Biography

Cress began buying and operating a wide variety of businesses in his native New York where he honed his skills of identifying companies with sound business models, talented employees, and untapped upside potential. This approach helped him identify and invest in businesses across industries including produce companies, trucking companies, beer distributors, grocery stores, warehouses, dry cleaners, and retail food & beverage outlets. 

Like many New Yorkers, Cress and his family fell in love with Florida early in his career. And each year when returning to frozen New York after sun-filled family vacations in Florida, Cress would proclaim, “All right, I’m selling the businesses and we’re moving to Florida.” That pattern repeated itself for several years, until one year when he actually followed through with that promise.

In the Sunshine State, Cress saw boundless opportunities to advise both established and aspiring business owners. He also sensed an opportunity to introduce a greater level of trust and professionalism to the role of business intermediaries in Florida. In 1986, he became the owner of Corporate Investment International better known today as CII. 

In addition to a lifetime of service helping business owners, Cress continues to give generously to the industry he loves. He is a Board Member and Past Chairman of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA).  In addition, Cress has authored and taught several IBBA courses and workshops to help train fellow intermediaries, and he created the first foreign chapter of the IBBA. He is a Fellow of the IBBA, a Lifetime Certified Business Intermediary (CBI), and a Lifetime Mergers & Acquisitions Master Intermediary (M&AMI).