have some fun at the same time. Relationship is important to me. I want to know the people I work with on a personal and professional level. The first rule of business for me is, I have to like you and you have to like me, or nothing else matters.
My wife, Leslie, and my children, Carter and Caroline, live in Newnan and are involved in our church and community. I serve on several local and regional boards of directors and believe that a strong community leads to a strong economy and a better place to live.
Steven Prance
I love what I do for a living. I love hearing about what makes people successful, I love hearing about people’s passions, and I am fascinated by all the different ways people make money. Most of my clients are entrepreneurs, as am I. They have passion and purpose behind their businesses and are eager to talk about it, as I am eager to listen. If I can help them in even the smallest way transition their business to the next generation, help them create a legacy, improve the health and wellness of them and their employees, or provide for their children, grandchildren, or favorite charities; or if I can give them peace of mind that their loved ones will be ok, even if God forbid something happened to them, then I am tapping into my purpose and passion.
When I’m not working with business owners or families, I am spending time with my own family on our small farm. My wife Becca and I have two kids, a boy Wyatt and a girl Reagan. We (or more appropriately she) also has a dog Rio, several chickens, some ducks, a horse, and a bunch of barn cats. We are very involved in our church, First Baptist Eatonton as well as in the community.
For fun, I enjoy shooting birds (both of the feather and clay variety), I enjoy golfing (although what I do many people don’t refer to as golf), and over the years I have developed a salt water fishing habit. I am also a sports nut and love pulling for my Bulldogs.
I love my family, my work, my colleagues, and my clients; success is always way more fun when there are people to share it with.
Ready to Navigate Your Next Business Milestone?
Ready to sell, buy, or plan your exit? Contact Southern Oak Business Brokers in Atlanta today for a confidential consultation and move forward with total confidence.