Founders Home Service Group Buys AAA City Plumbing in First Carolinas Deal

What happened

Founders Home Service Group, a residential home services platform based in Overland Park, Kansas, acquired AAA City Plumbing, a plumbing company with locations in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Kompass Kapital, which owns a majority of Founders, announced the deal on December 22, 2025, as Founders' first acquisition in the Carolinas. Dean Inkelaar, the company's founder and owner, sold the business to Founders. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The seller

Inkelaar founded AAA City Plumbing more than three decades ago. Its service area runs from Charlotte, Concord, Huntersville and Gastonia in North Carolina to Rock Hill, Fort Mill, York and Lancaster in South Carolina, worked from an office on Grayson Road in Rock Hill and a second in Charlotte. The company handles residential and commercial plumbing, drain and sewer-line work, water heaters and water lines, plus septic tank pumping and installation and well pumps, with 24-hour live answering for emergency calls. It is licensed in both states, holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, and has been recognized on Angi's List as a preferred top plumbing company in North and South Carolina.

According to the firm that advised Inkelaar on the sale, the business drew hundreds of buyer inquiries within days of going to market and 14 purchase offers. "I am pleased with the outcome of the transaction," Inkelaar said. "The leadership of Founders Home Service shares similar values and commitment to customer service, and I know I have handed the business over to a new owner who will continue to take good care of the employees and customers."

The buyer

Kompass Kapital, a single-family office in Overland Park, launched Founders in 2021 and holds it as a majority-owned portfolio company. Founders puts that ownership to sellers directly: "We're family-owned, not a big private equity firm, which means we don't have external timelines or investors." Its chief operating officer, Paul Selman, spent 21 years in HVAC, including as a general manager and regional director at one of the largest consolidated HVAC businesses in the US, and holds HVAC contractor licenses in Tennessee and South Carolina.

AAA City Plumbing was Founders' third acquisition, after a Knoxville company and Copeland and Son in Nashville. Founders has since added Empire Heating and Air Conditioning of Decatur, Georgia, in January 2026 and a Middle Tennessee company based in Chapel Hill in February. "Kompass Kapital is excited to welcome AAA City Plumbing to our Founders Home Services platform as we continue to expand our presence in the Southeast," said Jeff Konnesky, partner and chief investment officer at Kompass.

How Founders adds a trade after it buys

Founders has paired acquisitions with a second trade before. Copeland and Son, a Nashville HVAC and plumbing provider bought in 2024, was rebranded Copeland Home Services, which Kompass tied to "the addition of the plumbing and electrical service lines to the entire Middle Tennessee area." At Empire, an HVAC contractor, Selman described "the thoughtful expansion into plumbing services." At AAA City Plumbing the direction runs the other way. "Over time, we see opportunities to thoughtfully expand service offerings, including HVAC, while preserving the culture and service standards that have made AAA City Plumbing successful," Selman said. Owners comparing buyers of this kind can see how OffDeal approaches plumbing and other home services businesses.

What this means for Charlotte-area plumbing owners

For an owner selling a single-trade company to a buyer like this, the deal can change what the business is: Copeland took a new name when its service lines were expanded, while AAA City Plumbing still operates under its own name. Which trades a buyer means to add, and whose name goes on the trucks afterward, are terms to settle before an LOI rather than after closing.

OffDeal is an advisory firm that helps lower-middle-market business owners sell with confidence. Reach out to learn more about our expertise with plumbing businesses in South Carolina.

Own a plumbing business with $5M–$100M in revenue? We’re glad to give you an honest read on what it’s worth and who would buy it — no pitch, no pressure. Get a free valuation.

Source: Kompass Kapital - https://kompasskapital.com/2025/12/founders-home-service-group-expands-platform-to-the-carolinas-with-latest-acquisition/