Client Stories
Our work is confidential by design. Here is how we describe it without naming names.
Most sell-side advisors lean on public testimonials and named case studies. That works fine for them. For our clients, the whole point of working with Duran is that their transaction, valuation, and even the fact that we worked together stays confidential unless they choose otherwise. So this page reads differently than you might expect, industries we know deeply, deal sizes we typically run, themes our clients tell us land, and a confidential references-on-request offer when you are ready for that conversation.
Industries we have served
Across 15+ years and roughly 290 engagements, our practice has touched more than 75 distinct industries in the Gulf South.
Our active sell-side practice today represents businesses with $1 million to $25 million in annual revenue. The categories below are where we have the most repeat-pattern experience, the kinds of businesses we have valued, listed, and closed the most times.
Industries where our experience runs deepest
Industrial & Specialty Manufacturing
Machining, industrial controls, hydraulics, specialty fabrication, lead products, engine components, fiberglass.
Valuation drivers: equipment value, customer concentration, recurring industrial relationships, intellectual property, and key-person risk.
Industrial Services, Energy & Chemicals
Oilfield services, industrial maintenance, fluid and chemical handling, energy services, engineering.
Valuation drivers: contract length and renewal terms, certifications, safety record, customer mix, and equipment value.
Commercial Construction & Specialty Trades
Commercial design-build, general contracting, metal fabrication and welding, commercial kitchen and bath, asphalt and paving, insulation.
Valuation drivers: bonding capacity, backlog, project-mix concentration, key-person dependency, and trade-license transferability.
Commercial Cleaning, Janitorial & Restoration
Commercial janitorial, water and fire restoration, commercial carpet and upholstery care.
Valuation drivers: contract length and renewal terms, customer retention, route density, employee tenure, and certifications.
Wholesale Distribution & Building Materials
Industrial supply, building materials, B2B distribution, appliance and home-goods wholesale.
Valuation drivers: inventory normalization, supplier-relationship transferability, customer concentration, and gross-margin durability.
Full list of industries we have served
We are generalists. About 50% of the businesses we represent are in industries new to us. That said, we have a broad range of experience over 15 years with thousands of active buyers, each segmented by the verticals below.
- Accounting & CPA
- Adult Entertainment
- Alterations & Tailoring
- Apparel & Fashion Retail
- Asphalt & Paving
- Auto Sales & Service
- Bakery & Specialty Food
- Bars, Lounges & Nightlife
- Building Materials Supply
- Car Washes & Detailing
- Catering
- Childcare & Daycare
- Chiropractic Practices
- Coffee Shops & Juice Bars
- Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
- Commercial Real Estate
- Consulting & Coaching
- Design-Build & Remodeling
- Drone Services
- Dry Cleaners & Laundromats
- Electrical Contractors
- Engineering Services
- Engine Components Manufacturing
- Equipment Appraisal
- Event & Party Rentals
- Eye Care & Optometry
- Family Entertainment
- Fiberglass Fabrication
- Fitness Studios & Martial Arts
- Florists
- Galleries & Cultural Attractions
- Garage Doors
- General Construction
- Grocery & Convenience Stores
- Hair & Beauty Salons
- Hearing Aid Retail
- Home Goods & Furniture
- Home Health Care
- Hospitality & Lodging
- HVAC & Mechanical Contractors
- Industrial Machining
- Industrial Services & Energy
- Insulation Contractors
- Insurance Agencies
- IT Services & Software
- Jewelry & Precious Metals
- Laboratory & Testing Services
- Landscaping & Lawn Care
- Lead Generation & Digital Marketing
- Lead Products Manufacturing
- Legal Practices
- Locksmiths
- Marine & Watersports
- Medical Imaging
- Medical Practices
- Metal Fabrication & Welding
- Music Venues
- Outdoor Equipment Dealers
- Pack-and-Ship & Mailing
- Pet Stores & Pet Services
- Photography & Event Services
- Plumbing Contractors
- Pool Services
- Printing & Signage
- Quick-Service Restaurants (QSR)
- Recovery & Repossession
- Restaurants (Independent)
- Restoration Services
- RV Parks & Motels
- Sand & Gravel
- Sewing Machine Repair
- Specialty Beverage Retail
- Specialty Manufacturing
- Stone & Countertops
- Tanning Salons
- Tattoo Studios
- Tour Operators & Tourism
- Transportation & Logistics
- Tutoring & Educational Services
- Uniforms & Branded Apparel
- Wholesale Distribution
- Wineries & Beverage Production
The deal sizes we typically run
We work the Upper Main Street and Lower Middle Market, the range where deals are too sophisticated for franchise business brokers and too small for the bulge-bracket M&A firms.
$1M–$5M
Established owner-operated businesses with documented financials and transferable operations.
$5M–$25M
Businesses with multiple layers of management, clean financials, strategic-buyer interest, and PE-quality fundamentals.
What clients tell us afterward
The themes below are paraphrased from real client feedback and kept generic to protect confidentiality. These are the patterns we hear over and over.
Recurring themes
"The valuation conversation changed how I thought about the rest of the year."
Most owners' first reaction to a defensible valuation is to recalibrate, and not always upward.
"The senior advisor was in the room when it mattered, not handed off to a junior."
Our single-advisor engagement model is intentional. The person who signed your engagement letter is the one sitting in your buyer meetings.
"You told me to wait. That cost you a year of fees. It was the right call."
Sometimes the right answer is to fix the value drivers first, and we say so.
"The buyer was not the highest bidder. They were the right buyer."
Fit beats headline price, on transition smoothness, on legacy outcomes, on earn-out reliability.
"My team and my customers found out the day I announced it, not before."
End-to-end confidentiality is a discipline, not a marketing claim.
Confidential references, on request
When you are ready for that conversation, we will connect you to former clients who have given permission to speak about their experience, either by phone or in person. We share their information; we never share yours.
References are typically offered at the engagement-letter stage. Any earlier and we are asking former clients to spend time on prospects who may not move forward. Respecting their time is part of how we keep those relationships in good standing.
Start the confidential conversation
Tell us about your business and your timing. When the time is right for references, we will offer them.
Start the conversation