The Premier Manufacturing Business Broker for San Diego
From North County machine shops to Otay Mesa distribution centers, we help San Diego owners capture the maximum value for their hard assets, IP, and contracts.
Why You Need a San Diego Business Broker Who Understands Industry
If you are searching for a "Business Broker San Diego" or "Sell my manufacturing business," you likely realize that San Diego is not just a vacation destination—it is one of the densest clusters of high-value IP manufacturing in the world.
While generalist brokers sell restaurants in the Gaslamp, we focus exclusively on the industrial sector. We see aggressive activity from Private Equity groups targeting San Diego for three specific reasons:
The Defense Ecosystem: With the largest concentration of military personnel in the US, proximity to NAVWAR and Naval Base San Diego is a non-negotiable asset for Defense Primes.
The "MedTech Coast": North County (Carlsbad/Vista) is the global capital for medical device fabrication. Buyers pay a massive premium for FDA-registered facilities here.
The Cross-Border Edge: Your proximity to the Otay Mesa border crossing allows buyers to utilize a "Hybrid Mfg" strategy—keeping high-value engineering in SD and volume production in Mexico.
We Serve the Full San Diego Industrial Spectrum
Whether you run a machine shop in Poway or a clean room in Carlsbad, we have specialized deal teams for your sector.
Defense & Aerospace (Poway, Kearny Mesa & Santee)
We connect local subcontractors with the Defense Primes and Federal Agencies that drive the local economy.
Who We Help: Precision machine shops, Exotic Alloy fabricators, and Drone/UAV component manufacturers.
The Buyer Pool: Defense Aggregators and Private Equity looking to secure "Cleared" facilities.
Key Value Driver: ITAR & Security Clearances. We treat your Facility Clearance (FCL) as a scarce asset that commands a premium.
Engineering & Life Sciences (Sorrento Valley, Carlsbad & Vista)
San Diego is the #3 Biotech hub in the US. We help contract manufacturers exit to the large strategics they currently serve.
Who We Help: Injection Molders, Surgical Instrument makers, and PCBA shops serving the medical sector.
The Buyer Pool: Publicly traded MedTech firms and Life Science holding companies.
Key Value Driver: ISO 13485. We validate your quality management systems to justify a higher multiple.
Distribution & Logistics (Otay Mesa, Chula Vista & Escondido)
The "Cali-Baja" mega-region requires robust logistics support. We sell the infrastructure that powers cross-border trade.
Who We Help: Metal fabricators, Packaging manufacturers, and 3PLs/Warehouses near the border.
The Buyer Pool: Logistics conglomerates and Cross-Border supply chain investors.
Key Value Driver: Industrial Zoning. Land in Otay is scarce; we value your real estate footprint aggressively.
The "San Diego Hurdles": We Navigate the Regulations
SDAPCD Compliance
The Problem: The San Diego Air Pollution Control District is notoriously strict on powder coating and plating operations.
The Solution: We treat your existing, valid permits as a "Grandfathered Asset." We market the fact that a competitor cannot build a new factory down the street, making your facility a scarcity play.
The "California Exit" Tax
The Problem: Many SD owners want to sell and immediately move to Nevada or Arizona. Doing this in the wrong order can trigger a clawback from the FTB.
The Solution: We work with your CPA to map a "Residency Timeline." We time the Closing Date to align with your departure, helping you legally minimize state tax exposure.
The Cost of Living Risk
The Problem: Buyers worry that once they buy your shop, your key machinists and engineers will move to lower-cost states due to housing prices.
The Solution: We conduct a pre-sale Labor Audit. We identify payroll vulnerabilities and fix them before due diligence begins, presenting buyers with a "Clean Bill of Health" that stops price retrading..
Valuation: The "Sunshine Premium"
San Diego businesses often command higher multiples than the national average, but not just because of the weather. It’s about Intellectual Property Density.
High Barriers to Entry: You cannot build a new machine shop in coastal North County today. Zoning laws prohibit it. Your existing footprint is a fortress.
Sticky Revenue: Once you are "specced in" to a Naval program or a Medical Device approved vendor list, it is incredibly expensive for customers to switch.
Proximity to Capital: With massive wealth management centers in La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe, local family offices are constantly seeking direct investments in local industrial firms.
Curious what your business would trade for? We use recent comps from deals we've closed in Vista, San Marcos, and El Cajon.
Frequently Asked Questions (San Diego)
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A: Absolutely. Industrial real estate in San Diego (especially North County and Otay) is among the most valuable in the nation. We highly recommend selling the business (OpCo) and retaining the building (PropCo) to generate passive lease income.
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A: If you hold defense contracts, you cannot sell to foreign buyers (China, Russia, etc.). We rigorously vet all buyers for "Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence" (FOCI) issues before they ever see your name.
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A: Not if the lease is transferrable. San Diego industrial vacancy is historically low (<3%). We review your lease before going to market to ensure you have enough term remaining (5+ years) to satisfy a buyer and their bank.
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A: To avoid California capital gains tax, you typically need to establish genuine residency in your new state before the liquidity event occurs. We recommend starting this process 6 months prior to listing.
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A: In San Diego, typical timelines are 7 to 10 months. Deals involving ITAR or heavy environmental diligence usually take the longest.
Ready to Exit Your San Diego Business?
Don't trust your legacy to a generalist San Diego business broker who sells cafes in the Gaslamp. You need a team that understands the difference between 5-axis machining and 3D printing, and why an ISO 13485 certification is worth millions.
We are former operators. We speak your language.