Virginia & North Carolina — Self-Funded Search
Peak Search Fund is the acquisition vehicle of Aidan O'Sullivan — a 20-year manufacturing and operations executive seeking to acquire and lead an exceptional business in Virginia or North Carolina. His background is in businesses that run on technical expertise, physical operations, and customer relationships built over years. That is the world he knows — and where he is most useful as an operator.
About the Buyer
I'm Aidan O'Sullivan — founder of Peak Search Fund, LLC, based in Richmond, Virginia. I spent two decades leading manufacturing and supply chain operations, most recently as President of Americas at an advanced manufacturing company.
I know how to walk a shop floor, read a P&L, identify operational waste, and earn a team's trust. I'm not looking to acquire a business and disappear — I'm looking to be actively involved in leading and growing what comes next.
My background is in businesses that run on technical expertise, hands-on operations, and customer relationships that take years to earn. Niche manufacturing, specialty fabrication, industrial services, and technically complex B2B operations — these are the environments I have spent my career in. I understand how they work, what makes them hard to run well, and what it takes to earn the trust of the people inside them.
I bring the financial rigor and operational discipline of the large-company world — without the exit pressure, portfolio conflicts, or committee approvals. My goal is to build something lasting.
Acquisition Criteria
Peak Search Fund is highly focused. The goal is not to buy anything that crosses the desk — but to find a specific type of business where a deep engineering and operations background creates genuine competitive advantage.
Technically specialized industrial services, niche or specialty manufacturing, specialty fabrication, and B2B businesses with recurring revenue. These are the operating environments that match a background built on engineering, physical operations, and technically complex customer relationships — not businesses that require a different kind of expertise to run well.
Profitable businesses in the lower middle market with strong, demonstrable earnings and a clear financial history. Typical enterprise value in the $2.5M–$6M range. SBA-eligible structures preferred.
Virginia and North Carolina, with a preference for businesses within reasonable proximity to Richmond — covering Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia, Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Roanoke, Lynchburg, and the Research Triangle and Piedmont regions of North Carolina.
Ownership considering a transition for any reason — retirement, succession, partnership changes, or simply the right time meeting the right buyer. Businesses that benefit from technically capable, committed leadership stepping in.
Stable customer relationships, a capable workforce, and a defensible market position — possibly with operational upside that an experienced industrial operator can identify and unlock.
Logistics, pure retail, highly seasonal businesses, franchise structures, pure software, or healthcare services. Businesses whose entire customer base depends on the prior owner's personal relationships with no viable transition path.
Why Sell to Peak
Peak Search Fund speaks manufacturing. Reading a routing sheet, understanding a work center, having real conversations with a technical team — without needing a six-month translation period.
Peak Search Fund is fully committed to this acquisition — not distracted by competing deals, not managing a portfolio, not treating this as a stepping stone. The acquired company receives complete focus from day one.
Financing already structured with personal equity committed and a named SBA lender relationship in place. No financing contingencies, no LP sign-offs, no committee approvals. When the decision is made to move forward, it moves forward.
Deal structure is determined by what the business and transaction facts support — not a predetermined template. The process is clean, discreet, and managed by a buyer with the operational and financial sophistication to get to close without drama.
Every conversation is treated with the discretion it deserves. Employees, customers, and suppliers do not learn about a potential sale unless both sides decide they should — and only when both sides are ready.
"I've spent 20 years fixing operational problems for other people's companies. Now I want to do it for my own."
— Aidan O'Sullivan, Founder & Principal, Peak Search Fund, LLC
Why Now
A generational wave of founder-owned and family-operated industrial businesses — built in the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s — is approaching a natural ownership horizon. The operators who built these businesses are thinking about their next chapter. In many cases, no next generation is ready to step in.
For owners who have spent decades building something real — a workforce, a customer base, a reputation in their sector — the question is not whether to eventually transition. It is whether the transition happens on their terms, with someone they chose, or through a process that takes that control away from them.
Owners who have a direct, confidential conversation with the right buyer now — before formally engaging a broker or beginning an auction process — retain maximum control over the outcome, the timeline, and who ends up running what they built.
How It Works
A confidential, no-obligation call to understand the business, the seller's goals, and whether there is a genuine fit. No NDA required at this stage.
With an NDA in place, Peak Search Fund reviews three years of financials and a brief business overview to establish a working valuation range.
An in-person visit to the facility, meeting the team, and understanding the operations directly. This is where real assessment happens — on the floor, not in a spreadsheet.
A clear, straightforward LOI delivered within two weeks of completing initial review — reflecting a fair price, a workable structure, and realistic terms — with a defined exclusivity period so both sides can focus.
Thorough but efficient — supported by experienced Quality of Earnings, legal, and environmental advisors who understand lower middle market transactions. Financing structured in parallel. Target close 60–90 days post-LOI.
Common Questions
Financing is already structured with personal equity committed and a named SBA lender relationship in place. There are no outside investors to satisfy and no financing contingencies that create uncertainty at close. When Peak Search Fund moves forward, it moves forward.
The goal is operational continuity and long-term growth — not extraction or a quick flip. Every business is different. The right post-close structure is determined by what the business needs to thrive, and that conversation happens with full information once both sides have established genuine fit.
No. In fact, the most productive conversations happen before a business is formally listed. If you are simply thinking about what your next chapter might look like, a confidential, no-obligation conversation is the right starting point. There is no pressure to move faster than feels right.
Get In Touch
If you are a business owner thinking about your next chapter, or a broker with a deal that fits — reach out directly. All conversations are confidential, and there is no pressure to move faster than feels right.
All inquiries are held in strict confidence. Broker introductions are welcome.