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Originally published as a featured column in the November/December 2024 Issue of Indoor Comfort Marketing. Business owners in the consolidating fuel and HVAC market are frequently engrossed in the day-to-day pressures of running their operations, meeting payroll and responding to a host of market pressures. So, even if an owner is contemplating a sale because … Read More

Originally published as a featured column in the September/October 2024 Issue of Indoor Comfort Marketing. Fuel company acquisitions continue to succeed or fail based on the same core principles as they always have. But several factors have changed the playing field. It’s still a nine-inning ballgame, but the outfield fences have been moved back. While … Read More

Originally published as a featured column in the July/August 2024 Issue of Indoor Comfort Marketing. In case you missed it, the capital landscape for small and medium-sized businesses has changed dramatically in recent years. Most notably, the availability of private credit from non-bank providers has grown more than 300% in the last decade. The private … Read More

Originally published as a featured column in the May/June 2024 Issue of Indoor Comfort Marketing. Winter is behind us, and conference season is upon us. The conversations around the industry naturally include the current challenges, new products and technology, the lack of winter and other standard fare. But those discussions will inevitably turn to juicier … Read More

Can you cash in and still enjoy future enterprise value? Business owners frequently weigh the value of what they have today against what they could achieve with additional investment. Some choose to run their current operation as efficiently as possible to maximize profitability before selling. Others spot an opportunity, envision a transformed enterprise and bet … Read More

Bank lending, private capital, industry consolidation — What lies ahead for fuel delivery and HVAC companies? The new year has brought a continuation of 2023 trends that stemmed from a generally higher interest rate environment, tightened commercial bank lending standards, and the slowing deployment of capital from private equity and loan sources on fewer deals. … Read More

Sometimes the answers are right in front of us if we view a problem from a different angle. The problem I’m referring to is the tax bite small business owners face when it comes time to sell their businesses. And while it is true that the only certainties in life are death and taxes, there … Read More

By now you’ve likely heard that the tide of easy lending from local and regional banks has started to recede in 2023.  Credit decisions have slowed and borrowing standards have edged higher.  We’ve certainly seen it as we talk with business owners in our industry and other capital providers.  What is a fuel distribution or … Read More

“In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy.” – J. Paul Getty For anyone playing in the retail fuel distribution space – either as a provider or in a client support role – you have seen your share of challenges over the years and adjusted accordingly to shore up your operation and … Read More

How the Right Capital Partner Can Help Fuel Distributors and HVAC Companies Scale and Succeed Accelerating consolidation. Impending environmental regulation. Competitors looting your already thin technician and driver ranks. It’s enough to disrupt more than one night of any business owner’s sleep. But for most fuel distribution and HVAC companies, it is today’s cold reality. … Read More