A major influx in M&A activity in the North Carolina market has led to the recent sale of Stanley Environmental and Earth Farms Organics through Charlotte-based business sales firm, Viking Mergers & Acquisitions. Stanley Environmental was founded in the early 1970’s with the goal of providing septic tank, pumping, and grease trap services. To further accommodate clients, Earth Farms Organics was founded in 2006 and specializes in composting and sustainable waste diversion solutions. Both businesses were owned and operated by Jim Lanier, the son of the original founder, William Lanier, and his business partner, Tommy Morrison.
After years of building the businesses, Tommy Morrison and Jim Lanier wanted to see what the market had to offer and contacted Viking Mergers & Acquisitions. Viking Mergers partners, Dale Gillmore and Greg Ponder, facilitated the sale. “It’s a sellers’ market and the timing could not be better for business owners thinking of selling,” says Greg Ponder. Stanley Environmental and Earth Farms generated a massive amount of interest among national buyers, receiving over 11 official offers until ultimately, the businesses were purchased by Wind River Environmental. Wind River Environmental is a Hudson, Massachusetts based company servicing a broad array of non-hazardous liquid waste streams with a particular focus on beneficial reuse of waste for customers from Maine to South Carolina.
“Viking Mergers did a phenomenal job finding a buyer for our businesses,” says Jim Lanier, former owner of Stanley Environmental and Earth Farms. Wind River plans to acquire several companies across the East Coast to expand their environmental impact. “We are very excited to be a part of the East Coast expansion plan that Wind River is working on,” Lanier continues.