Jonathan Blanchard
I spent seven years growing my last business as CEO. Now I'm searching for a new business to buy and run.
I acquired a calibration services and light manufacturing business from its retiring founders in 2018. Over the next seven years, we nearly tripled the size of the business, supporting the success of our team members, customers, suppliers, and investors along the way. We partnered with a large national network of calibration labs in 2025 to safeguard the long-term future of the business. Now I will apply the lessons I've learned about leading small businesses to a new company that I plan to own and operate long-term.
An experienced small business owner-operator
ETI Precision's Story
I acquired ETI from its retiring founders in 2018 and ran it as CEO until we sold the business to Accredited Labs in 2025.
I was fortunate to have a fantastic team around me over my seven years, and together we transformed the business into a leader in the calibration of electrical test and measurement equipment and the manufacturing of high-current circuit breaker testers. Highlights of my time leading ETI include:
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Regional expansion: we opened two field offices (Dallas and Charlotte) and built those locations from the ground-up
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Growth via acquisition: we acquired a complementary calibration lab in the Charlotte area in 2023 to deepen our regional presence and management infrastructure
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Organizational transformation: we began with a flat organizational structure and built management and senior leadership teams over my seven years, giving colleagues strong opportunities for professional advancement and supporting the company's rapid but measured growth
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Product development: we redesigned our entire line of primary injection high-current breaker testers and AC/DC variable power supplies with a focus on safety and simplicity for our customers
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Technology investments: we implemented new ERP and calibration laboratory management systems, allowing us to scale the business and enhancing the service we offer our customers
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Marketing & sales: we built a sales function from the ground up and rebranded Electrical Test Instruments, LLC to ETI Precision, building a new website, logo, marketing materials, and customer-facing persona that reflected the evolution of the business as a leading calibration lab providing nationwide onsite service and manufacturer of electrical testing equipment
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Facility expansion: we relocated from a 9,400 sf facility to a state-of-the-art 15,600 sf headquarters, revamping our safety systems and expanding our capabilities
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Quality program improvements: we became ISO/IEC 17025:2017-accredited and maintained our ISO 9001:2015 accreditation
What I'm building at Arden Company
I am buying a company in the Pioneer Valley region of Massachusetts to own and operate for the foreseeable future.
Arden Company is a reference to Arden Street, where I lived in Allston, MA when I launched my first business. It is the evolution of Arden Bay, the search fund I created to acquire ETI Precision with the support of investors in 2018.
If you are a business owner planning for your retirement and developing the succession plan for your business, I would love to have a conversation. I've bought and successfully transitioned a business from retiring founders previously and know that it is a unique challenge to navigate. I am also excited to speak with others in the small business ecosystem in western Massachusetts, especially lawyers, accountants, financial advisors, brokers, and bankers.
About me
I am an Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) at Georgetown University and support graduate students in the McDonough School of Business’s Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Club. I spent four years in the Washington, DC Chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), a global CEO and entrepreneur peer group, before selling ETI Precision. I also advise search fund CEO's and independent sponsors on operations, management, small business financing, and governance.
I received a MBA from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and a BA from Bates College in Lewiston, ME. My wife, three year-old daughter and I relocated from the Washington, DC area to Amherst, MA in 2026 to live closer to family.
