American Operator
Portfolio CEO Network: Powder Coating Shop
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About American Operator
American Operator exists to keep the American Dream alive through small-business leadership and ownership. We buy small businesses between $5M-$15M in revenue from retiring owners who want their life's work in the hands of leaders who care. We place in an experienced operator as CEO and over time, our CEOs follow a clear pathway to earn significant equity in the business they lead.
About The Role
We’re actively interviewing CEO candidates for current and future acquisition opportunities. While timing varies by market and acquisition activity, selected candidates enter our CEO network and may be matched with opportunities as they become available.
We are looking for experienced operators who have led a powder coating operation. This is an opportunity to partner with American Operator through the acquisition process, with the goal of stepping into a profitable, established business with a strong reputation, a loyal customer base, and an experienced team already in place. American Operator leads sourcing and due diligence, and the selected candidate will contribute industry insights during that process before stepping into the operating role post-close.
As CEO, you'll assume full responsibility for day-to-day operations and P&L performance. This is not a turnaround situation, it's an opportunity to build on a solid foundation set by the former owners. Your focus will be on developing and retaining a best-in-class sales force, driving customer acquisition and growth, and scaling the business to new products, customer segments and markets.
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American Operator will be your partner from day one, providing strategic support, resources, and guidance while empowering you to lead independently. Most importantly, you'll have a clear path to earning significant equity ownership in the business you grow and lead.
What You'll Do
- Grow the business with a focus on key performance metrics as you lead day-to-day plant operations
- Develop and lead the production team, including line leads and applicators, with a culture of high accountability and performance
- Oversee production on the finishing line (pretreatment, booths, and cure ovens) with discipline on throughput, quality, and on-time delivery
- Build upon existing customer relationships and grow into new end markets to reduce industry concentration
- Own company compliance for hazardous waste, and other regulations
- Manage equipment upkeep and capex
- Partner with American Operator on strategy, budgeting, and growth planning
Requirements
- 7+ years of relevant industry experience, with at least 3 years of P&L ownership over a department or entire plant
- Experience building high performance team hourly team with accountability for hiring and performance improvement
- You have led operations with a focus on batch production runs on tight timelines
- Track record of profitably growing sales for job shops that rely on reputation and service quality
- Currently located in or a willingness to relocate to one of our target markets (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Indiana, Illinois, or Wisconsin)
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What Sets You Apart
- Direct experience within powder coating, liquid paint, metal finishing, and metal fabrication.
- Owned responsibility for the compliance and record-keeping that comes with a permitted facility (air permits, VOC logs, hazardous waste)
- Diversified a customer base across end markets to reduce concentration, and you bring direct powder coating, liquid paint, or metal-finishing experience as a strong plus
Compensation
Base salary: $130,000–$190,000, plus performance-based bonus opportunities, distributions, and meaningful equity participation beginning at 10% ownership, with the potential to increase based on performance and value creation. Total compensation varies by portfolio company, individual performance, and deal structure, and includes a comprehensive benefits package.
LOCATION
Our target acquisition markets include Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Relocation will be required if you are not currently in or near the market of the opportunity.
Ready to lead the next chapter? Before you apply, we encourage you to visit americanoperator.com to learn more about who we are, how we work, and what our operators have to say about the experience. When you are ready, apply today to start the conversation.
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