📡 SMB Signal: Utility boring contractor, freight carrier and creative agency

Hello, and welcome to SMB Signal by Mainshares! Each week, we spotlight high-quality small business deals, operator insights, and tactical playbooks for buying, running, or investing in Main Street businesses.

🔍️ This Week’s Featured Deals

If you are interested in one of these featured deals, create a Buyer Profile and request access by getting in touch at [email protected].

🔑 Residential Utility Boring & Trenching Contractor

Location: Missouri
Founded: 35+ years ago
Revenue (2024): $3.7M
EBITDA (2024): $700K
Employees: 10+ admin/staff plus 5 union trenching crews under contract

Overview: A well-established trenching and utility installation contractor specializing in horizontal boring, water, and sewer line placement for new residential construction. Operating in the Greater St. Louis region with decades of reputation, contracted union labor, and a fully owned equipment fleet, the business is primed for growth through simple sales infrastructure and added crews. Zero outbound marketing, strong recurring developer base, and consistent production capacity of ~500 installations/year.

Why is this interesting?

• Niche specialization: Focused on the high-barrier trenching and boring segment of residential utility infrastructure, with deep expertise in soil conditions and regional utility codes.

• Turnkey labor structure: All field work performed by 5 third-party union crews under a standing labor agreement; simplified team management with dedicated internal mechanic and material coordinator.

• Zero marketing, strong demand: Entirely RFP- and referral-driven; no website, sales staff, or advertising—yet fully booked with repeat developer clients.

• Equipment-rich operation: Over 40 owned assets, including excavators, loaders, boring machines, trucks, trailers, and trenching tools—well-maintained and job-ready.

• Growth potential: Immediate opportunities via sales/estimating hires, new crew formation, and targeted municipal/utility bid pursuit. Owner willing to stay post-close for transition.

• Infrastructure tailwinds: Strong demand supported by new housing starts, aging water/sewer systems, and ongoing federal infrastructure funding across Missouri counties.

🔑 Regional Freight & Trailer Rental Carrier

Location: Dallas, TX
Founded: 20+ years ago
Revenue (2024): $4.6M
SDE (2024): $630K
Employees: 12
Asking Price: $1.9M

Overview: A long-established regional transportation company specializing in hopper-bottom and intermodal freight services. With a strong reputation for reliability, a blue-chip client base, and a focus on operational efficiency, the business offers consistent cash flow and additional revenue via trailer rentals. Recent investments in systems, staff, and fleet optimization have materially improved profitability and positioned the company for sustainable, margin-focused growth.

Why is this interesting?

• Stable, diversified customer base: Mix of national logistics clients and regional agriculture contracts; no single customer concentration.

• Digitally optimized operations: Uses modern dispatch and invoicing software with driver-integrated mobile workflows and fully documented SOPs.

• Lean and profitable: 2024 shows lower topline vs prior year but with significantly stronger profit margins, demonstrating mature cost discipline.

• Hard asset value included: Fleet of well-maintained trucks and trailers with additional rental income from underutilized units.

• Positioned for scale: Existing infrastructure and management allow for volume or service line growth without significant new investment.

• Recognized performance: Industry award recipient for service reliability from a leading national logistics provider.

🔑 Creative Production Agency

Location: Utah
Revenue (2024): $3M
SDE (2024): $1.5M

Overview: A high-margin creative agency delivering full-service photo, video, and design campaigns for premium brands. With strong growth from 2023 to 2024, exceptional profitability, and end-to-end capabilities across creative direction, production, and post-production, the studio is positioned for scale through geographic expansion, strategic partnerships, or recurring retainer offerings. This is a rare acquisition opportunity in the boutique content production space with $1.5M+ SDE on $3M revenue.

Why is this interesting?

• Exceptional margins: 2024 estimated EBITDA exceeds 50%, driven by efficient cost structure and premium campaign pricing.

• Creative capabilities in-house: Services span conception to post-production, making the agency attractive for brand-side marketers seeking full-stack execution partners.

• Proven growth trajectory: Revenue grew ~47% YoY from 2023 to 2024, with SDE increasing more than 7x due to cost discipline and scaled delivery.

• Project-based flexibility: Revenue is tied to discrete campaigns, allowing for flexible resourcing and creative scope control.

• Expansion potential: White space exists to build retainer relationships, enter new markets, or integrate paid media to drive additional MRR.

• Ideal for strategic buyer or agency operator: Strong brand aesthetic and likely founder-led creative make this a strong bolt-on or platform play for acquirers in branding, production, or digital.

Deal summaries above are for informational purposes only. Detailed financials and confidential information are shared only with vetted buyers under an executed NDA.

🎥 Upcoming events

🗓️ Thursday, September 4
👤Hosts: Wade Bruffey, Main Street Securities
🕛 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET
👉Register now

You’ve built your search process, you’ve looked at listings, and now the real work begins: evaluating deals with confidence. Join Wade Bruffey of Main Street Securities for a tactical workshop designed for acquirers who are actively underwriting opportunities and want a sharper lens for making decisions.

What you’ll learn:

• The key financial indicators that separate solid businesses from risky ones

• Common red flags that surface during diligence and how to address them

• Practical frameworks for valuing SMBs in real-world scenarios

• How to underwrite deals so you can move forward or walk away with conviction

If you’re at the stage where numbers, risks, and deal terms really matter, this session will give you the frameworks and instincts to evaluate opportunities like a professional buyer.

🎙️ Interview With an Owner-Operator: Commercial HVAC Business

After getting stiffed on a big commission, Scott Crosby decided he’d never work for someone else again. Within a year, he bought American Services, a 30-year-old commercial HVAC and refrigeration company in St. Louis. In this episode, Scott talks about building trust with his team, the nonstop nature of B2B service work, and why he believes culture is the ultimate competitive edge.

📑 More Resources

• Getting to Close: The Financing Checklist Before and After an LOI 👉 Read the article

• Why Sellers Push Back on LOIs and How to Structure Win-Win Terms 👉 Read the article

• Leveraging a Sale-Leaseback for Real Estate in a Business Acquisition 👉 Read the article

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