Sell Your Electrical Contractor in Ohio

We help Ohio electrical contractors sell. Residential service, commercial and industrial electrical, data and low voltage, and specialty work.

We focus on Central Ohio, including Columbus, Dublin, Westerville, New Albany, and the surrounding counties. Data center, warehouse, and manufacturing projects have increased demand for contractors with experienced electricians and supervisors.

Everything stays confidential. Your crews, general contractors, and competitors do not learn about the process.

Electrical buyers look closely at licensed employees, the quality of the backlog, and whether work is negotiated or won through hard bids.

How Electrical Contractor Businesses Are Valued

Smaller electrical contractors are valued on SDE, and larger ones on EBITDA. SDE adds back the owner's compensation; EBITDA does not, because the buyer assumes a paid manager in that seat.

Around $1 million in adjusted earnings, buyers and lenders usually shift from SDE to EBITDA. This is also where larger, well-funded buyers become more active.

Negotiated work, service contracts, licensed electricians, a master electrician who stays, current WIP reports, specialized experience, and independent project managers can support a higher multiple.

Low-margin public bids, customer concentration, owner dependence, weak job costing, and persistent labor shortages can lower it.

The table uses completed private electrical contractor sales reported by BVR DealStats.

These figures are a reference point, not a valuation. The size of the company, the quality of its earnings, and current buyer demand all matter. We review three years of financials and the add-back schedule before giving an owner a range.

Metric	Average	75th Percentile
SDE multiple	2.5x	3.1x
EBITDA multiple	5.1x	5.0x
Revenue multiple	0.54x	0.68x

Based on 245 private company transactions.

Source: BVR DealStats. Private company transactions with $250K to $10M in revenue, closed 2016 to present. Multiples are MVIC (total price) divided by SDE, EBITDA, or revenue.

What Buyers Look For

Backlog and awarded work. Signed contracts extending past closing, with contract value, percent complete, and expected finish dates.
WIP schedule quality. Monthly work-in-progress reporting that ties to the financials. Without it, buyers discount earnings.
Licensed electricians. Count, tenure, and whether the license holder stays after the sale.
Bid versus negotiated work. Negotiated and repeat relationships are worth more than a bid pipeline that resets every quarter.
Service division. Recurring service and maintenance revenue smooths out the project cycle and raises the multiple.
Customer concentration. One general contractor carrying the revenue is a risk buyers price in.
Specialty capability. Data center, industrial controls, switchgear, and low voltage capability widen the buyer pool.
Owner dependence. Project managers and an estimator who are not the owner materially raise value.

Common Problems That Kill Deals

Incomplete WIP schedules. The most common reason contractor deals stall. Buyers and lenders cannot verify earnings without current WIP.
Overbilling and underbilling. Large swings between billings and costs make buyers doubt the reported profit.
Crew misclassification. 1099 treatment of workers who function as employees transfers as a liability.
Prevailing wage compliance. Public work carries certified payroll requirements. Gaps become escrow holdbacks or worse.
Unassignable contracts. Contracts that need consent to transfer can strip the backlog out of the deal.

How the Sale Process Works

Valuation. We review three years of financials, build the add-back schedule, and compare the business with similar sales. You get a range and the math behind it.
Preparation. We deal with reporting gaps, contract issues, customer concentration, and owner dependence before buyers begin their review.
Confidential marketing. A blind profile goes out to vetted buyers. Names are released only after a non-disclosure agreement and a check on the buyer's ability to fund.
Letter of intent. We compare offers and negotiate the price, structure, escrow, and transition terms before you sign.
Due diligence. The buyer verifies the financials, contracts, employees, and operations. We manage the document requests and keep the advisors moving.
Closing. Final documents, funding, and handover. Most prepared businesses close six to nine months after going to market.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is my electrical contracting business worth?

It depends on adjusted earnings, backlog quality, work mix, and owner dependence. We give a specific range after reading your financials.

Is the data center boom helping my value?

It helps demand for skilled electrical capacity in Central Ohio, and that shows up in buyer interest. It does not fix weak reporting or customer concentration.

Do I need to finish my backlog before selling?

No. Buyers want work in hand that carries past the closing date. An empty pipeline reduces value.

Will my license holder need to stay?

Usually for a transition, unless the buyer brings their own. We screen buyers for that up front.