Passing the Torch

Selling a family business means transferring more than assets. It means placing its people, customer relationships, reputation, and history in someone else’s hands. As General Manager of Hiller Fuels, I helped prepare the business for its next chapter and supported the transition to Falmouth Energy.

BUSINESS — HILLER FUELS
FOUNDED — 1887
NEW OWNERSHIP — FALMOUTH ENERGY
OWNER / OPERATOR — CHRIS LEBOEUF
CLOSING DATE — SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
MY ROLE — GENERAL MANAGER & OPERATIONAL TRANSITION SUPPORT
FOCUS — CONTINUITY, COMMUNICATION, DOCUMENTATION & LEGACY

01 / THE CONTEXT

A family business at a turning point.

Hiller Fuels had served its community for nearly 140 years. With my parents preparing to retire and my own career moving toward fraud and investigative work, we needed to consider what came next for the business.

The Decision

The decision involved more than finding a buyer. We wanted an owner who understood the responsibility of carrying forward a family name, supporting the team, and maintaining the relationships customers had built with us.

The Challenge

Keep the business moving while ownership changes.

Daily Operations

Daily operations continued while the sale moved toward closing. Employees needed clear information about their future. Customers needed reassurance about service continuity. Vendors needed to understand the ownership change and where future decisions would sit.

My Responsibility

My responsibility was to help connect those needs with the practical work of preparing and communicating the transition.

Continuity First

Employee stability, continuity of service, and the family legacy remained central priorities through the handoff.

03 / MY CONTRIBUTION

Business preparation

I supported the preparation of business records and operational information for the transaction, drawing on my knowledge of the company’s systems, workflows, and day-to-day responsibilities.

Employee communication

I helped communicate the ownership change and employment plans to the team. Employees were offered continued employment at a minimum of their current pay rates, and I worked to make the transition expectations clear.

Customer and vendor communication

I helped develop customer letters, supplier notices, and public announcements explaining the sale, introducing Chris Leboeuf and Falmouth Energy, and reinforcing the importance of continuity.

Operational handoff

I remained for a transition period to support the transfer of working knowledge and help clarify responsibilities as decision-making moved to the new owner.

04 / THE OWNERSHIP DECISION

Falmouth Energy was chosen with the future of the business in mind. Chris Leboeuf’s hands-on approach and alignment with our family’s values gave us confidence in the next chapter.

For our family, the goal was to give a thriving business a future beyond our own ownership while respecting the people and relationships that had shaped it.

05 / THE DOCUMENTED OUTCOME

The sale closed. The transition continued.

The sale closed on September 17, 2026, transferring ownership to Falmouth Energy. Chris Leboeuf became the owner/operator, employees were offered continued employment at a minimum of their current pay rates, and I stayed for a transition period.

CONFIRMED MILESTONES · CLOSING COMPLETE · NEW OWNER / OPERATOR IN PLACE · EMPLOYMENT OFFERS EXTENDED · TRANSITION SUPPORT PROVIDED

06 / THE TAKEAWAY

Good transitions depend on practical clarity.

This experience reinforced the value of clear documentation, thoughtful communication, and an understanding of how a business actually works. A transaction has a closing date. The operational handoff requires people to understand what happens next.

Those are skills I bring to fraud, risk, and operations work: organizing information, identifying dependencies, communicating carefully, and turning complex situations into practical next steps.