Lakewood is the largest city in Jefferson County and the fifth largest in Colorado, with 155,984 people at the 2020 census. It is a young city in name only. It incorporated in 1969, but many of its streets were busy long before that, and West Colfax Avenue was once the main road from Denver up into the mountains.
For a trade company, that history means a lot of buildings that need constant care. If you run a heating, plumbing, electrical, roofing or landscaping company that works in Lakewood, Kent & Tamarack can help you sell it privately and on terms you understand. Call (983) 900-6537. The founder picks up.
What keeps Lakewood trade companies busy
The Federal Center
The Denver Federal Center sits in Lakewood. The federal government calls it one of the largest groups of federal workers outside Washington, D.C., with more than two dozen agencies and over 6,000 people on site. The campus has dozens of buildings, and they need maintenance in every season. The city's list of top employers also includes the Jefferson County school district, the State of Colorado, St. Anthony Medical Campus and the medical device maker Terumo BCT.
Some Lakewood trade companies hold contracts or subcontracts at these sites. Others never set foot on them but serve the people who work there. Either way, a stable base of public employers is one reason the local economy does not swing as hard as some others.
West Colfax and the older corridors
The city formed a reinvestment area along West Colfax in 2005, covering about 813 acres of mostly commercial land between Sheridan Boulevard and Simms Street. The corridor has its own business improvement district, and the city has called its current West Colfax safety project and the North Dry Gulch project the largest infrastructure investment in its history.
Older commercial strips mean older rooftop units, older electrical panels and older plumbing. Restaurants, shops and small offices along these roads call the same service companies again and again. That is the kind of work a buyer likes to see.
Belmar, the W Line and new housing
Belmar replaced the old Villa Italia mall and now mixes shops, homes and offices. The W Line light rail has run through Lakewood since 2013, and the city counts seven light rail stations. Apartment buildings near those stations bring service contracts for heating, cooling, fire systems and grounds care. In April 2026, Lakewood voters repealed zoning changes that would have allowed duplexes, triplexes and townhomes in most single-family areas, so much of the city's housing will stay as it is for now. For repair and remodel companies, that means a large and settled base of homes.
Lakewood from a buyer's chair
A buyer looking at a Lakewood company usually asks a handful of practical questions.
Where are the jobs? Lakewood stretches from the Denver line west to the foothills, with Green Mountain in the middle and Bear Creek Lake to the south. A company that also works in Golden, Wheat Ridge, Morrison and Littleton has a natural service area along C-470, 6th Avenue and Wadsworth. We map it so the buyer sees the shape of your work at a glance.
What repeats? Maintenance agreements, property manager accounts, commercial service contracts and a long list of repeat homeowners all count for more than one-time installs.
Who runs the day? If you dispatch every call, price every job and know every customer by name, a buyer will worry about what happens when you leave. A field lead, a dispatcher or an office manager who can carry the day makes the company easier to buy. If you do not have that yet, we talk about whether to build it before the sale or plan a longer handover after.
What comes with it? Trucks, tools, inventory, the shop lease and any equipment loans. A buyer wants a clean list. If you rent your shop, the lease terms and the landlord's consent to a new owner matter as much as the trucks.
If you want to step back slowly
Not every Lakewood owner wants to hand over the keys and leave the next week. Some want to stay on for a season to introduce the new owner to the property managers and longtime customers. Some want to keep doing estimates for a year while someone else runs the crew. Some want to be gone by spring.
All of that can be part of the deal. A buyer often values a short, planned handover, because it keeps customers calling. What we do is make sure the terms are written down: how long you stay, what you do, what you are paid for it and what happens if the arrangement does not work. You set the limits, and we hold the buyer to them.
Who might buy your company
Lakewood sits at the meeting point of the west metro, so buyers come from several directions. A Denver company may want a west side base so it can reach the foothills without long drives. A larger Jefferson County company in your trade may want your crew, which is often the hardest thing to find. A company from out of state may want a foothold in the metro. A private buyer may want to own one strong local company and keep its name on the trucks. And sometimes a key employee or a small group of employees is the right fit.
We do not decide that for you. We bring the interested buyers forward, explain what each offer really pays and when, and you choose.
Keeping it quiet in Jefferson County
Trade circles in Jefferson County are close. People see each other at the same supply houses and job sites, and a rumor travels fast. That is why we never put your name in the first profile a buyer sees, why every serious buyer signs a confidentiality agreement before learning who you are, and why we meet you away from the shop. Your crew hears about it when you decide, and we help you plan that conversation so your best people stay.
The steps, in short
There are four: a private first call, an honest range of what the company is worth with the reasons, a quiet search for the right buyer, and a clean close alongside your accountant and attorney. You can read how a sale works on the home page.
Nearby pages
If your company is based just north or west of Lakewood, see our pages for Wheat Ridge and Golden. Owners to the south can read the Littleton page, and the Denver page covers the wider metro.
When you are ready to talk about selling your business in Lakewood, or only want a straight answer about what it might be worth, call (983) 900-6537 or write to hello@kentandtamarack.com.