Nov. 26, 2025
The owners of a business brokerage are hoping their deep roots in community banking will help connect business buyers and sellers.
The Peterson Group, an office of the global organization Transworld Business Advisors, recently opened in southeastern Sioux Falls. It’s led by brothers Lynn and Eric Peterson and their sister, Carrie Pederson, all of whom grew up on a farm in Centerville.
Lynn Peterson has been a community banker for more than 30 years and said watching how a family business can have a generational impact is exciting.
“In community banking, I’ve seen how these business transactions can change the lives of buyers and sellers,” Peterson said. “You get the buyer bringing in their family into a new business, and it changes their lives and their grandkids’ lives. You have a seller who is able to move on to retirement. It’s just a really cool thing.”
Carrie Pederson has spent two decades in real estate, and Eric Peterson also works in commercial banking.
“From growing up in a small town and rural South Dakota, we see the importance of economic development,” Pederson said. The brokerage is based in Sioux Falls but will serve the entire state as well as Fargo and Sioux City. “If a grocery store in a rural community closes, for example, that’s detrimental to the community. Businesses closing are not good for the economy, and we like to see growth and continued development.”
She said sometimes business owners don’t realize there’s a value to their business – and potential buyers.
“People come in and say their kids don’t want the business, and they don’t know where to start,” Peterson said. “We can help and walk them through it. We can help sell that business and keep it open, which is good for those employees and good for that community.”
He said they see a lot of opportunity in rural communities, Rapid City and along the Interstate 29 corridor. The brokerage will work with the Small Business Administration and local chambers of commerce to educate and encourage people to consider business ownership.
“We want a relationship so we can best prepare buyers and sellers. We know what bankers are looking for, and we can help our clients provide the right information and make sure they’re qualified to buy this type of business,” he said. “We can help sellers make sure their financials are in order so they can maximize their profit. We have experience in all kinds of businesses, including farm operations, manufacturing and agribusiness.”
Transworld Business Advisors was founded in 1979 in Florida. It has 250 offices nationwide, allowing the local office to leverage a larger database of potential buyers.
“We want people to know there’s somebody out there to help them,” Peterson said. “We have the right tools for every transaction.”
