Seeking a technical partner for a niche industrial acquisition

I’m currently in active diligence on a small, highly differentiated industrial manufacturing business (between ~$2M-~$3M annual revenue over the last 4 years) in advanced materials/thermal processing. The company designs and manufactures specialized equipment used in industrial coating applications, with a strong installed base, recurring revenue from consumables and spare parts and a long operating history. The installed base includes equipment at leading global OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers across aerospace, energy and heavy industrial markets. The business has also historically generated nearly all of its revenue through inbound demand and repeat customers, with bare minimal commercial effort. I believe this presents an interesting opportunity to introduce and expand the commercial side. From an ops perspective, the business is pretty straight forward and very attractive (high margins, asset-light and global customer base). But like many founder-led engineering businesses, a good portion of technical know-how sits with the founder. Rather than just hiring to fill the technical gap, I’m exploring potentially bringing on a partner with a strong technical background (mechanical, process or materials engineering or adjacent) who’s interested in stepping into an owner-operator role with me and helping transition/scale the technical side of the business. High level of what I’m looking for: • Someone with experience in industrial equipment, coatings, combustion systems or adjacent processes is highly relevant • Someone who’s spent time working directly with physical systems and is comfortable diagnosing and improving how things actually behave in practice • Hands-on troubleshooting experience in real-world environments. Purely theoretical design work would not be a good fit • Interest in ownership and building, not just a job • Comfortable operating in a small, unstructured environment • Ideally mid-career (10+ yrs experience), but flexible for the right person Some practical considerations: • The business is located in the Richmond, VA area and requires being onsite. I plan to relocate there with my family if the transaction closes. • This would be an SBA-backed acquisition, so the first few years would prioritize reinvestment for growth and debt paydown. The goal would be to build long-term equity value rather than maximizing short-term comp. The intent is to create meaningful ownership for both of us over time. By background, I’ve spent ~14 yrs in restructuring and operational advisory, working with middle-market industrials companies through complex and challenging situations. I plan to operate the business long-term, with a focus on stability, disciplined growth and building a solid company. Am interested in connecting with people who find this compelling and could see alignment. If this resonates, reach out or comment. Would love to connect. Thanks!