John H. Sykes, founder and former chairman of customer contact management firm Sykes Enterprises, will purchase a controlling stake in privately held GunnAllen Holdings, a national stock brokerage company based in Tampa, Fla. The deal is scheduled to close within the next 30 to 60 days.

Sykes will become chairman of GunnAllen Holdings and its largest shareholder. He is set to name four of seven members of the company's new board of directors. Rick Frueh will maintain his role as chief executive officer of the company's broker-dealer, GunnAllen Financial. The two men, who met through an acquaintance, have been working on the deal for five or six months, according to Freuh.

"John is a successful businessman who has a long track record of excellence in the customer services business, and that's a distinguishing characteristic of our business," Frueh says. "This is a key opportunity for differentiation for us."

GunnAllen Financial currently has 750 brokers in its network, with operations in 39 states. It will continue to operate as a subsidiary of GunnAllen Holdings. The purchase price of the controlling interest has not been disclosed.

The transaction, Frueh says, will allow GunnAllen "to expand an already robust full service platform for the independent advisor as well as the quality of that platform."