Gulf Coast · Texas
Pasadena business brokers and M&A advisors
MDR & Associates gives Pasadena owners sell-side business brokers who represent the seller and nobody else, from valuation through closing. Pasadena stretches from the Houston Ship Channel on the north to Galveston Bay on the southeast, and its employers range from Shell Chemical and Lyondell to Boeing. We come to you, at your office or a discreet spot nearby.
From strawberry fields to refineries: who buys in Pasadena
John H. Burnett founded Pasadena in 1893 and named it after Pasadena, California. After the 1900 hurricane, the Red Cross sent strawberry plants to help farmers recover, and by the 1930s the town was known as the Strawberry Capital of the World. Oil changed that. The Goose Creek field spurred refinery building, and refineries appeared from 1917 on. The Champion paper mill ran from 1937 until 2005, and NASA's Johnson Space Center opened nearby in 1963. The 2020 census counted 151,950 residents.
Today's economy spans refining, petrochemical processing, maritime shipping, aerospace, healthcare and solar panel manufacturing. Large employers include SGS Petroleum Service, Boeing, Shell Chemical and Lyondell Chemical, and Pasadena Refining System is based here, near the Bayport terminal and industrial district. Private companies that supply, maintain, inspect or haul for those operations sit in a supply chain that Houston strategic buyers and private equity groups watch closely. Our manufacturing page describes how those buyers judge an industrial company.
Pasadena at a glance
- CountyHarris County
- Metro areaGreater Houston
- Companies we sell$3M–$100M
- Typical transaction3–9 months
- Fee if we do not closeNone
The questions a Ship Channel buyer asks first
Buyers of industrial service companies start with safety: incident history, training records and the approvals your crews hold at each plant. Next come contracts, including master service agreements, rate sheets and how often they renew. Then they look at people, especially field supervisors and estimators whose departure would hurt. We collect those answers before the company goes to market, which shortens due diligence and protects the price. A company that can hand over this file on the first day looks like a safer purchase, and safer purchases draw better offers.
Our process, adapted for east Harris County owners
There is no charge for the first meeting, and nothing said there leaves the room; it leads to an opinion of value based on three years of financials. Buyers see a blind profile, sign an NDA and complete a financial profile before learning your name. We negotiate multiple letters of intent at once, and you accept, reject or counter each offer with a principal of the firm beside you. Our Houston page covers the metro, and the business valuation page explains how we arrive at a range.
What we sell in and around Pasadena
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 Pasadena owners ask before they sell
Answered in full by the advisors who run the sales. Every Houston answer.
The process
How a Pasadena 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 Pasadena
Questions owners in Pasadena ask
Do buyers treat a Pasadena industrial company differently from one in Houston proper?
Not in any way that hurts value. Buyers care that your company sits close to the plants, terminals and refineries it serves, and a location on the Ship Channel, with State Highway 225 and the Sam Houston Tollway nearby, is an advantage. The price comes from earnings, contracts and people, which is where we focus the marketing.
Can I sell my Pasadena company to a competitor without tipping off my customers?
Yes. Competitors see the same blind profile as every other buyer and must sign an NDA before learning more. We control what they receive and when, holding back customer names and pricing until late in the process, often after a letter of intent is signed. That protects you if the deal does not go through.
Talk to an advisor about your Pasadena company
Four fields, a reply the same business day, and nothing shared with anyone. If you would rather talk, call (855) 637-2776.