Buying a site work company in Southwest Florida

• A mix of customers (several developers and general contractors, maybe some public work), not one builder whose next subdivision may not happen.
• Well-maintained equipment with service records, and a sensible balance of owned and financed machines. Idle financed equipment drains cash fast.
• Careful estimates, real job costs, and production rates the company tracks (pipe laid or paving placed by a crew in a day).
• Experienced foremen and operators who are staying.
• Enough bonding capacity for the jobs it wants to bid.
• A safety record that keeps insurance affordable and customers comfortable.
• Its own yard, with room for equipment and material.

• An equipment list with age, hours, condition, liens, and whether each machine is owned or financed. Have a mechanic inspect the major pieces.
• Equipment loans and leases, and whether lenders must approve a sale.
• Backlog by job, with expected margin, and how much sits with one customer.
• Job cost reports for finished projects, especially the losing ones.
• Retainage and other money owed, and how long customers take to pay.
• Environmental issues at the yard: fuel tanks, spills, stockpiled material.
• Utility strikes, safety incidents and OSHA history, including trench and excavation safety.
• Bonding capacity, and the surety's view of a new owner.
• Fill and material sources: whether it relies on one pit or supplier, and on what terms.

• Who are your biggest customers, and how much of last year's work came from each?
• What licenses does the company hold, and who's the qualifier?
• How old is your equipment, and what would you replace next?
• How do you estimate jobs, and which kinds make the most money?
• How much public work do you do, and how is your bonding set up?
• Who runs the crews, and which foremen would stay?
• Have you hit any buried lines or had serious safety incidents?

This region covers Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee counties on the Gulf coast and Hendry, Glades and DeSoto inland: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, LaBelle, Clewiston, Moore Haven and Arcadia. The coastal economy runs on people who choose to live or spend the winter here: retirees, seasonal residents, and the construction, real estate, health care, financial and home services that follow them. Tourism, golf and boating add to it.

Inland, the economy is agricultural: sugarcane around Clewiston, citrus, cattle and vegetables, with Immokalee in Collier County a center for farm work. The building trades, pool, landscaping and pest control companies, property managers, medical and dental practices, and marine businesses tend to do well along the coast.

This is one of Florida's most seasonal markets. From roughly January through April, restaurants, shops and service companies run at full speed. Summers are slower, so look at monthly revenue, not only the yearly total. The coast has taken two major hurricanes in recent years: Ian came ashore at Cayo Costa in Lee County in September 2022, and Milton at Siesta Key in Sarasota County in October 2024. Rebuilding brought a wave of work for contractors that won't last forever, so ask how much recent revenue came from storm repairs. Insurance costs and flood zones weigh on every property.

Housing costs near the coast make hiring hard, especially around Naples. New communities east of Interstate 75 in Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Manatee keep service companies busy.