Established Low-Voltage Integrator & Regional Wireless ISP, 30-Year Ohio Business

$3.1M

Revenue

$1.1M

SDE

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Full Editorial Writeup

This is a 30-plus year low-voltage systems integrator and regional wireless internet provider operating across Western Ohio and Eastern Indiana. The company installs and services structured cabling, fiber, security and surveillance systems, fire alarm and life-safety systems, business phone systems, home theater, and pro audio, while also running a wireless internet service (WISP) to underserved rural markets. It serves a mix of commercial, public sector, and residential customers under a recognized regional brand.

What makes this deal notable is the blend of recurring revenue and project work. Monitoring contracts, internet subscribers, and ongoing service agreements provide a stable base that cushions the lumpier project-based installation revenue. At roughly $3.1M in revenue against $1.07M in cash flow, this is a high-margin operation for a services and infrastructure business, which points to durable pricing and a lean 11-person team.

The geographic footprint is a quiet strength. Rural and small-market coverage means limited competition and strong brand familiarity, which is exactly where an ISP and security integrator can hold pricing and retain customers. The seller is retiring and offering some seller financing, and the business is explicitly positioned as an add-on for a regional integrator, MSP, ISP, or security roll-up.

Why we like it

Earnings quality is excellent for the category, with $1.07M of cash flow on $3.09M of revenue, roughly a 35 percent margin. That level of profitability on a services and infrastructure business signals real pricing power and disciplined cost control across an 11-person team.
The moat is the recurring base layered under project work: alarm monitoring, wireless internet subscribers, and ongoing service contracts create switching costs and sticky billing. Combined with 30-plus years of brand recognition and state-certified life-safety credentials, this is not a business a competitor spins up overnight.
The rural and small-market footprint is a genuine tailwind because underserved areas have limited broadband and integrator competition. Wireless internet demand in these markets is structural, and the WISP subscriber base compounds while national carriers largely ignore the geography.
For the right operator this is a clean roll-up platform. It slots directly into a regional integrator, MSP, ISP, or security consolidator, and the multiple service lines (cabling, security, fire, voice, internet) create cross-sell paths the current retiring owner has left underexploited.

How to improve it

Push monitoring and managed-service conversion hard. Every security and fire install should default into a recurring monitoring or service contract, and existing project-only customers should be systematically upsold to move more revenue into the recurring column.
Grow the WISP subscriber base aggressively. Rural broadband is underserved and often subsidized, so pursue tower expansion, better online self-service billing, and referral incentives to add subscribers where competition is thin.
Standardize and bundle service packages so that a cabling job pulls in security, and a security job pulls in monitoring and internet. Cross-sell across the existing five-plus service lines is the fastest margin lever without new customer acquisition.
Build a real recurring-revenue dashboard separating monthly recurring revenue from project revenue. Knowing exactly what percentage of the $3.09M is contractual versus one-time reshapes valuation, financing terms, and where you invest growth dollars.
Formalize sales and marketing beyond referral. A 30-year business coasting on reputation likely has no outbound engine, so add a light CRM, a simple lead pipeline, and targeted commercial and public-sector outreach in the footprint.
Address key-person risk from the retiring owner and long-tenured staff by documenting install processes, vendor certifications, and customer relationships. Lock in key technicians with retention incentives before close to protect the certified capability that carries the brand.

Diligence notes

Break down the $3.09M revenue by service line and separate true recurring revenue (monitoring, internet subscribers, service contracts) from project installation work. The mix drives the multiple and the durability of that $1.07M cash flow, so this is the single most important number to verify.
Scrutinize the owner add-backs behind the $1.067M cash flow figure. With no EBITDA disclosed, confirm what compensation, discretionary spend, and one-time items are added back, and what a fair market manager salary looks like once the retiring owner exits.
Verify the WISP infrastructure and any spectrum, tower leases, or bandwidth contracts. Understand subscriber churn, capex needs to maintain and expand coverage, and whether equipment is aging or needs reinvestment that would depress the reported margin.
Confirm the state certifications, manufacturer partner relationships, and licensing are transferable to a new owner. Fire alarm and life-safety work depends on certifications, and losing partner or certification status at transition could impair a core revenue line.
Assess customer and employee concentration given only 11 full-time staff and a certified team carrying the technical work. Identify any single customers or public-sector contracts that represent outsized revenue and confirm key technicians will stay post-close.

Source

Originally listed on BizBuySell. View original listing →