Cherokee Fiber & Associates: A Confidential Sale to a Strategic, Employee-Owned Acquirer

Cherokee Fiber & Associates, Inc.

Telecommunications & Utility Infrastructure Construction | Canton, Georgia

A Regional Telecom Infrastructure Contractor Built Like a Larger Platform

Founded in 2011 by Scott and Shari Gehrke, Cherokee Fiber & Associates grew into a turnkey underground and aerial utility construction company serving telecom and utility customers across the Southeast.

The company provided fiber placement, splicing, directional boring, vacuum excavation, emergency restoration, and aerial and underground utility construction, supported by experienced project managers and a safety-first operating culture.

Cherokee Fiber operated under 11 master service agreements with major telecom and utility providers and grew largely through referrals and repeat work rather than outbound sales. The company had never breached a contract for failure to complete a project on schedule or within budget. 

Capturing a Growth Opportunity Ahead of Retirement

Scott Gehrke was planning for retirement at the same time Cherokee Fiber was entering a period of significant expansion. New master service agreements, including a statewide Alabama contract, and a deep project pipeline meant the company's next phase would require more capital, crews, and geographic reach.

Rather than retire and leave that opportunity unrealized, ownership wanted a buyer that could fund the next stage of growth while protecting the team, culture, and people who had built the company.

Hundreds of Buyers Created a Highly Competitive Process

Sunbelt Atlanta served as exclusive sell-side M&A advisor, with the transaction led by Dealmaker Doreen Morgan. The team built a broad buyer universe spanning strategic acquirers, private equity-backed platforms, and family offices active in telecom, utility, and infrastructure construction.

Over the course of the engagement, 257 qualified buyers engaged under strict confidentiality, protecting employees, customers, and the company's market position throughout the process.

That outreach generated seven letters of intent and gave ownership the ability to compare multiple buyer types and structures. From launch to close, the transaction was completed in seven months. 

Growth Capital Without Leaving Employees Behind

Cherokee Fiber needed more than a buyer willing to fund expansion. Ownership wanted the people who had helped build the company to participate in its future as well.

Fiber Expansion and Infrastructure Spending Support Continued Demand

The transaction closed against a backdrop of sustained demand for telecom and utility infrastructure driven by fiber expansion, 5G build-outs, IoT adoption, rural connectivity programs, and continued investment in transmission and utility networks.

Strategic buyers and private capital have increasingly pursued specialty infrastructure contractors with strong safety records, experienced field leadership, and master service agreements. Cherokee Fiber's contract relationships and steadily expanding backlog and pipeline placed it squarely within that profile. 

Five Takeaways for Utility & Telecom Contractors

Thinking About Selling Your Utility, Telecom, or Infrastructure Services Company?

Cherokee Fiber's story shows what's possible when a growing specialty contractor is matched with a buyer that brings capital, strategic fit, and a structure that also protects the people who built the business. Sunbelt Atlanta runs confidential, competitive sale processes with no upfront fees.

Helping Business Owners Navigate Successful Transitions Since 1998

Since 1998, Sunbelt Atlanta has helped business owners across Georgia and the Southeast sell their companies confidentially and on their own terms. With more than 1,250 businesses sold, a no-upfront-fee, success-driven approach, and experience across industries including utility and infrastructure construction, Sunbelt Atlanta's Dealmakers guide owners through every stage of a sale, from valuation through closing.

Owners of utility, telecom, and infrastructure services companies who are considering a sale, whether now or a few years down the road, are welcome to begin with a confidential conversation about their options.