Acquiring Minds SBA Deal Structuring to Manage Risk in a Cyclical Industry
27 snips
Feb 5, 2026 Andrew Kurzrock, an acquisition entrepreneur who bought Hopewell Sheet Metal after careers at national labs, Yale SOM, and Amphenol, explains his owner-to-owner cold-call approach and why he targeted regional ductwork. He discusses structuring SBA deals to manage construction cyclicality, putting in ~25% equity, choosing asset sales, and a crawl-walk-run plan for smooth post-close transitions.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
A Thin Website Led To A Big Opportunity
- Andrew cold-called Hopewell Sheet Metal after seeing a thin website but a busy parking lot.
- A returned voicemail and the owner's wife nudging him to call led to the deal.
Customer Loyalty Is The Real Competitive Edge
- Long-tenured teams and local customer loyalty make switching customers hard and protect incumbents.
- Growth will likely require stealing share through sales skill and targeted marketing, not commodity plays.
Structure Deals To Weather Cyclicality
- Mitigate cyclicality by increasing equity, funding working capital in the term loan, and getting a line of credit.
- Structure post-close stability: keep pay/benefits and don’t rock customer relationships on day one.