Durango is the county seat of La Plata County and the main town of Colorado's southwest corner. It sits at 6,532 feet along the Animas River. The 2020 census counted 19,071 people in the city and 55,638 in the county. Fort Lewis College looks down on downtown from its mesa, and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad pulls out of town all summer.
Kent & Tamarack works with owners of trade and service companies in and around Durango who want to sell. If you run a plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, framing, excavation or property care company here, we can help you find the right buyer and keep the sale private.
Who employs La Plata County
La Plata County is a business center for the Four Corners. The City of Durango's 2024 financial report lists the Southern Ute Indian Tribe as the county's largest employer, with about 1,600 people. The city itself and the Durango school district each employ about 1,000. Mercy Medical Center employs about 900, and Purgatory Resort, the ski area north of town, around 850. Fort Lewis College had about 3,500 students in 2024.
For a trade company, these employers mean steady commercial work alongside homes. Tribal enterprises, a hospital, a college and a ski resort all need building service, mechanical and electrical work, and repairs on a schedule. If you hold any of that work, it matters a great deal in a sale.
Housing decides who can work for you
Housing is the hardest problem for a Durango trade company. Local papers have covered the shortage for years, and employers across southwest Colorado say the cost of a place to live makes it hard to hire workers and keep them. Prices that start in Durango push people out to Bayfield, Ignacio and Hesperus, and then the drive becomes part of every workday.
Trade companies feel this first. Roofers, carpenters and service techs are hard to find, and a young tech who cannot find a place to rent may take a job somewhere cheaper.
So when a buyer looks at your company, the crew is the first thing they study. Who are your people, how long have they stayed, and where do they live? If you own a rental for your techs, help with housing in some way, or have built a team that sticks, that is worth real money in a sale. We put it front and center.
Holding on to your people through the sale
Because techs are so hard to replace here, the way you handle your crew during a sale can change the price. A buyer will want to meet your lead people before closing. Those meetings come late in the process, after the buyer is serious and has signed a confidentiality agreement, and only when you agree.
Some owners set aside a stay bonus for key techs, paid at closing or a few months after, so the people who matter most have a reason to stick with the new owner. Others ask the buyer to keep wages and benefits the same for a set time. Both can be written into the deal. We talk through what fits your budget and your crew, and we bring your accountant in on how a bonus is taxed.
Bids, contracts and the paperwork behind them
Work for a tribe, a hospital, a college or a resort usually comes with paperwork that homeowners never ask for: insurance certificates, safety records, bid documents and contract terms. A buyer will want to see all of it. Gather it before the sale starts, note which accounts renew and when, and list the people on each side who keep the work flowing.
Tourists, second homes and the calendar
Durango's year has two high seasons. Summer brings the train, the river, the trails and visitors filling Main Avenue. Winter brings skiers to Purgatory. In between, spring and fall slow down for some trades. Restaurants, lodges and shops along Main Avenue need their coolers, kitchens and air conditioning working before the summer rush, so commercial service can pick up just as homeowners go quiet.
Second-home owners add another layer. They want their houses checked, heated, cleaned and repaired while they are away. That work pays well and repeats every year, but it depends on trust. If those clients know you by name and call your cell, a buyer will wonder whether they will stay. Moving those relationships onto the company before you sell helps a lot.
We show a buyer your income month by month, over several years, so they see the pattern and do not mistake a quiet April for a problem.
Who buys a Durango company
Local competitors who want your crew are a common buyer here. When hiring is hard, buying a company with trained techs can be easier than finding new ones. A key employee may want to take over with part of the price paid over time. A regional company may want a base in the Four Corners. And Durango draws people who want to live here and own something real.
Each buyer has different plans for your name, your people and your role after the sale. We find out those plans before anyone sees your books, and we lay the offers side by side.
Keeping it quiet
Durango is a small town in many ways. Supply houses, lumber yards and job sites are where news travels. We keep your name out of every early summary. Buyers sign a confidentiality agreement before learning who you are, and you decide when your crew and clients hear about it.
What your company is worth
A fair valuation looks at what the company earns for an owner in a normal year, how much work repeats, how stable the crew is, the trucks and tools, and how clean the books are. You get an honest range and the work behind it.
How a sale runs
Four steps: a private first call, a fair price range, a quiet search for a buyer and a close done with your accountant and attorney. Read the steps here. HVAC owners can read our page on selling an HVAC business.
Call (983) 900-6537. The founder picks up. For Montezuma County, see Cortez.