Spokane entrepreneur Brian Southworth says he has opened an affiliate office of Murphy Business & Financial Corp., a Clearwater, Fla.-based business brokerage company, by launching a company named Murphy Business & Financial Pacific Northwest Inc.

Southworth, who is a business intermediary for the parent Murphy company, and also owns a sales management company called My Sales Manager Inc., officially started the business here on March 1. The relationship between Southworth, who is an independent broker, and Murphy works much like real estate office branches, he says. 

“It’s similar to how a real estate agent is associated with their home office,” he says. 

Southworth says he paid slightly less than $10,000 to be affiliated with Murphy. 

Murphy, which has more than 150 offices throughout the U.S. and Canada, was founded in 1994. In addition to brokerage, franchise, and merger-and-acquisition services, the company also offers commercial real estate, business consulting, and machinery and equipment appraisal services. 

Southworth works as a broker for clients looking to buy or sell a business. He prepares business valuations, marketing plans, and listings for clients, he says. 

Southworth, who is the sole employee of his business, says he reports to a Murphy office in the Portland area.