You have built your business from the ground up. You have navigated countless obstacles and celebrated numerous successes. You have felt the pains of growth, and now you are wondering: What’s next? Is it time to find a partner?

It can be both an exciting and an unsettling position to be in as a business owner. We get it.

We are a fourth-generation family business, and we treat every potential partner in the way we would want to be treated—with sincerity, transparency, and a long-term view of what’s best for the business.

We usually start conversations by providing a brief history of Crane Group and an outline of our vision for our future. We want to find partners who are ready to take their business to the next level and who share our vision, goals, and values.   

And we are not day-to-day operators. We never enter into partnerships with the intention of cutting staff. We expect your current management team to stay on board and take advantage of our support in strategy, legal, leadership, finance, IT, and HR, so that together, we can position the business for the best possible future outcome.

When it comes to our investments, they’re structured to maximize flexibility. We enter all partnerships with a long-term focus because we believe this approach provides the best outcomes for employees and owners. We won’t rely on significant bank debt, which would ultimately place more pressure on you and require a short-term operating focus. Even with this approach, we can and will be opportunistic if a short-term hold is the desired outcome. But we believe where we excel as a partner is in creating long-term value, as many of our partnerships last 10 years or more.

Perhaps what business owners find most reassuring is hearing from other owners who have been in their shoes. We encourage all of our potential partners to talk with our prior and existing partners so they can learn more about what it’s like to join the Crane Group family. We’re proud of those relationships and have many success stories to share.

From our initial conversation until we close, the acquisition process can take months or even years. That’s OK—we don’t have to close a certain number of partnerships each year, so we wait for the right ones. Our business model allows for that flexibility.

We believe this approach makes for a better experience for everyone. So when you are ready to start the conversation, we are ready to listen.

As President, Investments, at Crane Group, Andy Hackett has managed all of Crane Group’s non-operating business unit assets since 2014. He also sources new business opportunities for Crane Group, setting us up to drive performance and profitability for future partnerships while maintaining our commitment to respect, family, and community.