Grace Harbour, Inc.: A Confidential Sale to a Strategic Behavioral Health Acquirer

Grace Harbour, Inc.

Behavioral Health & Outpatient Mental Health Services | Peachtree City, Georgia

A Multi-Location Behavioral Health Provider Built on Clinical Quality

Founded in 2006 by Kevin Freeman and Mark Peterson, Grace Harbour, Inc. grew from a single-office practice into a multi-location behavioral health provider serving more than 23 Georgia counties.

The CARF-accredited agency provided evidence-based mental health and substance abuse treatment, assessment, and training programs to children, adolescents, and adults. Grace Harbour was also among Georgia's first Core Service Providers authorized by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Long-standing referral relationships, low staff turnover, diversified funding sources, and early adoption of evidence-based programs such as Functional Family Therapy and Multisystemic Therapy helped the business establish a reputation for clinical quality and consistent growth.

Two Partners. Two Different Paths to the Next Chapter.

Grace Harbour's two owners were at very different stages of their careers. One had reached retirement age and wanted a complete exit. The other, in his early forties, wanted to step back from day-to-day ownership responsibilities while remaining involved with the company and creating more time to teach at Mercer University.

The transaction therefore needed to solve two different succession goals at once: provide a clean retirement for one partner while creating a meaningful continuing role for the other. Sunbelt Atlanta was engaged to run a confidential process built around those dual objectives.

Creating Competitive Tension While Protecting the Business

With the transaction led by Dealmaker Doreen Morgan, Sunbelt Atlanta built a targeted universe of strategic and financial acquirers active in behavioral health and outpatient mental health services.

The process reached 50 qualified buyers under strict confidentiality, helping protect Grace Harbour's staff, referral relationships, and competitive position throughout the marketing period.

That outreach generated four letters of intent, giving ownership genuine leverage and the ability to compare transaction structures rather than negotiate against a single proposal. From launch to close, the transaction was completed in nine months.

One Transaction Had to Solve Two Different Succession Goals

Strong Demand in a Fragmented Behavioral Health Market

The transaction closed amid sustained demand for outpatient behavioral health services. The market remained highly fragmented, creating opportunities for larger healthcare networks to acquire established regional providers with strong referral relationships, diversified funding sources, and evidence-based programs.

In that environment, providers such as Grace Harbour—with evidence-based programming, diversified payor sources, established referral networks, and a strong management team—can become attractive strategic acquisition targets for larger networks looking to expand geographically and add clinical capabilities.

Five Takeaways for Healthcare Business Owners

Thinking About Selling Your Behavioral Health or Mental Health Services Company?

Grace Harbour's story shows what's possible when a competitive process is built around the goals of the owners, the needs of the team, and the future of the business. Sunbelt Atlanta advises privately held companies through confidential sale processes with no upfront fees.

Helping Business Owners Navigate Successful Transitions Since 1998

Since 1998, Sunbelt Atlanta has helped business owners across Georgia and the Southeast sell their companies confidentially and on their own terms. With more than 1,250 businesses sold, a no-upfront-fee, success-driven approach, and experience across industries including behavioral health and healthcare services, Sunbelt Atlanta's Dealmakers guide owners through every stage of a sale, from valuation through closing.

Owners of behavioral health and mental health services companies who are considering a sale, whether now or a few years down the road, are welcome to begin with a confidential conversation about their options.