Dallas–Fort Worth · Texas
Ennis business brokers and M&A advisors
MDR & Associates represents Ennis owners who want to sell a company for full value without word getting out. As business brokers and M&A advisors based in the Metroplex, we get the company ready, contact qualified buyers without revealing its name and have their offers arrive together. Ennis sits on Interstate 45 in eastern Ellis County, 35 miles south of Dallas and 205 miles north of Houston.
Where railroads and cotton fields met
The Houston and Texas Central Railroad founded Ennis in 1871 and named it for Cornelius Ennis, one of the railroad's founders. In 1891 the railroad put its northern division headquarters here, with machine shops and a roundhouse, and the farms around the town made Ellis County a major cotton producer; by 1920 the county ginned and shipped 152,601 bales. Czech and Slovak families who arrived between 1874 and 1890 shaped the town's culture, which the National Polka Festival still celebrates.
The city counted 20,159 residents in 2020. Three lakes were built for its water supply, in 1892, 1895 and 1940, and the Ennis Railroad and Cultural Heritage Museum keeps the railroad story. Visitors come for the Texas Motorplex drag strip and the Bluebonnet Trails Festival, and U.S. 287 and State Highway 34 meet Interstate 45 here.
Ennis at a glance
- CountyEllis County
- Metro areaDallas–Fort Worth
- Companies we sell$3M–$100M
- Typical transaction3–9 months
- Fee if we do not closeNone
Why the I-45 corridor matters to a buyer
For a trucking, distribution or wholesale company in Ennis, location is part of what is being sold. A buyer will ask how quickly you reach customers in Dallas and down the road toward Houston, what your yard and warehouse cost, and whether drivers and dispatchers will stay after the sale. We answer those questions in the marketing package so buyers understand the operation before they visit. Read how we handle distribution and wholesale companies.
A company in Ellis County may draw buyers from both the Metroplex and the Houston area. We run one confidential process and invite them all, so their letters of intent arrive in the same window and can be weighed against one another.
How Ennis owners work with us
Our corporate office is in Frisco, and our advisors come to Ennis to meet you at the business or somewhere private. The first meeting is free, and nothing is owed unless a sale closes. While the company is on the market, we field the buyer calls, schedule the site visits and manage the paperwork, so you can keep running the business. Owners can read about selling a business with MDR & Associates or see our page on the Dallas market.
What we sell in and around Ennis
Industry decides the buyer, the multiple and the diligence. These are the four sectors we work in most.
Manufacturing
Equipment, real estate, backlog and customer concentration decide what a manufacturer is worth.
How buyers value itHome Services
Plumbing, HVAC, roofing, landscaping and other home service companies — where repeat customers, crews and technicians decide the price.
How buyers value itDistribution & Wholesale
Inventory, working capital and supplier agreements decide what a distributor is worth.
How buyers value itBusiness Services
Recurring revenue and owner dependence separate a two-times business from a six-times business.
How buyers value itStraight answers
Questions Ennis owners ask before they sell
Answered in full by the advisors who run the sales. Every Dallas–Fort Worth answer.
The process
How an Ennis sale runs
Ten steps in four stages, typically three to nine months. Click any step to see it in full.
- Prepare
- Go to market
- Negotiate
- Close
We also work with owners near Ennis
Questions owners in Ennis ask
Could a Houston buyer be interested in a company in Ennis?
Yes. Ennis sits on Interstate 45, the direct route between Dallas and Houston, and a buyer from either metro may see a company here as a way into the other market. We include buyers from both areas whenever the company's customers and operations make that a sensible fit.
My Ennis business has rail access on its property. Does that affect value?
Rail access can matter to buyers of manufacturing and distribution companies because it shapes freight costs. If your property has a spur or siding, we document it and describe it in the marketing package. Whether it lifts the price depends on how much the company actually uses it today.
Talk to an advisor about your Ennis company
Four fields, a reply the same business day, and nothing shared with anyone. If you would rather talk, call (855) 637-2776.