Diligence · Industrial Services

ERISA & Benefits Diligence for Industrial Services Independent Sponsors

Securities and M&A counsel for independent sponsors diligencing industrial services transactions, from LOI to close to the capital markets that open up afterward.

EV range $10M to $130M EV EBITDA $3M to $22M Audience Buy-side / Sponsor
The deal context

ERISA & Benefits Diligence on industrial services deals is one of those workstreams that looks routine on a checklist and decides outcomes in practice.

The typical industrial services platform sits at $10M to $130M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $22M range. The thesis runs on regional consolidation of plant maintenance, specialty contracting, or rentals. An EMR over 1.0 will cost you a half-turn at close unless you fix the story upfront.

The moves

How ERISA & Benefits Diligence actually gets structured.

  1. Pull the 5500s and audit reports for the last three years.

  2. Identify any controlled-group exposure that follows the seller post-close.

  3. Address multi-employer pension withdrawal liability where applicable.

  4. Plan the benefits transition to the buyer's plans, with a TSA period if needed.

  5. In industrial services, layer in MSA renewal calendar mapped pre-LOI as part of the ERISA & Benefits Diligence workstream.

The common mistake

Skipping the multi-employer pension review. It can show up as a 7-figure surprise three months post-close.

Jason's take
"ERISA is the silent deal-killer. Treat it like senior debt diligence."
Jason Powell · ERISA & Benefits Diligence
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

After close, the call list for refinancing, recapitalization, and growth equity gets short and known. Jason carries that list.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
TALK TO JASON

An LOI on the desk, a industrial services target, and a ERISA & Benefits Diligence question worth a real conversation.

Twenty minutes of practitioner-grade input from a securities attorney whose first move is to read the deal, not the engagement letter.