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Selling a pond and lake management company?
A permanent home for your pond and lake management business
Neighborhoods, golf courses, commercial properties, and municipalities all have water that needs looking after, month after month. If your crews are the ones keeping it healthy, we'd like to hear your story.
Why we like it
Why we buy pond and lake management businesses
Howler Mountain is a family-owned holding company that buys essential service businesses in the Southeast and holds them for good. Pond and lake management fits what we look for: recurring, route-based work that customers can't skip.
Recurring by nature
Algae, aquatic weeds, and water quality don't stay fixed. Most customers need ongoing service, often on monthly contracts, rather than a one-time job.
A long Southeastern growing season
Warm weather across much of the Southeast means a long season for algae and weed growth, which keeps demand for treatment and maintenance high for most of the year.
Stormwater ponds have to work
Retention and detention ponds are part of a property's stormwater system, and many communities expect them to be maintained so they keep functioning as designed.
Licensing and know-how matter
Applying aquatic herbicides generally requires state pesticide licensing, and in some cases permit coverage. Experienced, licensed applicators are hard to replace.
What we look for
What stands out to us
No business checks every box. These are the strengths we get excited about.
- Recurring maintenance contracts with HOAs, property managers, golf courses, or municipalities
- Licensed aquatic applicators and strong safety and compliance habits
- Aeration, fountain, and water quality services alongside treatment
- Dense service routes in a defined territory
- Long-standing customer relationships and a strong local reputation
Our criteria
- Geography
- Across the Southeast, with deeper interest in Atlanta and Georgia. We love investing in our community.
- Revenue
- $2.5 – $50 million, typically recurring (smaller for add-ons)
- Cash flow
- $0.5 – $5 million (smaller for add-ons)
- Ownership
- Founder owned or long-time owner
- Structure
- Majority to full buyout, including partnerships with management
For owners
What happens after you sell
We're not private equity. We fund acquisitions with our own capital and are built to hold businesses for decades, not flip them in a few years.
At Howler Mountain, people come first: customers and employees. We invest in teams, infrastructure, and technology, and build on the foundation you established. Deals range from majority to full buyouts, including partnerships with management.
Confidential from the first conversation. We know how sensitive a potential sale is for your employees and customers. What you share with us stays between us.
Know a pond and lake management business owner?
If you introduce us to the owner and we go on to buy the company, we'll pay you $10,000 in cash at close. (Not available to brokers, investment bankers, or other financial intermediaries.)
Contact
Let's talk about your company
Whether you're ready to sell or just starting to think about the future of your pond and lake management business, a conversation costs nothing and stays confidential.
Questions owners ask
Is Howler Mountain a private equity firm?
No. We're a family-owned holding company based in Atlanta. We fund acquisitions with internal capital and are structured to hold businesses for the long term, not to flip them.
Will our conversations stay confidential?
Yes. We know how sensitive a potential sale is for your employees and customers, and we treat every conversation with discretion.
My business is smaller than your criteria. Should I still reach out?
Yes. Smaller companies can be a great fit as add-ons to businesses we already own, so it's worth a conversation.
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