Decisions close to the customer
Your business keeps its name, its people, and its systems. Customers keep working with the business they know and have relied upon for years. We don't fold it into a larger company.
Pando
Built with care.Kept that way.
We buy businesses built the old-fashioned way: through hard work, lasting relationships, and service to their communities.
You built something personal: a team, customer relationships, a legacy. We're here to protect what makes your business special and help it move forward, with its independence and soul intact.
Team
The people you can call.
We are operators and investors with decades of experience building small businesses. Our team brings together people who have done this before and people who intend to spend their careers doing it.
Kent WeaverCo-Founder
Kent bought a home health care business in Northern California in the early 2000s and ran it as CEO for more than a decade. He still chairs it today. He has sat where you sit, and he has spent the last twenty years backing people who buy businesses and keep them.
Will ThorndikeCo-Founder
Will has spent more than thirty years backing main street entrepreneurs, from roadside assistance to lake and pond management. He wrote The Outsiders, a study of exceptional CEOs. His approach is simple: focus relentlessly on customers, make every dollar count, and give teams real ownership.
Andrew FreimanCo-Founder
Andrew is an Investor at The Cromwell Harbor Partnership; a family office focused on building elite businesses with exceptionally talented people over the longest possible time horizon. He has spent over a decade searching for great businesses and partnering with the entrepreneurs that build them.
Christian ColettaPrincipal
Christian grew up around his father's restaurant, learning firsthand the care and hard work behind a small business. He has since acquired and operated business services companies and previously worked at Bain & Company. He is based in Chicago.
Working With Us
Here's what stays the same.
Permanent ownership
We have a forever-ownership mentality. This shapes how we build: we invest in our teams, look out for our customers, and always play the long game.
Room to continue great work
We give good operators the support they need and help with the admin that takes them away from delighting customers. We can work alongside your team, give them room to lead, or step in to run the business. The right approach depends on what the business needs.
How we compare to other buyers
| Comparison | Private Equity | Independent Buyers | Strategic Buyers |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Narrow size and sector fit.Typically looks for businesses in particular industries and within a target size range. | Unique fit to buyer.Looks for a business that fits the buyer’s experience, interests, and resources. | Fit with an existing business.Buys businesses similar to them that add customers, services, or locations. | Specialized services businesses.Specialized services, lasting customer relationships, and work that matters to the communities they serve. |
| Approach | An investment firm behind management.Provides funding and oversight, usually through an investment team and the company’s management. | Direct personal involvement.Often an individual or small partnership taking an active role in running the business. | Part of a larger company.Decisions follow the acquiring company’s priorities, often with shared leadership and systems. | Personal attention. Broad experience.Our own capital, a transition shaped around you, and help from people who have built, run, and invested in businesses. |
| Growth | Growth for investor returns.Invests to grow the business and increase its value within the planned ownership period. | Led by the owner.Growth depends on the buyer’s goals, experience, and access to funding and support. | Growth across the combined business.Invests where it can strengthen the larger company. | Small businesses. Big ambitions.We stay close to customers and help our teams serve them better, win new work, and keep improving. |
| Legacy | An eventual exit.Usually plans to sell the business in just a few years. | Personal ownership.The business’s future depends on the owner’s long-term plans and who takes over after them. | A place within the acquirer.The name, team, and operations may become part of the larger company. | A permanent home.We do not sell the businesses we buy. Your business keeps its identity, with ownership built to last beyond any one person. |
FocusPrivate EquityNarrow size and sector fit.Independent BuyersUnique fit to buyer.Strategic BuyersFit with an existing business.Specialized services businesses.
- Private Equity
- Narrow size and sector fit.
Typically looks for businesses in particular industries and within a target size range.
- Independent Buyers
- Unique fit to buyer.
Looks for a business that fits the buyer’s experience, interests, and resources.
- Strategic Buyers
- Fit with an existing business.
Buys businesses similar to them that add customers, services, or locations.
- Specialized services businesses.
Specialized services, lasting customer relationships, and work that matters to the communities they serve.
ApproachPrivate EquityAn investment firm behind management.Independent BuyersDirect personal involvement.Strategic BuyersPart of a larger company.Personal attention. Broad experience.
- Private Equity
- An investment firm behind management.
Provides funding and oversight, usually through an investment team and the company’s management.
- Independent Buyers
- Direct personal involvement.
Often an individual or small partnership taking an active role in running the business.
- Strategic Buyers
- Part of a larger company.
Decisions follow the acquiring company’s priorities, often with shared leadership and systems.
- Personal attention. Broad experience.
Our own capital, a transition shaped around you, and help from people who have built, run, and invested in businesses.
GrowthPrivate EquityGrowth for investor returns.Independent BuyersLed by the owner.Strategic BuyersGrowth across the combined business.Small businesses. Big ambitions.
- Private Equity
- Growth for investor returns.
Invests to grow the business and increase its value within the planned ownership period.
- Independent Buyers
- Led by the owner.
Growth depends on the buyer’s goals, experience, and access to funding and support.
- Strategic Buyers
- Growth across the combined business.
Invests where it can strengthen the larger company.
- Small businesses. Big ambitions.
We stay close to customers and help our teams serve them better, win new work, and keep improving.
LegacyPrivate EquityAn eventual exit.Independent BuyersPersonal ownership.Strategic BuyersA place within the acquirer.A permanent home.
- Private Equity
- An eventual exit.
Usually plans to sell the business in just a few years.
- Independent Buyers
- Personal ownership.
The business’s future depends on the owner’s long-term plans and who takes over after them.
- Strategic Buyers
- A place within the acquirer.
The name, team, and operations may become part of the larger company.
- A permanent home.
We do not sell the businesses we buy. Your business keeps its identity, with ownership built to last beyond any one person.
Your Transition
The right transition starts with what matters to you.
We understand that selling often comes at the crossroads of life and is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. We start with your goals and what the business needs to keep doing well.
Partnership
Small businesses do some of America's most important work.
45.9%
of U.S. private-sector jobs are in small businesses.
SBA Office of Advocacy · February 2026Small businesses: fewer than 500 employees.
They solve problems that require real know-how and are a bedrock of local communities. Small businesses account for 45.9% of U.S. private-sector jobs. Many are family-built with care. We see the American dream in this work: building something of your own, creating a good living for others, and serving your community.
We champion these businesses and appreciate the awesome responsibility and quiet leadership tied to ownership.
Know-how.Opportunity.Community.
Our focus
| What we look at | What interests us |
|---|---|
| History | Service providers and manufacturers that serve customers regularly and measure customer relationships in decades. A warm, impactful presence in your local community, a True North towards the common good, and a team that is energized to come into work every day. |
| Size | From a handful of employees to a few dozen and a long-term history of profitability. |
If this sounds like your business, we'd like to meet you.
Representing an owner? Visit For BrokersQuestions Owners Ask
A few things you may be wondering.
Do I need to be ready to sell?
No. You may be weighing your options or planning years ahead. We'd like to get to know you and learn about what you've built, whether or not you're ready to sell.
Who runs the business if I leave?
We agree on that before a sale. Someone on your team may take over, we may hire a new leader, or we may step in ourselves. Your business keeps its own leadership.
What happens to the name and the team?
They stay. We keep the business's name, people, and systems. If you're stepping back, we'll agree on how to hand over your responsibilities.
Tell us about the business you've built.
We'd like to hear what you do, how you got here, and what you're thinking about next.
For owners
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