TG
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Chief Executive Officer / COO

Thomas Girdlestone

Energy, Power Generation & Industrials

Buying, growing, and selling lower and middle-market industrial and energy companies for 30-plus years, then handing each one to its next owner. Two full exits at 5x and 3x EBITDA, a 17-patent platform, and full P&L from $1M to $100M-plus.

2Full Exits
17Patents Built
$100M+P&L Run
Portrait of Thomas Girdlestone
Sarasota, Florida
5x & 3x
EBITDA Exits
$1M to $28M
Built & Sold
0
Patent Platform
$100M+
P&L Run
$0M
IP Royalties
The Profile

Buy it, grow it, structure it, and hand it to the next owner at a price the numbers earned.

M&ATurnaroundsValue-to-Exit Power GenerationGas TurbineOil & Gas Chemicals & CatalystsIP LicensingTax & IP Structuring

Thirty-plus years of running full P&L, from $1M businesses to a $100M-plus power-generation operation, then carrying multiple companies through to a full sale. Value-to-exit is the through-line. EmeraChem's operating business went to Argonaut Private Equity in 2017 at 5x EBITDA while its 17-patent IP platform stayed behind. Cypress Engine grew from about $1M to $28M before selling in 2023 at 3x EBITDA.

Deals get structured to protect value, with close attention to tax and IP. On the operating side: full P&L for a $100M-plus Southern California power business, every plant restart date met after major shutdowns, and Cypress run at about 30 percent gross and 10 percent net margin, profitable every year, with no lost-time accidents across four regional offices on little outside capital.

Technology becomes revenue too. Building a 17-patent catalyst platform, then monetizing it through about 15 licenses worth roughly $13M in royalties, licensing to Alstom Power, Cummins, and Lurgi and winning settlements from Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen after they infringed the patents. Every company stayed profitable through the dot-com crash and the 2008 to 2009 recession. Engineer by training.

Signature

The Value Arc

1992 1997 2000 2010 2017 2023 2024
Select a milestone to read the deal
Track Record

Companies bought, built, and sold

Feb 2024 to Present
Sarasota, FL
Fractional CEO & Principal
Westfield One LLC
  • Advising and taking ownership stakes in industrial and energy businesses across the US and Europe, focused on M&A, turnarounds, and value-to-exit.
  • Valued a German manufacturer with Polish operations and worldwide distribution at $36M; the business sold for about EUR 32M.
2010 to 2023
Houston, TX
Managing Partner & Controlling Owner
Cypress Engine Accessories LLC
  • Acquired a controlling 51 percent stake in 2012, involved from 2010, and grew this oilfield-services firm from about $1M to $28M in revenue.
  • Sold the company in 2023 at a $12M valuation and 3x EBITDA, negotiating the deal directly with outside counsel.
  • Drove about 90 percent of the growth organically plus one bolt-on, Accessories of Kilgore in 2014, taking it from $1.2M to about $4M.
  • Ran about 30 percent gross and 10 percent net margin, profitable every year, with no lost-time accidents.
  • Expanded to four regional offices and a 45-person team using little outside capital.
2000 to 2017
Knoxville, TN
Chief Executive Officer & Owner
EmeraChem LLC
  • Founded EmeraChem inside Sunlaw and built it into an operating company plus a separate IP holding company.
  • Sold the operating company to Argonaut Private Equity in 2017 for about $10M at 5x EBITDA, retaining the IP holding company.
  • Built a 17-patent catalyst platform monetized through about 15 technology licenses, generating roughly $13M in royalties.
  • Licensed worldwide to Alstom Power, Cummins, and Lurgi, and won settlements from Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen after they infringed the patents.
  • Booked about four large gas-turbine catalyst projects a year, a substantial share of the handful built annually in the US and Europe.
  • Kept the company profitable and its executive team intact through the 2008 to 2009 recession.
1997 to 2000
Los Angeles, CA
President & General Manager
Sunlaw Energy
  • Ran full P&L for a $100M-plus Southern California power-generation business and a 90 to 100-person organization.
  • Hit every plant restart date on time and on budget after major service shutdowns, meeting all power-sales-agreement availability terms.
  • Launched the catalyst and IP program that became EmeraChem; sold the power sales agreement to Southern California Edison at net present value.
1992 to 1997
Iselin, NJ
Commercial Manager
Engelhard Corporation
  • Held worldwide commercial responsibility for an $80M stationary-catalyst business at a $12B Fortune 50 leader.
  • Merged the acquired Salom Industries in 1995 into the power-generation group, growing combined revenue from $80M to $100M.
  • Licensed technology to Samsung and LG in South Korea.
How the Value Gets Made

Three levers, one outcome

01

M&A & Value-to-Exit

Lower and middle-market acquisitions, turnarounds, and sell-side exits, structured to protect value through to close. Two companies grown and sold, one at 5x and one at 3x EBITDA, deals negotiated directly with outside counsel.

02

Operations & P&L

Full P&L ownership from $1M to $100M-plus, multi-site manufacturing and logistics, margin and cash-flow discipline, and a safety record of zero lost-time accidents. Every plant restart date met after major service shutdowns.

03

Technology & IP

Turning engineering into revenue: a 17-patent catalyst platform, about 15 licenses worth roughly $13M in royalties, OEM partnerships with Alstom Power, Cummins, and Lurgi, and enforcement settlements from Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.

Beyond the P&L

Board & community

California Hydrogen Business Council

Board Member · 2004 to 2010

Active through the state Hydrogen Highway initiative.

Special Spaces

President · 2009 to 2016

Grew the organization from 3 to 57 US chapters.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Board Member, Florida · 2021 to Present

Ongoing board leadership and community service.

Buffalo State University B.S., Mechanical Engineering Technology · Buffalo, NY
Open to CEO, COO, President & Head of M&A roles

Let's talk about the next one.

Available for full-time or fractional mandates in energy, power generation, chemicals, and industrials. Based in Sarasota, FL, and open to relocation and remote.