Montrose is the second largest city on Colorado's Western Slope, after Grand Junction. It is the county seat of Montrose County, built along the Uncompahgre River. The 2020 census counted 20,291 people, and a quarter of them were 65 or older. U.S. 50 runs through it toward Grand Junction and Gunnison, and U.S. 550 heads south from here to Ridgway, Ouray, Silverton and Durango.
Kent & Tamarack helps owners of trade and service companies in Montrose sell their business. If you run a plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, excavation, landscaping or custom building company and are thinking about the next chapter, we can help you find the right buyer and keep it quiet along the way.
Water made the valley
The Uncompahgre Valley is dry country. It became farmland because of the Gunnison Tunnel, finished in 1909, which carries water from the Gunnison River through the mountain into the valley. Along with Ridgway Reservoir, that water made Montrose an agricultural center. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park lies close by.
Farming still matters here, and so does the water system that serves it. Trade companies that work on wells, pumps, irrigation, ditches and farm buildings have long-time customers across the valley, from Olathe to the edge of the canyon.
A town that makes things
Montrose has a quieter industrial side. It has been home to fly-fishing gear makers, including Ross Reels and Abel. Manufacturers need electrical service, controls, compressed air, heating and cooling, and building maintenance.
The town also knows what a plant closing feels like. When Russell Stover announced in 2020 that it would close its Montrose candy plant, about 400 jobs went with it. That memory matters in a sale. If your company does a large share of its work for one manufacturer, a buyer will ask what happens if that customer leaves. We prepare that answer with you by showing how long the account has run and what the rest of the company earns on its own.
The road to the mountain towns
Montrose Regional Airport is the closest major airport to the Telluride Ski Area, and it gets heavy traffic in ski season. Many visitors and second-home owners pass through Montrose on their way up the hill. Some Montrose trade companies follow them. Crews drive U.S. 550 to Ridgway and Ouray, or head over to Telluride, to work on homes and businesses in the mountains.
That mountain work pays well. It also brings long drives, winter roads and clients who expect a lot. A buyer will want to know how much of your income comes from those trips, how your crews handle snow and passes, and whether the relationships with mountain clients belong to the company or to you personally.
We map your work by area so a buyer can see what the valley jobs bring in and what the mountain jobs add. That clarity helps the right buyer value both.
Retirees and steady service
With a quarter of the city over 65, Montrose has many homeowners who want reliable service and stay loyal to a good company. Furnace tune-ups, water heaters, bathroom changes for aging in place, roof repairs and yard care all come up again and again.
A buyer likes a customer list like that. The key is proving that those customers call the company and would keep calling under a new owner. Service plans, reminders, a shared office line and a tech they already know all help. If you keep notes on each home, such as the age of the furnace, where the shutoff is, or which gate code works, put them somewhere a new owner can find them. Those small details are what make a retired customer feel looked after on the first visit from someone new.
Who buys a Montrose company
Montrose has a larger buyer pool than smaller Western Slope towns, but still a modest one. A local competitor may want your customers or your techs. A company from Grand Junction may want a base in the Uncompahgre Valley. A key employee may want to take over with part of the price paid over time. Some buyers move to Montrose for the valley life and want to own a working business when they get here.
We talk with each kind quietly, check that they can pay, and put the offers side by side so you can compare price, terms and what each buyer plans for your crew.
Jobs in progress on closing day
Builders, remodelers and excavation companies rarely have a clean stopping point. On the day a sale closes, you may have three houses half done, deposits in the bank for jobs that start next month, and warranty calls from work finished last year. A buyer needs to know who finishes each job, who keeps each deposit, and who answers the warranty call.
We sort this out with you and your accountant before closing. A simple list of open jobs, with the contract price, the money already collected and the work left, lets both sides agree on a fair split. Warranty work gets its own line in the deal. Clear answers here prevent the most common arguments after a trade company changes hands.
Keeping the news inside the shop
Montrose is a big town by Western Slope standards, but trade owners, suppliers and lumber yards all know each other. Early buyer summaries carry no name and no detail a local could match. Buyers sign a confidentiality agreement before they learn who you are, and you pick the day your crew hears the news, ideally from you and in person.
What your company is worth
A valuation looks at what the company earns for an owner in a normal year, how much work repeats, the balance between valley and mountain jobs, the crew, the trucks and the records. You get an honest range with the reasons, and we point out what would raise it.
Steps and the phone number
Four steps: a private first call, a fair value range, a quiet buyer search and a close handled with your accountant and attorney. See how a sale works. Custom builders and remodelers can read selling a construction company.
Call (983) 900-6537, and the founder answers. For the county to the north, see Delta. For the country over Cerro Summit, see Gunnison.