Mintech

01The full story

Chris Meyer spent two and a half years reviewing business plans and meeting local bankers, accountants, attorneys, and brokers before buying Mintech at age 27. The industrial materials company was already doing about $5–6 million in sales. It handled byproducts such as lime kiln dust and cement kiln dust, selling suitable material into construction, environmental, and biosolids applications. Meyer spent his first six months learning the operation, its customers, and its margins before making major changes. He then widened the product applications and geography, asked customers what else they needed, and invested in stronger supplier relationships. The company moved from an Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio footprint into additional states, then found demand in oil and gas for treated drill cuttings packed in one-ton bags. Sales reached $72 million by the time Meyer exited. A supplier that had worked with Mintech for years became its buyer after a two-to-three-year courtship. The acquisition used bank financing and a seller note; Meyer said payments were never missed.

Mintech did not begin with an empty pipeline: Meyer bought an operating company already making roughly $5–6 million in sales, then spent his first six months learning its customers, products, and team before changing much. For a regional materials business built from scratch, use that sequence at a smaller scale.