We invest where we have pattern recognition, deep relationships, and the conviction to commit capital through cycles. The sectors below are where our experience compounds.
Six sectors. One region. Cycles we have seen before.
Established manufacturing operations with defensible market positions, recurring revenue, and strong management teams.
Why we like it · Manufacturing businesses are ideal debt and equity capital investments, supported by tangible assets, durable cash flows, and meaningful barriers to entry. With deep roots in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana, 1880 brings genuine regional fluency to one of the country's most productive manufacturing corridors.
Durable demand, essential markets, established cash flows.
Why we like it · Food and agriculture businesses combine the things debt and equity capital does best: durable asset base, recurring demand, and cash flows tied to something the world will always need. In the lower middle market, this sector is full of established operators, regional processors, and family-owned businesses ready for the next chapter of growth.
Regional and national distributors with established customer relationships and recurring volume.
Why we like it · Distribution businesses are the connective tissue of the lower middle market: asset-backed, relationship-driven, and built on customer dependencies that take years to replicate. For a debt and equity capital provider, that combination of recurring revenue and defensible market position is exactly what we are underwriting.
Metals processing, fabrication, and industrial services serving commercial and industrial end markets.
Why we like it · Metals and industrial services businesses are asset heavy, have specialized expertise, and customer relationships that are genuinely difficult to replace. In the lower middle market, these are often niche operators with decades of history, defensible market positions, and the kind of predictable cash flows that debt and equity capital is designed to support.
Non-acute healthcare services businesses with recurring revenue and strong payor mix.
Why we like it · Healthcare services businesses operate at the intersection of inelastic demand and recurring revenue, two characteristics that debt and equity capital is built around. In the lower middle market, this sector is full of established, community-anchored operators who need growth capital to expand capacity, add services, or navigate ownership transition without surrendering control.
Branded and private-label consumer products with established distribution and brand equity.
Why we like it · Consumer products businesses that have earned loyal followings and proven their unit economics are exactly the kind of opportunity debt and equity capital is built for. In the lower middle market, these are often regional brands with national potential, established enough to have real cash flow, and hungry enough to need the capital to reach the next level.
Sector matters, but criteria are decisive. Six things we look for in every opportunity.
We invest behind businesses with established earnings. Underwriting is anchored in trailing performance, not pro forma promises.
Operators who know their business better than we ever could. Capital does not fix a leadership gap.
Customer relationships, regional density, technical capability, or installed base. A reason the company keeps winning.
Generational transition, recapitalization, growth, or acquisition. A specific plan tied to a specific outcome.
Owners and sponsors who want a partner, not just a check. The work after the wire is the work that matters.
$3M+ EBITDA, $6 to $10M check. Where our experience and structure fit best.
We respect your time. A short call is enough to know.
