Gulf Coast · Texas
Galveston business brokers and M&A advisors
MDR & Associates represents Galveston owners who want to sell a company for the best price and terms, and our M&A advisors travel to the island to meet you. Galveston occupies a barrier island about 45 miles southeast of downtown Houston, joined to the mainland by the Interstate 45 causeway across West Bay.
An island economy of visitors, medicine, insurance and ships
Tourism, healthcare, shipping and financial services carry Galveston's economy. American National Insurance Company, one of the largest life insurers in the country, and Moody National Bank are based here. The University of Texas Medical Branch runs an 84-acre campus with more than 2,500 students, and United Fire & Casualty keeps a regional headquarters on the island. The port lost ground after the 1900 hurricane and the rise of the Houston Ship Channel, and the city rebuilt itself as a cruise ship hub and visitor destination. Its population stood at 53,695 in 2020.
That mix produces companies buyers understand: marine services, hospitality suppliers, facility and staffing firms working for the medical branch, and professional practices that serve insurers and banks. Our business services practice covers many of them.
Galveston at a glance
- CountyGalveston County
- Metro areaGreater Houston
- Companies we sell$3M–$100M
- Typical transaction3–9 months
- Fee if we do not closeNone
Seasonal revenue and storm risk, explained to a buyer
A company that earns most of its money between spring break and Labor Day looks uneven on a monthly chart. Buyers accept that when they can see several years side by side and understand what drives each season. We lay out the full-year pattern, separate cruise and visitor revenue from year-round work, and address storm exposure head on: insurance coverage, how quickly the business reopened after past storms, and what a new owner should budget. Raising it early keeps a buyer from using it to cut the price in due diligence.
The first step is a free, confidential meeting and an opinion of value drawn from three years of financials. We work with companies of $3 million to $100 million in revenue, and our fees are a success fee only, owed if and when the company sells. Galveston owners also have buyers from across the Gulf Coast in play, not just those on the island.
What we sell in and around Galveston
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 Galveston owners ask before they sell
Answered in full by the advisors who run the sales. Every Houston answer.
The process
How a Galveston 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 Galveston
Questions owners in Galveston ask
Will buyers discount my Galveston business because of hurricane risk?
Some will try. The answer is documentation: insurance policies, recovery times after past storms, backup plans for records and equipment, and customer retention through disruptions. When buyers see that the risk is known and managed, it becomes a line item rather than a reason to lower the price, and competing offers keep any single buyer from overreaching.
Does being on the island limit who will buy my company?
No. Buyers for an island company can come from the Houston area, from other states, or from private equity groups with no local ties at all. We reach them through our own database of qualified buyers first and add blind marketplace ads only if needed, so the pool is never limited to people who already live or work in Galveston.
Talk to an advisor about your Galveston company
Four fields, a reply the same business day, and nothing shared with anyone. If you would rather talk, call (855) 637-2776.