Proprietary deal flow, not another auction.
A retained mandate puts a dedicated research and outreach function behind your acquisition strategy — one region, one buyer, no shopping your thesis around.
How it works
1. We define the buy-box with you
Gallon range, geography, tank ownership threshold, customer mix, what disqualifies a target on sight. Most acquirers in this industry have never had to write this down. Doing so is the first thing we do, and it sharpens the search more than any other single step.
2. We build the universe
Every independent retailer in your territory — company, volume, locations, service area, ownership structure, years in business, and tank-ownership signals where they can be established. Not a list bought from a data vendor. A map built and verified company by company.
3. We make first contact
Careful, consultative outreach to owners under your banner. These are people who were not planning to sell, so the conversation is patient by necessity. We report weekly on universe growth, outreach volume, live conversations and where each one stands.
4. We stay in it through close
Qualification, financial gathering, thesis-fit memos for your investment committee, introductions, and support through diligence and documentation.
What it costs
A monthly retainer plus a success fee at close, with the retainer credited against the fee. Engagements are regionally exclusive — we will not run the same territory for two acquirers. Terms are set per mandate; we would rather talk about fit first.
Who this suits
- Newly funded platforms with capital committed and no origination function yet
- Acquirers whose business development is one person covering more territory than one person can cover
- Family-owned regional consolidators buying one or two neighbours a year with nobody sourcing
- Anyone whose deal flow currently arrives as a broker's auction with three other bidders in it
Before we start
We would want to know what you have tried, what structure it took, and what would make an ongoing engagement worth it to you. If the honest answer is that a retainer isn't right for your situation, we would rather establish that in the first conversation than the fourth.