hen wildfire tore through Yellowstone, it destroyed every park sign in its path — except the porcelain enamel panels made by today's guests' business.

The Park Service just wiped those panels clean and reinstalled them elsewhere in the park.

That durability is the calling card of Winsor Fireform, a 40-year-old fabricator of signs and public art in the Seattle area, acquired in December by Andrew Sova and Alex Clark.

Andrew and Alex met at BCG — Andrew a finance guy with years in small business credit, Alex a former Army infantry officer.

Watching AI erode the moats of software and professional services from their perch in the Bay Area, they went the other direction: a niche manufacturer whose product — porcelain enamel fused to steel — isn't going anywhere.

Their signs are in New York subway stations, in Yosemite, even underwater at dive sites.

Listen for how conservatively Andrew and Alex structured their SBA deal — 30% equity, cash on the balance sheet, a line of credit at closing. That prudence reflects the project-based revenue of the business they were buying, but also their long-term vision: Winsor is the first acquisition of their holdco, Novo Foundry, which they intend to hold indefinitely.

‍Also listen for the working capital segment. In a business that takes 40% deposits, the works-in-progress negotiation was, in their telling, a manifesto-generating saga.

Here are Andrew Sova and Alex Clark, owners of Winsor Fireform.