Fountain sits about a dozen miles south of downtown Colorado Springs, right on the east side of Fort Carson. The town was founded in 1859, the same year as Denver, and farms, dairies and cattle ranches grew up around it along Fountain Creek. The 2020 census counted 29,802 people.
For a trade owner, Fountain is a busy place to work. Soldiers, their families, new subdivisions, warehouses and the people who serve all of them keep plumbers, HVAC techs, electricians, painters, cleaners and landscapers on the road. Kent & Tamarack helps owners of companies like those sell when the time comes, quietly and on terms the owner can live with.
The Army changed the town
Fort Carson opened next door in 1942 and has shaped Fountain ever since. Today the post is home to the 4th Infantry Division and about 23,700 active-duty soldiers, and the Army says 82 percent of soldiers and their families live off post. Fountain grew from 25,846 people at the 2010 census to 29,802 in 2020.
That history explains a lot about the trade work here. Many homes are rentals. Many owners live somewhere else and depend on a property manager. Families move in and out on the Army's schedule. Every move brings cleaning, painting, repairs, appliance and HVAC checks, and plumbing calls.
The city lists Fort Carson as its top employer, followed by Kroger's Windigo Logistics warehouse, RMB Products and Pavestone. The warehouse and plant work adds another layer: commercial accounts that need electrical, mechanical and door service on a schedule.
Property managers, builders and the customer list
When a buyer looks at a Fountain service company, the customer list tells the story. Three kinds of accounts show up again and again here, and each one reads differently.
Property managers send a lot of work, and they pay on account. A buyer likes that. A buyer also knows a manager can switch vendors with one email. So we show how long each manager has used you, how many doors they send, and who on your crew they deal with.
Home builders may use you for new construction or warranty calls. That work rises and falls with building in the area. We separate it from repeat service work so a buyer sees both clearly.
Homeowners who call you back every year are the steadiest part of the list. Maintenance plans, service reminders and a strong set of reviews show a buyer that those customers will keep calling.
The moving season
Military moves cluster in the summer months. In a town next to a large post, that means many leases end, homes sell and new families arrive in the same window. Turnover work spikes. Then fall and winter settle down.
That pattern is normal here, but a buyer from Denver or out of state may not know it. A strong July and a slow January can look odd on paper without context. We lay out your year by month, compare several years, and explain the swings in plain words before the buyer has to ask.
Growth to the south and east
Fountain still has open land to grow into. New neighborhoods need trade service the same as old ones, and the first company a homeowner trusts is often the one they keep.
If your company already works in the newer subdivisions, say so. A buyer pays more for a company that is part of the area's growth than for one that serves only the older streets.
Who buys a Fountain company
Buyers for a Fountain trade company come from the Colorado Springs area more than anywhere else. A Springs company may want to cover the south end without opening a new shop. A Pueblo company may want to move north along I-25. A tech or manager on your crew may want to take over, sometimes with help from seller financing.
Some buyers are veterans who served at Fort Carson and want to stay in the area. Many have led teams and handled equipment for years. What they may lack is trade knowledge, so your lead tech staying on after the sale matters a lot to them.
Keeping your crew through the sale
Good techs are hard to find anywhere along the Front Range, and in Fountain some of yours may be military spouses or veterans who could leave when orders come. A buyer will ask who is staying, who holds the trade licenses, and who knows the customers by name.
You can make that answer stronger before a sale. Write down who does what. Cross-train so no single tech is the only one who can handle a boiler, a commercial panel or a big property manager. If your lead tech is likely to stay for years, say so, and think about a stay bonus paid at closing or a few months after. We talk through these choices with you and your accountant, and we keep the sale quiet from the crew until you decide they should know.
When the phone rings for you
In many small Fountain companies, customers still ask for the owner. That is a sign of good service, and it is also something a buyer worries about. Start handing calls, bids and supplier orders to someone else now, even if the sale is a year away. Every month the company runs without you on every job makes it easier to sell.
What the sale looks at
We look at what the company earns for an owner in a normal year, how much work repeats, how many accounts send you work and how concentrated they are, the age of the trucks and tools, and how well the books match your tax returns. Then you get an honest range with reasons. If one thing is pulling the price down, such as a single property manager sending most of your jobs, we tell you and suggest what to do about it.
Steps and next move
A sale has four steps: a private first call, a fair value range, a quiet buyer search, and a close with your own accountant and attorney. The steps are explained here. Owners of lawn and yard companies can also read about selling a landscaping business.
Phone (983) 900-6537. The founder answers, and the call stays between you and us. Your neighbors to the north are on the Security-Widefield page.