We buy Oregon businesses from owners ready for the next chapter.
A confidential conversation, on your timeline, with no obligation. If you've spent decades building something you're proud of and you're starting to think about what comes next, we'd like to talk.
The Oregon businesses we buy: established, owner-operated, ready for a thoughtful transition.
Every business we look at gets a careful, unhurried evaluation, whatever the industry. We're generalists on sector, from home services and trades to light manufacturing, distribution and specialty retail, and specialists on respectful, well-structured transitions.
- Owner earnings (SDE) typically $200K–$2M, enterprise value under $10M
- Ten or more years in business, based in Oregon or the Pacific Northwest
- Flexible structure: cash, SBA financing, seller notes or an earn-out
Size
Businesses with annual owner earnings (SDE) typically between $200,000 and $2 million. Enterprise value under $10M.
Longevity
Ten or more years of operating history. A stable customer base, a real team, and a good local reputation.
Location
Oregon preferred: Central Oregon, the Willamette Valley, and the Portland metro. Other Pacific Northwest locations considered for the right fit.
Industries
Home services, trades, light manufacturing, distribution, B2B services, auto services, healthcare services, and specialty coffee.
Owner situation
Owners planning retirement, health-related transitions, or simply ready to hand the business to someone who'll steward it well.
Deal structure
Cash, SBA financing, seller notes and earn-outs are all on the table. We build the structure around your goals, not the other way around.
A Bend, Oregon acquisition group with local roots and a long time horizon.
We buy and hold a single business at a time, for the long run, not to flip it. Deschutes Partners is a private acquisition group based in Bend, Oregon: a small team of experienced operators and investors, not a private-equity fund and not a broker.
Our backgrounds are in operations, finance and analytics, the kind of unglamorous work that keeps a good business running smoothly through an ownership change.
How we're different from a typical buyer:
- We move at your pace. Some sellers want to close in 60 days, some want a two-year runway. Both work for us.
- We keep the name, the team and the reputation you've built. Continuity is the point.
- We use our own capital and partner capital, so we're not waiting on a fund to close.
- We treat every conversation as confidential from the first email.
Common questions from owners we speak with.
I'm not sure I'm ready to sell yet. Is it too early to talk?
Not at all. Most conversations we have start a year or two before a transaction. Meeting early lets us understand the business, gives you time to prepare (which usually increases the value), and takes the pressure off. There's no obligation to anything.
Will this stay confidential? I don't want my employees or customers to know.
Yes. Every conversation is confidential from the first email. Before we look at any financials, we'll sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement. We won't contact employees, customers, or vendors without your written permission.
What happens to my team after the sale?
We buy businesses because the team and the operation work. Our default is to keep everyone in place, honor existing compensation, and often offer retention agreements to key people. If you have specific commitments you want to make to your team as part of the deal, we can build those into the structure.
How do you value a business?
Usually a multiple of Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) or EBITDA, adjusted for customer concentration, recurring revenue, real estate and growth trend. We'll walk you through the math in plain language: no black boxes. See exactly how we do the math.
Do I need a broker?
You don't need one to talk with us, but you're welcome to have one. Many sellers prefer to work with their CPA and attorney directly; some prefer a broker as an intermediary. Both are fine. What matters most is that you have advisors you trust reviewing anything you sign. More on what a broker costs and when one is worth it.
Is the deal all cash?
Not always. Most transactions in this range combine cash at close with SBA financing and a seller note (a portion paid over time). Some include an earn-out tied to future performance. We'll design the structure around your tax situation, retirement plan and comfort level.
What's the process and how long does it take?
The sequence is consistent even when the pace isn't: initial conversation, NDA, review of financials, on-site visit, Letter of Intent, due diligence, close. How long it takes depends on the business and how prepared you are. We work to your timeline, not the other way around. Read the full step-by-step process.
What if my business doesn't fit your criteria?
We'll tell you honestly, and where we can, we'll point you toward someone who might be a better fit. We'd rather send you to the right buyer than waste your time.
If you're earlier in the process, start here.
Four plain-language guides on the questions owners ask us most. No email required and nothing gated. Read them and decide for yourself whether a conversation is worth having.
Selling a business in Bend & Central Oregon
How seasonality, labor, tourism and land use actually shape value here, which communities we cover, and why confidentiality matters even more in a small region.
How to sell your business in Oregon
The seven-step process from first conversation to closing, asset versus stock sales, the Oregon-specific tax and licensing items, and the five places deals usually fall apart.
Selling without a broker
What brokers charge, what the fee actually buys, what you give up by going direct, and the situations where we'd tell you to hire one anyway.
How we value your business
Calculating SDE, which add-backs hold up under scrutiny, what moves the multiple up and down, and why the headline price is not the same as your proceeds.
Start a confidential conversation, on your timeline.
Every message goes directly to the person who reads it, and we respond within one business day. Nothing you share here gets disclosed or acted on without your say-so.