Stewardship for the Next Generation

Throughout antiquity, very few people knew how to spark a flame from nothing, yet nearly every household kept a cooking fire that was started and died daily; fire was communal. When the hearth needed to be lit, a small vessel — an emberhold or emberpot — was used to carry living embers between neighboring houses. This humble tool could rekindle cooking fires, sustain warmth, and bring fire into the field during hunts and voyages. Across cultures, it was a powerful symbol of renewal, continuity, and transition — just as Emberhold Search seeks to carry the flame from a founder to the next generation of stewardship, ensuring the business endures and thrives while remaining locally owned by a family who will act as stewards and active members of the community.

Search Parameters

Target Industry:

Construction & Maintenance: Specialty subcontractors with recurring maintenance/service contracts for infrastructure, utilities, or commercial customers

Environmental & Industrial Services: Niche service providers to plants/critical assets with a good balance of repeat work &. new-build projects

Manufacturing: Small engineered-component producers with long-term orders or proprietary specifications

Target Geography:

Primarily targeting founder or family-owned businesses in coastal or near the coastal Southeast markets. Priority cities include:

  • Miami, FL

  • Jacksonville, FL

  • Tampa, FL

  • Houston, TX

  • Baltimore, MD

  • Charleston, SC

  • Raleigh, NC

  • Savannah, GA

  • Richmond, VA

  • Norfolk, VA

Target Size:

Businesses with annual EBITDA of $750K–$2M, large enough to support a full-time operator but still below the radar of traditional private equity.

The aim is to keep a local business locally owned and place it under the stewardship of a family that will carry on the founder’s legacy as active members of the community while driving thoughtful growth.

Contact

Interested in transitioning your business to the next generation? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!

We are also happy to share one pager, inclusive of bios upon request!