Permanent capital holding company buying Virginia businesses

Harbor

  • HeadquartersRoanoke, VA S6
  • Founded2024 S8
  • Websiteharbor.capital
  • Last verifiedOctober 26, 2026

At a glance

EBITDA range$1M+ S2
Deal typesPlatform S1
GeographyVirginia S2
SectorsEnvironmental & Waste, Industrial & Manufacturing

What Harbor buys

Harbor is a holding company in Roanoke, Virginia, started by Andrew Dunlap in 2024; its press releases also use the name Harbor Capital Partners. It buys founder-owned companies that are based in Virginia, or are willing to move their headquarters there, and owns them outright with no plan to sell. Its stated minimum is $1 million of annual earnings, and it says steady cash flow matters more than anything else. Industry is open: its four companies are a machine shop, a broker-dealer, an environmental and industrial services firm, and a marketing agency.

Harbor does not run a classic buyout fund. Individuals, family offices and institutions put money into one indefinite fund and are paid each year from what the companies earn, not from a later sale. Each purchase is built for a permanent hold, with debt kept to what the cash flow and assets can carry. Sellers can be offered cash at closing, a seller note or an earnout, and owners can choose to stay on or step away.

Recent deals

Announced in the 24 months before October 26, 2026.

DateCompanyTypeSectorSource
Oct 2026W.E.L.Concord, Virginia environmental, industrial and emergency response contractor founded in 1984; the founder stays through the transitionPlatformEnvironmental & WasteSource
Jun 2026Frontier SecuritiesRichmond broker-dealer serving independent investment bankers and placement agents, closed after FINRA approvalPlatformSource
Feb 2026Clarke Precision MachineWytheville CNC machining and fabrication shop and Harbor's first acquisition; management stays and the company plans add-on dealsPlatformIndustrial & ManufacturingSource

Portfolio by sector

From the firm's portfolio page S3.

Financial Services

  • Frontier Securities

Industrial Services

  • WEL

Marketing

  • Daymark

Precision Manufacturing

  • Clarke Precision Machine

Greymont’s take

How Harbor fits a seller

Harbor suits a Virginia owner who cares what happens to the company after the sale. It promises to keep the name, the staff and the headquarters where they are, and it has no exit in its plan, so there is no second sale to prepare for. Its October 2026 purchase of W.E.L., a Concord environmental and emergency response contractor, shows it will buy environmental and industrial services firms; the founder there is staying on for a transition while a Harbor operating partner serves as president.

Harbor is young, with three acquisitions since February 2026, so an owner should ask to speak with those sellers. Ask how the price would be split between cash at closing, a seller note and an earnout, and how much debt the deal would carry. Because Harbor never plans to resell, ask how any stake you keep would pay you over time.

Questions owners ask

Does Harbor buy companies outside Virginia?

Only if the company is willing to make Virginia its headquarters. Harbor's criteria ask for a business based in Virginia or ready to be, and all four of its companies are headquartered in the state while serving customers nationally.

Will Harbor ever sell my company?

Harbor says it holds companies indefinitely and has no exit in its plan. Its investors are paid from yearly distributions of company earnings rather than from selling the businesses.

Does Harbor buy environmental services companies?

Yes. In October 2026 it bought W.E.L., a Concord, Virginia company founded in 1984 whose services include spill and emergency response, industrial cleaning, waste hauling, site remediation and asbestos abatement.

How does Harbor pay for its acquisitions?

With money from its indefinite fund, which individuals, family offices and institutions invest in directly, plus debt it says is sized to each company's cash flow and assets. Sellers may also receive seller notes or earnouts alongside cash at closing.

Sources

  1. S1Harbor home page Accessed October 26, 2026
  2. S2Harbor: Selling to Harbor Accessed October 26, 2026
  3. S3Harbor: Companies Accessed October 26, 2026
  4. S4Harbor: Approach Accessed October 26, 2026
  5. S5Harbor: Investing with Harbor Accessed October 26, 2026
  6. S6Harbor Acquires Frontier Securities (June 9, 2026) Accessed October 26, 2026
  7. S7Harbor Acquires Clarke Precision Machine (undated release) Accessed October 26, 2026
  8. S8Virginia Business: Roanoke capital firm buys Virginia environmental contractor (October 12, 2026) Accessed October 26, 2026
  9. S9Cardinal News: Roanoke firm acquires Wytheville machine shop (February 10, 2026) Accessed October 26, 2026
  10. S10WEL home page Accessed October 26, 2026
  11. S11Harbor: Insights and news Accessed October 26, 2026

Compiled by Greymont Advisors from public sources, including the firm’s own website and press releases. Greymont is not affiliated with Harbor. Figures are as reported on the dates shown and may have changed. Request a correction

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