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Our Advice Is Based on Empirical Execution, Not Theory.
We deploy the specific playbook used to engineer a transformational exit for the founder's own manufacturing business during a volatile market.
1
The Challenge (2020)
A lower-middle market industrial manufacturer faced a low valuation, significant customer concentration risk tied to a multi-billion-dollar giant, and complex operational exposure.
2
The Action (2020–2024)
Instead of selling immediately, the founder executed a 4-year Value Creation Protocol — repositioning from a job shop to a tech-enabled platform and professionalizing financials for Private Equity scrutiny.
3
The Result (2024)
The business was sold to a premier Private Equity firm — with a strategic real estate carveout transaction to maximize asset valuation.
106%
Increase in Enterprise Value
Plus the strategic retention of key real estate assets worth millions more — secured through disciplined preparation and patient execution.
4
Year Value Creation Protocol
Proof that the right moment to sell is not when you're ready to leave — it's when the business is positioned to command a premium.
Leadership
Meet Robert Slagel: CEO & President
Robert Slagel, a serial entrepreneur and industrial executive with over three decades of experience, founded Owner's Co-Pilot from his own successful journey of building, growing, and strategically divesting businesses.
He brings a unique owner-operator perspective, having personally navigated the complexities of selling a lower-middle market business to private equity, transforming a challenging market into a highly successful exit.

Serial Entrepreneur & Visionary
Founded and scaled companies like Portable Solutions Group (PSG), growing it into a global provider across six continents before successfully selling to private equity in late 2024.
Inventor & Industry Leader
Holds 40 patents across 36 countries, demonstrating a profound commitment to innovation and intellectual property development in industrial and infrastructure sectors.
Advocate for Appalachia
Deeply committed to regional economic development, working with the Tri-State Construction and Building Trades Council to foster sustainable industrial growth.
Distinguished Professional
A Registered Professional Geologist with degrees from Ohio University and the University of Idaho, his early career included roles at American Electric Power and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Your Loyalty. Your Legacy. Your Terms.
You deserve an advisor whose only incentive is your best outcome. Owner's Co-Pilot exists for one reason: to be the unbiased voice in your corner when it matters most.
The exit you've earned shouldn't be decided by someone else's commission. Let's make sure it isn't.
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