Why Smart Owners Share Equity

Most business owners think selling their company means walking away.But what if partnering with private equity actually accelerates growth, wealth, and opportunity for your entire team?In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff Harkness sits down with Fred Rodriguez, founder of Remediation Group Inc., to unpack his journey from college wrestler working disaster cleanup jobs to building one of Atlanta’s leading restoration companies and partnering with private equity.Fred shares how he built a scalable service business, why he chose to bring his leadership team into the deal with phantom stock, and how partnering with Percheron Capital and Right Restoration Partners unlocked new growth opportunities.If you're a business owner wondering what life looks like before, during, and after a private equity partnership, this conversation delivers real-world insight from someone who’s lived it.Key Discussion PointsHow Fred discovered the restoration industry while wrestling in collegeThe “Mold is Gold” era and how early specialization created opportunityWhy restoration companies must evolve into full-service operators to scaleThe importance of density and niche focus in service businessesWhy Fred built his company around high-rise and multifamily clientsPreparing the business for private equity interestWhy Fred insisted on bringing his key leadership team into the dealHow phantom stock created alignment and changed his team’s livesWhat private equity partnership actually looks like day-to-dayWhy the right PE partner can accelerate growth and remove operational burdensGrowth strategy: organic growth + acquisitions + new sales channels