JE-CO co-owner Michael Schwarz wanted a change.
He was a Java software engineer who worked at a consulting firm, then in the telecom industry and management and consulting. For his new venture, he wanted out of corporate America. He and partner Austin White were looking to buy a service-oriented business.
“Most of these are run by founders that probably had an individual contributor role at some point,” Schwarz says. “We knew they were not businessmen and we knew we could offer something to these guys.” One of the first things they learned is some of these founders aren’t really ready to sell. A deal on a home restoration business fell through, opening the door for purchasing JE-CO Truck & Trailer, a diesel shop in Denver, instead.
JE-CO’s previous owner was the founder of the business. Schwarz says he was very, very involved in the day-to-day execution of the business. Emphasis on the second very.
“He yelled at people and threatened people to get stuff done,” Schwarz says. “What we’ve learned through the process is because of his personality and way of management, he was really restricted to certain kinds of employees. It was like a scene out of that movie ‘Over the Top.’ All of the characters in that movie worked here.”
Schwarz and White bought JE-CO in 2019 and immediately started doing things differently.
