Cedarline Capital Private & Confidential
US Lower-Mid-Market Buyout · Essential Residential Services

Cedarline Capital,
Fund I

Buy and build the HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies that keep American homes running.

Target$180M
Target Net MOIC2.5x
Target Net IRR23%
First CloseQ4 2026
Fund at a GlanceFund I · 02
2.5x
Target net MOIC to LPs
23%
Target net IRR to LPs
$180M
Target size / $250M hard cap
3–4
Platforms over the investment period

Structure
Delaware LP
Term
10 yrs + two 1-yr
Fee / Carry / Pref
2% / 20% / 8%
Waterfall
American, deal-by-deal
Buy sub-scale, build to scale, sell scaleCedarline Capital
Why NowFund I · 03
The thesis

Four forces make this the moment to consolidate the trades.

01FragmentedOver 100,000 independent HVAC, plumbing and electrical contractors. More than 90% are single-location, owner-operated. No national brand holds meaningful share.
02Recession-resistantRepair and replace is non-discretionary. A failed furnace in January is not deferred. Demand held through 2008-09 and 2020.
03Seller supply is structuralThe median trade-business owner is 57, and roughly half plan to exit within a decade. Few have a succession plan.
04Exit multiples are liftingLarge PE and strategics are consolidating the trades. Scaled platforms trade at 9-12x, well above the 4-6x paid for sub-scale shops.
Sources: fictional sample dataCedarline Capital · Why Now
The Investable UniverseFund I · 04
Essential residential services

A $180B service pool, owned one van at a time.

HVAC, plumbing and electrical services in the US generate roughly $180B of annual revenue. The work is recurring, local and non-discretionary. Ownership is spread across more than 100,000 mostly single-location businesses, which is exactly the condition a disciplined roll-up is built for.

$180B
US residential trades service pool (annual)
100k+
Independent contractors in the trades
90%+
Single-location, owner-operated
57
Median owner age, half plan to exit in 10 yrs
Target companies: $1M–$8M EBITDACedarline Capital · Universe
StrategyFund I · 05
The arbitrage is structural, not speculative

Buy sub-scale at 4–6x. Build to scale. Sell scale at 9–10x.

Platform entry
5.3x
Southeast HVAC, $6M EBITDA
Bolt-on entry
~4x
Adjacent metros and trades
Blended in
~4.7x
Weighted entry multiple
Platform exit
9–10x
To larger PE or a strategic

Roughly 4.8 turns of multiple arbitrage before a single dollar of EBITDA growth. Growth is upside on top.

Reserve ~35% of the fund for bolt-on capitalCedarline Capital · Strategy
Our EdgeFund I · 06
Why Cedarline wins deals and builds value

Operator-led, not board-led.

01An operator in the businessRosa Delgado ran a home-services company from 6 to 40 branches. She sits inside each platform, not on a quarterly board call.
02Proprietary sourcingA refreshed named-account map and direct-to-owner outreach. About 85% of the team's closed deals were proprietary or limited processes.
03An integration machineKevin Park has closed 30+ bolt-ons on a repeatable 100-day playbook: systems, pricing, back office, brand.
04Entry-multiple disciplineWe walk from auctions above 6.5x. Returns are underwritten to EBITDA growth, with multiple expansion as upside.
Too small for the big funds, too operational for the strategicsCedarline Capital · Edge
Origination EngineFund I · 07
Proprietary funnel · trailing 12 months
1,400mapped, qualified businesses
210in active dialogue
46management meetings
11letters of intent
4under exclusivity

Deals come to us, not through an auction.

ADirect owner relationshipsReferrals and repeat contact with owners across target metros.
BRegional advisers & associationsTrade groups and local M&A advisers, not national bankers.
CPlatform-referred bolt-onsPlatform managers know their local competitors best.
~85% of closed deals proprietary or limitedCedarline Capital · Origination
Investment & Underwriting ProcessFund I · 08
Repeatable, downside-first

Five steps from a name on the map to a realised exit.

01SourceProprietary outreach from the named-account map. No auctions above 6.5x.
02Screen & underwriteDownside case first. Quality of earnings, customer mix, recurring service revenue.
03Structure & closeDisciplined entry, conservative leverage (≤3.0x net debt/EBITDA), seller rollover.
04Integrate100-day plan, operating partner in-seat, systems and pricing on day one.
05Build & exitAdd bolt-ons, professionalise, sell scale to a larger sponsor or strategic.
Leverage held conservative at the platform levelCedarline Capital · Process
Portfolio ConstructionFund I · 09
Base case, $180M fund

Three platforms. Ten to fourteen bolt-ons. Concentrated by design.

Cedarline runs a concentrated book. Three control platforms, each built out with bolt-ons, so capital and operating attention stay focused. Roughly a third of the fund is reserved for follow-on bolt-on capital.

3
Control platforms
10–14
Bolt-ons across the fund
$25–45M
Equity per platform incl. follow-on
~35%
Reserved for bolt-on capital
Concentration with an operator in every platformCedarline Capital · Construction
Risk Management & DownsideFund I · 10
Named honestly, mitigated deliberately

What could go wrong, and how it is held.

Integration riskDedicated operating partner and a repeatable 100-day playbook, not a first-timer per deal.
Technician labour shortageRecruiting engine, apprenticeship pipeline, retention and comp redesign inside each platform.
Exit multiple compressionDisciplined entry and EBITDA growth as the primary return driver. Multiple expansion is upside, not base.
CyclicalityNon-discretionary repair and replace demand, plus growing service-agreement recurring revenue.
LeverageConservative at the platform level, target at or below 3.0x net debt to EBITDA.
Key personThree principals, a shared playbook and an advisory bench of trade operators.
Downside case underwritten first, every dealCedarline Capital · Risk
Track RecordFund I · 11
Attributed, prior roles

The team has done this before, together and apart.

Across earlier roles the principals deployed roughly $340M into essential-services platforms, with four of six realised. Two representative deals are carried forward as case studies. Attributed track record is illustrative and fictional.

$340M
Capital deployed (attributed)
6 / 4
Platforms / realisations
2.7x
Gross blended MOIC
24%
Gross blended IRR
Attributed and illustrative · sample dataCedarline Capital · Track Record
Case Study · Platform AlphaFund I · 12
Regional HVAC roll-up

Four branches to fourteen, then a clean exit to PE.

Cedarline's principals bought a founder-owned HVAC business and added nine bolt-ons across adjacent metros. Dispatch and pricing were professionalised, the membership base tripled, and the platform was sold to a larger sponsor after roughly four and a half years.

4→14
Branches
9
Bolt-ons added
3.1x
Gross MOIC
27%
Gross IRR
~4.5-year hold · exit to larger PE sponsorCedarline Capital · Alpha
Case Study · Platform BravoFund I · 13
Plumbing services

Three markets consolidated, sold to a strategic.

A plumbing platform built across three markets with a 24/7 service desk and a doubled book of service agreements. The recurring revenue and multi-market density made it a natural acquisition for a national strategic buyer after about five years.

3
Markets consolidated
2x
Service-agreement revenue
2.4x
Gross MOIC
21%
Gross IRR
~5-year hold · exit to a national strategicCedarline Capital · Bravo
The Competing FieldFund I · 14
Who else buys, and where we sit

A gap between the big funds and the strategics.

National strategics
Pay 8–11x
Buy scaled platforms only. Rarely chase sub-$5M-EBITDA shops.
Larger PE consolidators
$500M+ funds
Need $75M+ cheques. Compete for platforms, not the small bolt-ons.
Franchise aggregators
Brand-led
Lighter operational control, franchise economics.
Cedarline's lane

Sub-$50M-EV platforms and sub-$2M-EBITDA bolt-ons, bought proprietary at disciplined multiples, with an operator in the business. Too small for the big funds, too operationally demanding for the strategics.

Competitor names are fictionalCedarline Capital · Field
Returns & ScenariosFund I · 15
Net to LPs, after 2% fee, 20% carry, 8% pref

Base case 2.5x and 23%, with a defended downside.

CaseNet MOICNet IRRAssumptions
Downside1.6x11%Slower deployment, ~7.5x exit, one platform underperforms
Base2.5x23%3 platforms, ~4.7x blended entry, 9.5x exit, plan hit
Upside3.1x29%Faster bolt-on cadence, 11x exit, multiple expansion

Sensitivity to platform exit multiple (base case): 8.0x → 2.1x / 18%  ·  9.5x → 2.5x / 23%  ·  11.0x → 2.9x / 27%. Full model and the J-curve are in Returns & Scenarios, or model your own commitment in LP Calc.

Illustrative model · sample fundCedarline Capital · Returns
Fund Terms & EconomicsFund I · 16
FundCedarline Capital Fund I, L.P.
StructureDelaware limited partnership
Target / hard cap$180M / $250M
GP commitment2.5% ($4.5M)
First closeQ4 2026
Minimum LP commitment$5M
Term10 yrs + two 1-yr extensions
Investment period5 years
Management fee2% (committed, then invested)
Carried interest20%
Preferred return8%
WaterfallAmerican, deal-by-deal, clawback
Summary only · the LPA governsCedarline Capital · Terms
The TeamFund I · 17
General partners

People who have run the vans and closed the deals.

GW
Grant Whitfield
Managing Partner
17 years in lower-mid-market PE in essential services. Formerly Partner at Halstead Industrial Partners across 6 platforms. Sets strategy, chairs the IC, owns LP relationships. MBA, Kellogg.
RD
Rosa Delgado
Operating Partner
Former CEO of BluePeak Home Services, scaled 6 to 40 branches over seven years to a strategic sale. 22 years in the trades. Runs the value-creation playbook inside each platform.
KP
Kevin Park
Partner, M&A & Integration
30+ bolt-on acquisitions closed. Built the sourcing, diligence and 100-day integration machine at a PE-backed HVAC platform. CFA.
Plus CFO Priya Nair and an advisory bench of trade operatorsCedarline Capital · Team
The AskFund I · 18
Commit to Fund I

Target $180M. Hard cap $250M. First close Q4 2026.

Minimum LP commitment of $5M, negotiable for anchor investors. The GP commits 2.5% alongside. Data room access and a first meeting available on request.

Grant Whitfield · Managing Partner ir@cedarlinecapital.example · Charlotte, NC
Use of the fund
60%
Platform equity
35%
Bolt-on capital
5%
Fees & expenses reserve
Private & confidential · sample fund for illustrationCedarline Capital · The Ask