Your life’s work deserves more than an exit.
It deserves a future.
I’m looking to acquire one great Chicagoland business and lead it for the long term.
Who is behind Ethos Succession Group?
I'm Clarence Marsh. My career began on the Snake River, leading 500+ whitewater trips as a rafting guide, and on the tarmac at Jackson Hole, marshalling and deicing commercial aircraft through winter storms.
Since then, I've worked across ten small businesses and spent seven years at Greenstone Partners, where I progressed from investment analyst to the firm's first Chief Operating Officer.
Different jobs taught me the same lesson: the businesses I admire most are built by good people doing difficult work consistently well, with leaders willing to work in the trenches alongside them.
As COO, I led a rapidly growing Chicago commercial real estate firm. I loved the work because it put me close to the people, strategic decisions, and daily execution that ultimately determine whether a business succeeds. It also deepened my conviction about what I wanted from the next chapter of my career.
In August 2026, I stepped away from Greenstone to focus full-time on Ethos Succession Group: acquiring one great Chicagoland business and leading it as its hands-on, long-term owner and CEO.
I'm not building a portfolio. I'm searching for one company where I can invest decades of my career, build on what made it successful, protect what deserves protecting, and grow thoughtfully from that foundation.
I live in Chicagoland and intend to remain here. When I find the right business, I will step into it full-time and work alongside the people who made it successful.
The goal is simple: acquire one exceptional company, earn the trust required to lead it, and build it for the long term.
Before Ethos: Chief Operating Officer, Greenstone Partners
Education: MBA with High Honors, Chicago Booth | Franklin & Marshall College
Home: Chicagoland
ethos refers to the distinctive character, values, and guiding principles that define a person, organization, or culture.
ethos is your legacy
What I’m looking for…
-
Industries
Life Safety & Building Systems
Security & monitoring
Fire protection & inspection
Building compliance
Doors, docks & equipment service
Property & Facility Services
Commercial property management
Community association management
Specialized property services
-
Company
• Chicagoland
• Founder or family-owned
• $750K+ annual cash flow
• Resilient 10+ year operating history
• Recurring or highly repeatable revenue
• Diversified customer base
• Strong reputation
-
Culture
• Engaged employees
• Strong employee tenure
• Skilled workforce
• Pride in the business
• Above industry-average compensation
-
Ownership
• Controlling ownership acquisition
• Flexible owner transition
• Full-time leadership from Clarence
• Long-term ownership
Why Ethos Succession Group…
To me, Legacy is more than branding. It’s a defining heritage.
Legacy is more than branding. It's the reason Ethos exists.
Selling a business built over decades is more than a financial transaction. Employees have built careers there. Customers depend on it. A reputation has been earned one interaction at a time.
I'm looking for one company, not a portfolio. Following an acquisition, I will step into the business full-time as CEO, learn from the people who made it successful, and build thoughtfully from that foundation.
There is no predetermined timeline to sell the company again. My objective is to invest decades of my career in the business and carry forward the people, relationships, reputation, and values that made it worth acquiring in the first place.
The future deserves the same respect as the past.
That's how I think about succession.
Clarence T. Marsh, Sr
1887 - 1953
Clarence T. Marsh, II
1916 - 2001
Clarence T. Marsh, III
1956 - 1995
Clarence T. Marsh, IV
1989 - Present
Clarence T. Marsh, V
2024 - Present
Frequently Asked Questions…
-
Why partner with ESG?
I'm looking for one company that I can personally lead for the long term.
Before moving forward with any acquisition, I want to understand the business deeply: its history, culture, employees, customers, strengths, challenges, and the owner's hopes for what comes next.
If we're aligned, I will step into the company full-time as CEO and take responsibility for carrying it forward.
-
What happens to my team?
Your employees are part of what made the business worth acquiring.
I'm not approaching an acquisition with a predetermined restructuring plan. My first responsibility will be to listen, understand who makes the company work, and learn where its institutional knowledge lives.
Over time, I want to invest in the people, systems, and opportunities that allow a strong team to become even stronger.
-
Can I remain involved?
Absolutely.
Some owners want a clean transition into retirement. Others want to remain involved operationally, financially, or as an advisor.
Either can work. The right transition should reflect what you want from your next chapter and what the business needs from mine.
-
Why Chicago area?
Because I want to operate, not remotely own.
My family and community are here, and I intend to build my career here. Limiting the search to Chicagoland allows me to remain physically present with the employees, customers, suppliers, and communities surrounding the company I ultimately lead.
That's a constraint by choice.