Family office holding company
Nesnah Ventures
- HeadquartersLa Crosse, WI S1
- Founded2000 S2
- Websitenesnahventures.com
- Last verifiedNovember 3, 2026
At a glance
| Deal types | Platform S3 |
|---|---|
| Sectors | Distribution, Industrial & Manufacturing, Consumer & Food |
What Nesnah Ventures buys
Nesnah Ventures is the family office of the Hansen family in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The siblings formed it in 2000 after selling Kwik Trip, the convenience store chain their parents built. It runs as a holding company: it buys established businesses, keeps them for the long run with no plan to resell, and gives each one shared help with finance, accounting, HR, IT and marketing. Its companies, mostly in Wisconsin, Minnesota and northern Illinois, cover wholesale fuel, dairy feed, industrial scales, trailer building, bows for string instruments and a small restaurant chain.
The firm publishes no revenue or EBITDA range, and its recent purchases have been small. It bought Smith Oil, a Rockford, Illinois fuel supplier, in 2025 and Lake Region Enterprises, a Chippewa Falls trailer maker with about a dozen employees, in August 2026. Nesnah prefers owners and managers who will stay involved for a while, and it can pay part of the price through a retained minority stake, seller financing or an earn-out. A small family business in the Upper Midwest is the most natural fit.
Recent deals
Announced in the 24 months before November 3, 2026.
| Date | Company | Type | Sector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | Lake Region Enterprises (now Lake Region Trailer)Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin maker of custom trailers and truck equipment, bought from the founding Glasener family; the family's general manager stays in charge | Platform | Industrial & Manufacturing | Source |
| 2025 | Smith Oil (now Smith Energy)Rockford, Illinois fuel and lubricant supplier founded in 1911, renamed Smith Energy under Nesnah | Platform | Distribution | Source |
Portfolio by sector
From the firm's portfolio page S3.
Agriculture and Livestock Feed
- Star Blends
Fuel
- Smith Energy
- Venture Fuels
Real estate
- Nesnah Properties
Restaurant
- Burrachos
Scales
- UniFide CST
String Instrument Bows
- CodaBow
Trailer Manufacturing
- Lake Region Trailers
Greymont’s take
How Nesnah Ventures fits a seller
Nesnah suits a Midwest owner who wants the business to carry on under a long-term family owner rather than be resold by a fund, and who is willing to stay through a handover. Its site speaks to owners who are ready to retire, whose children don't want the business, or who want to protect their employees. In the Lake Region deal, the family's general manager kept running daily operations.
Because Nesnah offers seller financing, earn-outs and retained minority stakes, part of the price may be paid over time or depend on future results. An owner should ask how much is paid in cash at closing and how any note or earn-out is protected. Its companies span unrelated industries, so an owner should also ask which shared services and leadership the holding company will add and which decisions stay with the local team.
Questions owners ask
Does Nesnah Ventures resell the companies it buys?
Not by design. It calls itself a family office that holds businesses to build long-term value rather than selling them within five years, and its stated goal is to last 100 years or more.
Can an owner keep a stake or be paid over time?
Yes. Nesnah lists retained minority interests, employment agreements, owner financing that pays the seller interest, and earn-out provisions among the ways it can structure a purchase.
How big are the companies Nesnah buys?
It publishes no size range. Its newest companies are small: its site lists about 12 employees at Lake Region Trailers and about 10 at Smith Energy, while UniFide CST, owned since 2011, has about 70.
Sources
- S1Nesnah Ventures home page Accessed November 3, 2026
- S2Nesnah Ventures: Who We Are (Our Story, Our Team) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S3Nesnah Ventures: Portfolio (How We Invest, Our Companies) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S4Nesnah Ventures: Lake Region Trailers (with Nesnah since 2026) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S5Nesnah Ventures: Smith Energy (with Nesnah since 2025) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S6Waste Advantage Magazine: Nesnah Ventures Acquires Lake Region Enterprises (August 19, 2026) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S7Nesnah Ventures: UniFide CST (with Nesnah since 2011) Accessed November 3, 2026
Compiled by Greymont Advisors from public sources, including the firm’s own website and press releases. Greymont is not affiliated with Nesnah Ventures. Figures are as reported on the dates shown and may have changed. Request a correction