Lexbury › Sectors › Specialty industrial services

Your customers can't easily replace what your crew knows.

Specialty industrial service businesses run on know-how, safety records and trust built job by job. If you own one in Alberta and you're ready to step away, we'll buy it directly, keep your crew, and close in under six months.

Private · No obligation · No one calls unless you ask.
What we buy

Specialty industrial services businesses we're looking for.

Established Alberta companies with $2M+ in revenue, a skilled crew and repeat industrial customers. Technical, hands-on work that customers rely on is the common thread.

Inspection & testingNDT, integrity and compliance testing
Equipment repair & rebuildPumps, valves, compressors and more
Instrumentation & controlsCalibration, automation and service
Industrial cleaningVacuum, hydro-excavation and tank services
Coatings & insulationCorrosion protection and thermal work
Machining & fabricationCustom parts, repair and specialty builds
What drives value

What we pay for, and what holds a price back.

We'd rather tell you up front than surprise you at the offer. Here's how we look at a specialty industrial business.

Adds value

Master service agreementsApproved-vendor status and repeat work with customers who don't switch lightly.
A strong safety recordCertifications and a clean record that customers check before they call.
A skilled crew and supervisorsTradespeople and leads who can run the job without the owner on site.
Customers across industriesWork that doesn't rise and fall with a single sector or commodity price.

Can hold it back

One customer or one industryA single big account, or one industry's cycle, puts the whole business at risk.
Tickets held only by youIf key certifications or approvals depend on the owner, we plan that handover first.
An ageing equipment fleetDeferred replacement shows up in the price. We'd rather talk about it early.
You are the estimator and the salespersonIf every quote goes through you, the handover needs a plan and a person.

None of these is a deal-breaker. Most owners have at least one. We'll tell you which apply to your business, and what they mean for the price, before you commit to anything.

A relevant deal

Our founder has done this before.

Mike Cook, who founded the Lexbury Group, led this deal. It's the same way we'd approach yours.

Machine shop · Calgary · est. 1980

Two partners ready to retire, and no obvious successor

A custom design and specialty manufacturing shop serving energy, medical, aviation and other sectors. The second-level team was strong, but no one was ready to lead it. Mike hired and trained a new general manager so the partners could retire.

75 daysLOI to closing
All staffkept
Try it

How concentrated are your customers?

Roughly what share of your revenue comes from your top three customers? It's a rough guide, not a valuation. Nothing is saved or sent.

Top three customers' share of revenue

Drag to your best guess.

top three customers everyone else
Specialty industrial services owners ask

The questions specific to your business.

Will my crew stay?

That's our plan. We keep teams intact, and your crew's know-how is a large part of what we're buying. When the deal closes, we usually announce it together at a company meeting, so they hear it from you first.

What about vendor approvals and prequalification?

We plan how each approval carries through the change of ownership, with you, during the confidential review, so there's no gap in the work.

What about my equipment?

We look at it on the visit and in the review. An honest picture of its age and condition is part of a fair price, and we'll tell you how we've treated it.

Will my key stakeholders find out?

Not until you're ready. The visit is arranged so we look like a client, supplier or advisor, and your financials stay under NDA. Where a key supplier or major customer is essential to the business, we may need to speak with them before closing to make sure the relationship carries over. That happens late, only with your agreement, and usually with you in the room. Everyone else hears when you decide.

Same six steps. Under six months.

One conversation, a discreet visit, a confidential review, a fair offer, the paperwork, and closing.

1 · Conversation2 · Visit3 · Review4 · Offer5 · Paperwork6 · Close
61–107 daysLOI to closing, in the four deals
Mike shares on our home page

See how soon you could close.

Seven questions, two minutes, completely private. You'll see where you stand and the date you could be closed by. If a quick exit isn't right for your specialty industrial business, we'll tell you.

Take the 2-minute check   Call Mike · 403-681-5378 Or email cook@lexbury.com. Every enquiry gets a personal reply.
Our other focus sectors: Wholesale distribution