Schryver & Co. advises Bee & Jay Plumbing & Heating on its sale to entrepreneur Tom Kulesa

Schryver & Co. served as the exclusive M&A advisor to Bee & Jay Plumbing & Heating Corp. in its sale to Tom Kulesa, a New York-based entrepreneur who acquires and operates family- and founder-owned businesses through Jadwin Capital. Tom will lead Bee & Jay into its next chapter. Terms were not disclosed.

The company.

Bee & Jay is one of the Hudson Valley's longest-standing plumbing, heating, and water-systems companies. Under co-owners Ted Kugler and Joe Scollan, it grew from residential service and remodeling work into a full-service provider for homeowners, businesses, and municipalities. Today that includes residential plumbing and heating service, bathroom and kitchen remodeling, gas and water-heater installation, and well and water-treatment systems. Through its mechanical and municipal divisions, it also designs, builds, operates, and maintains commercial and municipal water and wastewater systems, and it is a certified New York State water system operator.

"Joe and I spent our careers building Bee & Jay around one idea: when a family in Mahopac or Yorktown has no water or no heat, we show up and we fix it," Ted said.

The buyer.

Tom Kulesa is the Founder of Jadwin Capital, the New York-based firm he uses to buy and run family- and founder-owned businesses. Jadwin takes a long-term, hands-on approach: keep the culture and values that define a company, and add capital, expertise, and resources for its next phase. Tom plans to build on Bee & Jay's brand and loyal customer base while investing in its people, tools, and systems.

"I am grateful to Ted and Joe for entrusting me with the business they have spent their careers building, and I am committed to carrying their legacy forward," Tom said.

Why an owner-operator.

Owners of long-tenured trades businesses get plenty of calls today, and many of those buyers want to fold the company into a larger platform. That is a fine outcome for some sellers. Ted and Joe wanted something else: a buyer who would keep the Bee & Jay name, keep the team together, and run the business locally. "We talked to a lot of potential buyers, and most of them wanted to fold us into something bigger," Joe said. "We are excited to partner with Tom, who will bring additional financial and operational resources to accelerate our growth while maintaining our commitment to our customers."

We ran a competitive, confidential process for the owners and advised them from preparation and buyer outreach through negotiation and closing. The goal was not just a price. It was the right partner for a company Joe's father founded more than 60 years ago.

What it means.

If you own a family plumbing, heating, or HVAC business, a private equity platform is not your only buyer. Individual owner-operators and long-term holding companies like Jadwin are active, and for sellers who care about legacy, brand, and their people, they can be the better fit. The work is the same either way: get your financials and operations ready, decide what you want after closing, and run a real process so you can compare options side by side. "Ted and Joe wanted a partner who would protect what they built, and Tom is that partner," said Will Schryver, Founder and Managing Partner of Schryver & Co.