Commercial Fence, Gate & Access Control Contractor, 24-Year Tampa Bay Specialist

$600K

SDE

3.8x

Multiple

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Full Editorial Writeup

This is a commercial fencing, automated gate, access control, and perimeter security contractor that has served the Tampa Bay market since 2002. Roughly 85 to 90 percent of revenue comes from commercial customers including general contractors, developers, municipalities, property managers, HOAs, and FDOT projects. The vertical integration is the story here: the company does design, custom steel fabrication, fence installation, automated gates, access control, CCTV integration, and ongoing service and repairs all in-house, which is unusual against competitors who typically sub out fabrication or specialty work.

The business runs out of a 7,500 square foot facility housing a fab shop, warehouse, offices, and a fenced yard, all under lease rather than owned. It employs 15 full-time staff, operates a fleet of 9 to 10 vehicles, and reports roughly $600,000 in SDE. At close, the buyer inherits an approximate $2.5M project pipeline plus two active projects totaling roughly $1.6M, meaning revenue continuity is visible on day one rather than something you have to go build.

The commercial and government-heavy customer mix, BBB accreditation, and 24-year operating history give this a durable, boring-in-a-good-way profile. Fencing and access control sit at the intersection of construction and security, both of which tend to hold up better than discretionary trades because perimeter security and code-required barriers are rarely optional for the developers, municipalities, and HOAs paying the bills.

Why we like it

Earnings quality is supported by a diversified commercial and government customer base, with 85 to 90 percent of revenue from GCs, developers, municipalities, HOAs, and FDOT projects rather than one-off residential jobs. A visible $2.5M pipeline plus $1.6M in active projects means a chunk of forward revenue is already contracted before you sign.
The moat is vertical integration: in-house design, custom steel fabrication, installation, automated gates, access control, and CCTV under one roof. Competitors who sub out fabrication or specialty security work cannot match the margin structure or turnaround, which is exactly why this is billed as high-margin.
Perimeter security and code-required fencing are structurally durable. Municipal, FDOT, and HOA demand does not evaporate in a downturn, and access control and CCTV work carries a recurring service and repair tail that smooths the project-based revenue lumpiness.
The operator advantage is real: a strategic buyer or existing contractor can plug this into an existing platform and immediately capture the $600K SDE while layering on recurring service agreements, government contracting, and geographic expansion into the broader Florida market.

How to improve it

Build out recurring service and maintenance agreements on the installed base of gates, access control, and CCTV systems. Contracted monthly or annual service revenue is stickier and higher-multiple than project work, and it turns the existing customer roster into an annuity rather than a one-and-done install.
Systematize government and FDOT contracting. With existing FDOT experience and BBB accreditation, formalizing bid and RFP processes, prequalifications, and bonding capacity can open a larger, less price-sensitive pipeline that competitors without the track record cannot easily access.
Push the security systems and CCTV integration side harder as a standalone offering. Access control and surveillance carry better margins than commodity fence panels and open the door to monitoring and monitored-alarm revenue streams that compound over time.
Expand geographically beyond Tampa Bay into adjacent Florida metros. The fabrication and design infrastructure is already in place, so incremental crews and vehicles can serve new territory without duplicating overhead, improving asset utilization on the fab shop.
Tighten job costing and project management reporting. Confirm which service lines actually drive the high margin and reallocate crew time and bidding discipline toward them, while installing software to track pipeline conversion, change orders, and gross margin per job.
Address the license and key-person risk before it becomes a growth ceiling. The seller is leasing the contractor license for one year, so recruiting or developing an in-house qualifier and building a bench under the current foreman-level staff protects continuity and enables scaling.

Diligence notes

Revenue is not disclosed anywhere in the listing, only $600K SDE. Get three years of tax returns and P&Ls to confirm actual top-line, the true margin profile, and whether the high-margin claim holds after normalizing owner add-backs and any one-time project spikes.
The contractor license is being leased from the seller for only one year. Understand exactly what license the business operates under, who the qualifying agent is, and the concrete plan and timeline to secure a permanent in-house qualifier, because losing the license stalls the business.
Pipeline quality needs verification. The $2.5M pipeline and $1.6M active projects should be backed by signed contracts, deposits, and change-order terms, not verbal commitments, and you want to see historical pipeline-to-revenue conversion to know how much is real.
Customer and revenue concentration in commercial and government work cuts both ways. Confirm that no single GC, developer, or municipal contract dominates revenue, and review payment terms and days-sales-outstanding, since government and FDOT jobs often carry slow-pay and retainage that strain working capital.
The facility is leased, not owned. Review the lease term, renewal options, rent, and whether it transfers cleanly, because a 7,500 SF fab shop with a fenced yard is not easily replaced and an unfavorable or expiring lease is a material risk.
Validate the $501,700 FF&E and 9 to 10 vehicle fleet condition and ownership. Confirm the equipment and fabrication assets are owned free and clear, verify remaining useful life and any deferred maintenance, and reconcile the roughly $450K saleable inventory against what actually converts to revenue.

Source

Originally listed on BizBuySell. View original listing →