David N. ElienBusiness Acquisition
Individual Owner-Operator

Ready to buy and run one great North Carolina business.

I'm not a fund — I'm one buyer, looking for one company to own and operate for the long haul. If you're an owner weighing a sale, here's what I'm looking for.

$1.5M–$5M enterprise value North Carolina, statewide Prequalified for financing
What I'm Looking For

A well-run business built around products or services customers depend on

Enterprise value
$1.5M–$5M
SDE / EBITDA
$500K–$1.2M
Where
Anywhere in North Carolina
Deal
Full acquisition — I'm the buyer, no committee

I weight consistency heavily — steady, dependable performance across several years matters more to me than one strong year against an otherwise uneven track record. I'm also less likely to fit with retail, restaurants, and consumer-discretionary businesses; route-based or trucking businesses; turnarounds; or companies that lean heavily on the current owner's personal license or relationships.

Businesses of Interest

The kinds of businesses I'm targeting

Essential B2B services
Industrial & commercial services
Inspection, testing & compliance
Fire & life safety
Facility & infrastructure services
Specialty distribution
Industrial & building products
Niche manufacturing & assembly
About Me

A couple of decades of operating leadership, starting as an enlisted Marine

I started my career as an enlisted Marine, where I learned lessons about leadership, teamwork, accountability, and adapting when circumstances change. I put myself through college afterward, then worked in audit at Arthur Andersen and strategy consulting at McKinsey before moving into operating leadership.

Over the next couple of decades, I held progressively broader P&L and general-management roles at GE and Cree. At GE, I led an LED lighting business that more than doubled in revenue while materially improving margins, cash generation, and working capital. At Cree, I held several leadership roles and ultimately led the global LED lighting business during a period of significant growth and change. Along the way, I've also done deals of nearly every size and shape — from angel investing to large corporate acquisitions and integrations — building a track record of helping grow and transform businesses through periods of rapid expansion and change.

My experience spans operations, manufacturing, supply chain, finance, sales, marketing, strategy, acquisitions, and organizational leadership, working with businesses and customers across a wide range of commercial, industrial, institutional, and infrastructure markets.

I've been fortunate to spend my career in strong companies and, more importantly, to work alongside talented people who taught me a great deal about leadership, execution, and building businesses the right way. I've also been blessed to have the support and encouragement of my wife and three children throughout that journey — they've been an important source of perspective, motivation, and inspiration as I take on new responsibilities.

Today, I'm focused on acquiring one good business, becoming its active owner, and building on what already works.

MBA, University of Michigan BS Accounting, Florida A&M University (summa cum laude) U.S. Marine Corps
How I Work

What working with me looks like

I plan to lead the business day to day and work closely with the existing team. My first priority will be to understand what has made the company successful — its people, customers, culture, capabilities, and relationships — before deciding what should change. Over time, I'll look for practical ways to strengthen the business, support the team, serve customers better, and build sustainable growth.

I'm prequalified for financing, with personal equity ready to invest, and my legal, accounting, and transaction advisors are already in place — so once we find the right fit, I can move efficiently through diligence and closing.

Let's Talk

Get in touch.

Emaildelien@dkjgrowth.com
Phone(919) 200-0596
Based in Chapel Hill, searching all of North Carolina. Every conversation is confidential, and I'm glad to sign an NDA before discussing specifics.