Employee-owned (ESOP) acquisition holding company

OneCompass Holdings

At a glance

EBITDA range$2M to $15M S3
Deal typesPlatform, Add-on S5
GeographyWithin 200 miles of Columbus, OH, Other US regions for strategic expansion S3
SectorsTransportation & Logistics, Education

What OneCompass Holdings buys

OneCompass Holdings is an employee-owned holding company in Dublin, Ohio, not a private equity fund. Its employees own it through an ESOP, its original holding is FST Logistics, a Columbus warehousing and transportation company that opened in 1991, and it criticizes the fixed-term fund model that forces sales. It buys founder-owned and other profitable companies outright or invests in them. Its published target is EBITDA of $2 million to $15 million, low to moderate capital needs, a stable customer base and a niche in a large market. It will also consider distressed businesses with strong potential. It prefers companies close to logistics or providing essential services, within 200 miles of Columbus unless a new region offers a strategic reason.

Holdings today are FST Logistics, Hyway Transportation, Evolve Global Logistics and Aquinas Leadership Group, a pharmaceutical training company. All draw on shared finance, human resources and technology teams. A trucking company is most likely to meet OneCompass as an add-on to Hyway, as Koleaseco did in 2025.

Recent deals

Announced in the 24 months before November 5, 2026.

DateCompanyTypeSectorSource
Jul 2025KoleasecoAgreement to buy the assets of a Michigan trucking company founded in 1993, merged into Hyway; closing was expected by August 22, 2025Add-onTransportation & LogisticsSource
Feb 2025Aquinas Leadership GroupSales and compliance training provider for pharmaceutical and medical device companies, based in Cary, North CarolinaPlatformEducationSource

Portfolio by sector

From the firm's portfolio page S4.

Asset-Based Transportation

  • Hyway Transportation

Full-Service 3PL

  • FST Logistics

Learning and Development

  • Aquinas Leadership Group

Third-Party Logistics

  • Evolve Global Logistics

Greymont’s take

How OneCompass Holdings fits a seller

OneCompass suits an owner near Ohio who cares what happens to employees and the company's legacy after a sale. It has no fund to wind down, and it says it honors the history of the businesses it buys. Staff of an acquired company join its employee ownership model, as its CEO said Koleaseco's would.

The trade-off is integration. Koleaseco was a purchase of all the assets, and the business was merged into Hyway and took the Hyway name. Recent deals came from founder-led companies, but roles change: Aquinas moved from an owner-founder to professional management, and OneCompass named a new president there in 2026, while Evolve's co-founder stayed as CEO. Owners should ask whether their brand will survive, what role they would keep, and how the price would be paid, since OneCompass publishes no check size.

Questions owners ask

Is OneCompass a private equity firm?

No. It is an employee-owned holding company with an ESOP. It contrasts itself with private equity funds, which it says must sell thriving businesses on a fixed schedule, and it describes its own focus as long term.

What size company does OneCompass buy?

Its published qualifications call for EBITDA of $2 million to $15 million, along with low to moderate capital needs and a stable customer base. It publishes no revenue range or check size.

Does OneCompass buy outside Ohio?

Yes, when there is a strategic reason. Its stated radius is 200 miles from Columbus, but it agreed to buy Koleaseco in Michigan in 2025 and bought Aquinas Leadership Group in Cary, North Carolina.

Do a seller's employees become owners?

That is the stated model. When OneCompass agreed to buy Koleaseco in July 2025, its CEO said that company's people would be brought into the employee ownership model and share in the results.

Sources

  1. S1OneCompass Holdings home page Accessed November 5, 2026
  2. S2OneCompass Holdings: About Us Accessed November 5, 2026
  3. S3OneCompass Holdings: Our Approach (holding qualifications) Accessed November 5, 2026
  4. S4OneCompass Holdings: Our Portfolio Accessed November 5, 2026
  5. S5OneCompass Holdings: Resources and press releases Accessed November 5, 2026
  6. S6OneCompass to Acquire Koleaseco Inc. (July 23, 2025) Accessed November 5, 2026
  7. S7OneCompass Holdings Announces Acquisition of Aquinas Leadership Group (February 21, 2025) Accessed November 5, 2026
  8. S8OneCompass Holdings Announces Strategic Investment in Evolve Global Logistics (undated, filed November 2024) Accessed November 5, 2026
  9. S9OneCompass Holdings Announces Ryan Bleeks as President of Aquinas Leadership Group (filed June 2026) Accessed November 5, 2026
  10. S10Hyway Transportation: About Us and company history Accessed November 5, 2026
  11. S11FST Logistics Acquires Hyway Trucking (September 29, 2023) Accessed November 5, 2026
  12. S12FST Logistics Acquires Dancer Logistics (July 31, 2024) Accessed November 5, 2026
  13. S13FleetOwner: OneCompass adds Koleaseco to Hyway Transportation (September 3, 2025) Accessed November 5, 2026
  14. S14Trucking Dive: Michigan asset-based carrier to become part of Hyway Trucking Accessed November 5, 2026

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

For business owners

Thinking about selling? Start here.

We work for the buyers, so owners never pay us a fee or a share of proceeds. See what your business could be worth and how many buyers fit a company like yours, or start a confidential conversation.

What Is My Business Worth? Who Would Buy My Company?