Millennials Are Buying Blue Collar Small Businesses To AI-Proof Their Future

When Andrew Kurzrok’s wife, Michelle, became pregnant with their first son in 2023, he decided it was time for his life spending over 200 days a year on the road as a mid-level executive of Amphenol Sensors to end. He wanted a career that would keep him closer to their suburban Washington, D.C. home, while utilizing his manufacturing experience. And with a background in mergers and acquisitions, he thought about buying. So the Kurzroks evaluated hundreds of local companies for sale. Finally, last September, he closed on the purchase of 45-year-old family-owned Hopewell Sheet Metal Manufacturing, which operates out of a 30,000 square foot facility in Hagerstown, Maryland. “It is a classic baby boomer-run business that was time for transition,” with no third generation member of the family ready to run it, observes Kurzrok, who holds Yale MBA and bachelor degrees. But it suited his goals just fine. “I am home with my family every single night. I am proud to say that I no longer have any frequent flyer status with the airlines,” he laughs. “It’s great. I’m 30 pounds lighter because I’m not eating food in airports all day long. Blood pressure is lower. That doesn’t mean business ownership is easy; it’s got its own stress, but I’m really happy with the tradeoff I’ve made.” By John Schroyer, Staff Writer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices