Buying a plastics or chemical manufacturer in Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida has 24 established plastics and chemical manufacturers by our count: companies in business at least 15 years that still file with the state every year and aren't part of a larger group. Of those, 79% have been in business 20 years or more. Most will never be listed for sale, and many of their owners have never been asked.
What it takes to own one
Plastics and chemical manufacturers in Southwest Florida come in every size. Here's what owning one could look like at three levels, from a solid company to one of the leaders, with a small business loan covering most of the price.
- Earns about
- $376,000 a year
- Price about
- $1.2 million
- Your cash
- $174,000
- Could pay you
- up to $152,000 a year
- Earns about
- $990,000 a year
- Price about
- $3.3 million
- Your cash
- $457,000
- Could pay you
- up to $401,000 a year
Earnings are owner earnings: profit plus what the owner pays themselves, before loan payments and taxes. They and the prices are our estimates from public records, not the owners' figures, and we value companies like these at about 3.3 times a year's owner earnings. Your cash covers the down payment and closing costs, and what the business could pay you is what's left after the loan payments and the cushion lenders require. The more cash you bring, the further up you can go.
Age, size and location
Revenue is our estimate from public records, grouped into wide ranges.
| In business | Companies |
|---|---|
| Under 20 years | 5 |
| 20 to 29 years | 9 |
| 30 to 39 years | 8 |
| 40 years or more | 2 |
| Estimated yearly revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| Under $1M | 4 |
| $2M to $4M | 4 |
| $4M to $8M | 2 |
| Over $8M | 3 |
| County | Companies |
|---|---|
| Lee | 8 |
| Manatee | 8 |
| Sarasota | 6 |
| Other counties | 2 |
| Town | Companies |
|---|---|
| Bradenton | 6 |
| Sarasota | 6 |
What the best plastics and chemical manufacturers have in common
- Supply agreements with repeat customers across several industries, so a slump in boatbuilding or construction doesn't idle the plant.
- Pricing that passes raw material changes through to customers, ideally written into the agreements.
- Well-maintained presses and equipment with spare capacity, and spare parts on hand for the machines that matter most.
- Clear, signed records of which molds and formulas belong to whom.
- A quality system and the certifications customers require, such as ISO 9001, or medical device standards for medical work.
- Process technicians and a maintenance lead with years at the company.
- A clean environmental and safety record, with permits and reports kept current.
- Products or formulas of its own, which earn more than contract work.
What to check before you buy
- An environmental site assessment of the property, especially where chemicals are stored or spills could have happened. Lenders often require one for manufacturing sites.
- Permits, inspection reports and any violation notices.
- How much of sales goes to the largest customers, and the terms of supply agreements, including how much notice a customer must give before moving work.
- A mold list, signed off by customers, showing who owns each mold and what condition it's in. Worn molds may need costly repair soon.
- Raw material suppliers, and how price changes are passed on.
- Machine age, maintenance logs and energy costs. Molding and extrusion use a lot of electricity.
- Safety records, including injury logs and any serious incidents.
- Product liability insurance, and any claims involving parts that failed in customers' products.
Questions to ask the owner
- Who are your largest customers, and do you have written supply agreements with them?
- Which molds and formulas belong to the company, and which belong to customers?
- What do you do when resin or other raw material prices go up?
- What permits does the plant hold, and have there been any inspections or violations?
- What chemicals are stored on site, and how much of each?
- Who runs production and maintenance day to day?
- How close is the plant to full capacity?
- Which products carry EPA, FDACS or DBPR registrations or permits, and whose name are they in?
To learn what these companies do, which licenses they need and how ownership works, read our full guide to buying a plastics or chemical manufacturer in Florida.
Owning a company in Southwest Florida
The local economy
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.
What's different about owning a company here
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.