Littleton has been a working town for a long time. Richard Sullivan Little brought his wife Angeline here from the East in 1862, the Rough and Ready flour mill gave the town its first steady business in 1867, and Littleton incorporated in 1890. Today it is the county seat of Arapahoe County, with 45,652 people at the 2020 census, and small parts of the city reach into Jefferson and Douglas counties.
Some trade companies here have served the same streets for decades, now and then under a second generation of the same family. If you own one and are thinking about what comes next, Kent & Tamarack can help you sell it quietly and on terms you understand. The founder answers (983) 900-6537.
A city that grows its own
Littleton is known among city planners for something called economic gardening. In the late 1980s, after Martin Marietta cut thousands of jobs, the city began helping the companies already here grow, instead of spending its effort trying to lure big employers from elsewhere. Hundreds of communities have since come to Littleton to learn how it works.
For an owner who wants to sell, that history says something useful. Littleton has long treated local, owner-run companies as the heart of its economy. A buyer from out of town who reads about the city will see a place that values companies like yours.
The roads that shape the work
Santa Fe Drive
US 85, called Santa Fe Drive, runs north and south through the west side of Littleton. City officials say up to 60,000 vehicles a day use Santa Fe near Mineral Avenue, and the city broke ground in late 2025 on a large intersection project there to cut rush hour delays.
If your trucks run along Santa Fe every day, you already know the clock matters. A buyer will look at drive times too. A company whose customers sit on one side of Santa Fe, or cluster around Main Street and the older neighborhoods, can run tighter routes than one that crosses it all day.
Main Street and downtown
Historic downtown, called Littleton Main Street, is getting a street improvement project, the first phase of the city's downtown plan, along with a study of parking and curb space in key business areas. Older downtown buildings, restaurants and shops need constant upkeep: plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, roofing and storefront repair. Service companies that hold those accounts tend to keep them.
The rail line
RTD's D Line light rail ends at the Littleton-Mineral station, with another stop downtown. New homes and apartments near stations bring their own service needs.
Who the customers are
AdventHealth Littleton is the city's hospital, and Arapahoe Community College has its main campus here.
Aerospace has deep roots in the area. Martin Marietta's plant drove much of Littleton's growth in the 1950s and 1960s, and Lockheed Martin still runs a large campus near Waterton Canyon, south of the city. Steady, well-paid jobs nearby keep homeowners in place and paying for repairs, upgrades and maintenance.
What buyers look for in an older company
A company with a long history has real strengths: a known name, loyal customers, a crew that has learned the work. It can also have habits that make a buyer nervous. Here are the ones we look at first.
Records in your head. If the customer list, the pricing and the job history live mostly in your memory, a buyer worries they will leave with you. We help you get them into a form a buyer can take over.
An owner who does everything. If you still price every job and answer every after-hours call, we talk about who could carry those jobs and how long a handover would take.
Equipment that is paid off but old. Paid-off trucks are good for cash flow, but a buyer will look at what needs replacing soon. An honest list helps more than a shiny one.
Real estate. Some long-time Littleton owners own their shop building. You can sell it with the company, keep it and rent it to the buyer, or sell it on its own. Each path changes your income after the sale, and we lay them out side by side.
A Littleton address is not always Littleton
Many homes with a Littleton mailing address sit outside the city, in unincorporated parts of Jefferson, Arapahoe or Douglas County. Ken Caryl and the Columbine area are two well-known examples. For a buyer, that only matters in the details: which county issues the permits, which taxes apply. We sort your jobs by where they really are so the paperwork lines up.
Handing over a name people know
In a town where people still turn out for Western Welcome Week every summer, a company name on a truck can mean a great deal. Customers call you because their parents called you. That is worth protecting in a sale.
Most buyers of a well-known local company want to keep the name, the phone number and the crew, because those are what bring the calls. We make that part of the conversation from the start. If keeping the name matters to you, we say so to every buyer, and we help you judge which ones mean it. You can also stay on for a set time to introduce the new owner to your longest customers, which often does more than any letter or ad.
Who might buy
A larger company from Englewood, Centennial or Lakewood may want your customers and your crew. A private buyer may want one well-known local company and plan to keep its name. A company from out of state may want a south metro base. And a long-time employee may be ready to step up. We bring each one forward with a clear picture of what they offer, and you choose.
How a sale runs
Four steps: a private first call, an honest value range with reasons, a quiet search for the right buyer, and a clean close with your accountant and attorney. The steps are explained on the home page.
Neighboring owners may want our pages for Englewood, Highlands Ranch and Lakewood, or the Denver page.
When you are ready to talk about selling your business in Littleton, call (983) 900-6537 or email hello@kentandtamarack.com.