Full-Line Glass, Paint & Auto Glass Business, 50-Year Wyoming Operator

$2.5M

Revenue

$610K

SDE

2.1x

Multiple

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Full Editorial Writeup

This is a full-line glass and paint business operating in Wyoming since 1973, combining three complementary revenue streams under one roof: flat glass fabrication and installation (shower doors, mirrors, storefront, handrails, and residential and commercial glass), retail and contractor paint sales anchored by a premium national paint brand, and a full auto glass operation. The business runs from a leased, high-traffic location that supports consistent walk-in and repair volume, and the sale includes work vehicles, shop equipment and tooling, FF&E, and roughly $117k of inventory.

The combination of paint, flat glass, and auto glass under a single roof is the core differentiator, a one-stop offering that no single local competitor matches. Over five decades of continuous operation under a recognized local name has built durable contractor relationships and a reputation that supports pricing at the higher end of the market via the premium paint brand relationship. The business generates $2.47m in revenue and $610k in seller cash flow, with EBITDA of $510k, implying above-median margins for the category.

At $1.3m the deal is priced at 2.13x cash flow, which is cheap for a 50-year business with diversified revenue, an on-staff manager already running day-to-day operations, and a growing local construction market feeding demand. The retiring owner is offering a six-month transition, and the existing manager has indicated willingness to stay, which materially de-risks the handoff for a first-time or absentee-leaning buyer.

Why we like it

Earnings quality is strong: $610k of cash flow and $510k of EBITDA on $2.47m of revenue signals margins running above the category median, and the listing claims a clean balance sheet with minimal liabilities and no litigation or tax issues. At a 2.13x multiple on cash flow, you are buying real, seasoned earnings at a price where the downside is well protected.
The three-legged revenue model (flat glass, paint retail, auto glass) diversifies away single-line risk, and each leg carries recurring repair demand that has historically carried the business through slower construction cycles. Auto glass in particular is replacement-driven and insurance-funded, which is largely non-discretionary and holds up in downturns.
Local market tailwinds are concrete: new residential construction and multiple active subdivisions are expanding demand for both glass and premium paint. A 50-year name with established contractor relationships is well positioned to capture that growth without heavy new customer acquisition spend.
The operator setup is unusually clean for this size: an experienced on-staff manager already directs daily operations and is willing to stay, and the retiring owner offers a six-month structured handover including estimating and contact introductions. This is closer to a manager-run acquisition than a typical owner-dependent trades business.

How to improve it

Build direct insurance-company referral relationships for the auto glass line within the first 90 days. Insurance-driven replacement work is high-frequency, largely price-insensitive, and can be scaled through carrier networks and DRP-style relationships without adding much fixed cost.
Expand the paint side using existing shelf space and the premium brand relationship to carry deeper inventory. With subdivisions under construction locally, converting more contractor accounts to standing paint suppliers turns project sales into repeat volume.
Formalize contractor accounts tied to ongoing residential and subdivision construction into standing supply and glazing agreements. Locking in preferred-vendor status with active builders creates predictable, repeatable revenue rather than bidding each job cold.
Activate the existing operational systems for inventory management at no added software cost, as the listing notes. Tightening inventory turns on $117k of stock frees working capital and reduces dead SKUs across paint and glass.
Build a modern web presence, review pipeline, and local SEO across all three service lines. A 50-year business often underinvests in digital, and even basic Google Business optimization and review generation can pull incremental walk-in and auto glass leads.
Cross-sell across the three lines systematically: capture paint and glass leads from auto glass customers and vice versa. Point-of-sale prompts and bundled quotes leverage the one-stop positioning that already differentiates the business.
Document the estimating methodology during the owner's transition and codify it into a repeatable process. Estimating expertise is the single biggest key-person risk here, so converting the owner's approach into SOPs protects margin and enables delegation.

Diligence notes

Confirm the revenue split and margin contribution across the three lines (flat glass, paint, auto glass). Understanding which leg drives the $610k of cash flow is essential, since a downturn in local construction would hit flat glass and paint harder than replacement-driven auto glass.
Verify the lease terms, remaining duration, renewal options, and rent, because the high-traffic location is a core competitive asset and the facility is not owned. A short or unfavorable lease materially changes the risk and value of the deal.
Validate the premium national paint brand relationship: is it exclusive, transferable, and are there volume commitments or territory protections? The higher-end positioning depends on this agreement surviving the ownership change.
Assess the on-staff manager's role, compensation, retention terms, and true depth of the estimating and customer relationships. Confirm in writing the willingness to stay and structure incentives, since the manager-run thesis is central to the valuation.
Scrutinize customer concentration among contractor accounts and any single-account dependency, plus the age and condition of the work vehicle fleet and shop equipment included in the sale. Aging vehicles or a few dominant contractors could require near-term capex or create revenue fragility.
Reconcile the $610k cash flow to tax returns and bank statements, and clarify the owner add-backs bridging EBITDA of $510k to SDE of $610k. Confirm the inventory value of $116,698 is current, saleable, and not padded with obsolete stock.

Source

Originally listed on BizBuySell. View original listing →