Exit Planning Client Profile

Industry: Commercial HVAC
Location: West Michigan
Revenue: $7M annually

Background & Challenges

Following a consultation with Calder Capital’s Exit Planning Team and completion of Calder’s 50 Value Factors Assessment, it became evident that the owner of a rapidly growing commercial HVAC company in West Michigan was juggling too many responsibilities. With responsibility for financial management, daily operations, and new business development, he was stretched thin and feeling increasingly burned out. Despite strong demand and a capable technical team, the company was struggling to scale due to operational bottlenecks, unclear roles, and a lack of dedicated support in key areas.

Calder’s Exit Planning Approach

Calder Capital was brought in to assess the situation and design a sustainable structure for long-term growth. The team started with a comprehensive review of the company’s organizational structure, conducting team member interviews and mapping workflows to uncover operational gaps and determine which responsibilities needed to be realigned.

From there, the Exit Planning team partnered with the owner to:

• Create clearly defined job descriptions for key roles.
• Lead the search for a Controller to stabilize financial operations and reporting.
• Recruit a dedicated Outside Sales Representative to take ownership of business development and client relationships.

We also uncovered that a significant portion of the team’s time and budget was being consumed by an outdated and inflexible scheduling process. After evaluating the company’s needs and current workflows, we recommended and helped implement a customized software solution to streamline job scheduling, reduce manual coordination, and improve service delivery.

Results & Next Steps

With the new hires in place and the job scheduling software up and running, the business gained:

• Two high-impact team members who could independently own finance and sales.
• Significant time and cost savings by eliminating inefficient scheduling practices.
• Reduced leadership stress, allowing the owner to shift from reactive management to strategic oversight.

By leveraging both talent and technology, Calder Capital’s Exit Planning team helped the company build a foundation for scale while keeping overhead in check.

Rather than apply a one-size-fits-all solution, Calder combined operational insight with targeted recruiting and process design. This created both immediate relief and long-term capacity, turning burnout into renewed momentum.

Why Work With Calder’s Exit Planning Team?

Calder Capital is a National M&A Advisory firm with a proven track record of success, with 300+ deals closed and 700+ valuations completed since opening its doors in 2013. While other exit planning advisors may claim to know how a buyer will view your business, Calder works with thousands of real buyers and closes dozens of transactions annually. We know what buyers are looking for and what characteristics make certain businesses more successful on the market than others.

Calder is industry agnostic (does not focus on one industry); however, the firm has closed many transactions in the manufacturing, construction, distribution, and business service industries with enterprise values ranging from $1M – $100M. This does not mean Calder limits itself to these spaces, as we recognize all businesses are not the same, and a successful deal does not always occur in a linear fashion. Calder’s success is driven by its client-focused approach, taking the time to understand our clients and the nuance that comes along with each individual business. This is a point of pride, which makes Exit Planning Services a natural fit.

Calder Capital has the people, knowledge, tools, and resources needed to assist businesses with varying degrees of complexity. With Calder Capital’s experience with business valuation and M&A sales, there is a natural opportunity for clients to transition from Exit Planning to being engaged for an optimized business sale, all while maintaining continuity within Calder Capital.

About Calder Capital

Calder Capital is a lower middle market investment bank providing mergers and acquisitions advisory services to business owners, entrepreneurs, family offices, and investors across the United States. Our dedicated team of professionals combines extensive industry experience, technological innovation, negotiation savvy, and key relationships to deliver exceptional execution. Calder’s services include mergers and acquisitions advisory, private funds and capital markets advisory, and business valuations. To learn more, please visit https://www.caldergr.com