Legacy Holdings, a Florida-based holding company co-founded by Benjamin Krall and Daniel Schmerin, today announced the launch of its first two special-purpose investment vehicles and the appointment of Grant E. Stark, CFA, as a partner.

Founded in 2024, Legacy Holdings is redefining how small businesses are acquired, operated, and scaled while challenging the conventions of private equity and search fund models. Its approach centers on what it calls “hyperlocal, forever portfolios,” which are micro-portfolios of regionally clustered, profitable, essential businesses that are all within the same sector. These companies remain led by their original management teams and grow through shared resources and a centralized back office. Each portfolio is structured as a long-term, permanent capital vehicle that prioritizes compounding free cash flow over short-term roll-up exits.

Legacy targets businesses that are not actively for sale, partnering not only with baby boomer owners facing succession challenges but also with entrepreneurs who want to continue running their companies while benefiting from capital, infrastructure, and growth support.

Benjamin Krall, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Legacy Holdings, said: “Our mission is to preserve the legacy of these businesses while giving them the resources to grow. We are not here to flip companies or roll them up. We are here to build enduring portfolios that strengthen communities and create lasting value.”

Two New Vehicles

With that mission in mind, Legacy Holdings is launching its first two special-purpose vehicles:

1. A Norfolk, Virginia–based environmental services portfolio that will comprise six to eight essential small businesses positioned to benefit from regulatory, environmental, and demographic tailwinds. This Southeast-focused portfolio will launch with three initial businesses, all located in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia: a leading pest and termite control company; an environmental testing firm specializing in residential and commercial air quality, mold, and moisture inspections; and an environmental services contractor with expertise in residential crawlspace repair and remediation.
2. A portfolio of energy infrastructure contractors specializing in the last-mile engineering, groundwork, and hookups needed to turn on, power up, and connect next-generation power systems for AI/data center infrastructure, EV charging, microgrids, solar infrastructure, energy storage systems, backup power systems, and new substations and transformers.

This Fall, Legacy Holdings will leverage its portfolio of energy infrastructure contractors to launch The American Grid Company, the first national marketplace dedicated to energy and digital infrastructure projects. The platform is designed to give general contractors, data center developers, energy equipment vendors, facility owners, and asset owners a single source to manage all last-mile coordination required to:

1. Power on and connect new onsite systems such as microgrids, battery storage, and backup generators.
2. Secure additional capacity from the grid.
3. Transition from traditional power to renewable sources like solar and wind.

Today, these groups must rely on dozens of local contractors to complete the last-mile build-out of their energy and digital infrastructure projects. The American Grid Company will provide a single platform to deliver the full stack, operating through regional hubs in Denver, Colorado, and Nashville, Tennessee, with plans to expand in 2026.

New Partner Appointment

Alongside the launch of both vehicles, Legacy Holdings announced the appointment of Grant E. Stark, CFA, as a partner and as CEO of The American Grid Company’s Tennessee Valley hub.

Mr. Stark brings over 17 years of experience spanning business operations, finance, investing, and public policy, with expertise in capital allocation, corporate strategy, and organizational scaling. He has held executive roles within major U.S. capital allocators and, like the other partners at Legacy, has hands-on operating experience, having co-founded and scaled a nationally recognized transportation-as-a-service company.

Grant Stark said, “I am thrilled to join the remarkable team of professionals, founders, and operators at Legacy Holdings. Their commitment to empowering owners of established essential service businesses aligns with my ethos, and I look forward to advancing the mission.”

Benjamin Krall, Managing Partner of Legacy Holdings, commented: “Adding Grant to our team is a win for the small business owners we support today and those we will back in the future. He is a true operator with real-world experience growing companies, and he embodies exactly what Legacy Holdings is building: a reliable partner to entrepreneurs, with the track record to scale businesses and the vision to skate where the puck is going.”

Beyond his role as a partner at Legacy Holdings, Stark will also lead The American Grid Company’s Tennessee Valley hub, overseeing expansion from Texas through the Southeast and driving M&A efforts to scale the company’s full-stack infrastructure portfolio. Stark said: “It is an honor to lead The American Grid Company’s Tennessee hub and assist in deploying experienced talent across physical infrastructure projects required to support next-generation AI compute, data centers, EV charging networks, logistics hubs, and power generation.”

About Legacy Holdings

Legacy Holdings is a holding company that acquires and grows off-market essential businesses through regional permanent capital vehicles rather than a traditional fund model. Its ‘hyperlocal forever portfolios’ are built to preserve founder legacies, provide long-term growth capital, and create regional networks of companies positioned for generational success. Managed locally by the original leadership teams, funded with local family office capital, and structured to generate synergies within each region, Legacy Holdings is redefining how small business succession and growth are achieved.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250903135813/en/