An Interview with Bryan Lowther, Vice President of Sales and Member of Founding Family

For founders and family‑owned businesses considering a sale—especially to a strategic buyer—the emotional, operational, and legacy‑related implications can be just as complex as the financial ones.

Great Lakes Data Racks & Cabinets is a leading designer and manufacturer of data racks, cabinets, advanced cooling systems, enclosures, and accessories for data center, telecom, commercial, and industrials end markets. Harris Williams advised Great Lakes on their sale to Vertiv, a global leader in critical digital infrastructure for applications in data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Bryan Lowther—vice president of sales and a key member of the company’s founding family—reflects on Great Lakes’ origins, its evolution across generations, and his family’s ultimate decision to partner with Vertiv.

Take us back to the beginning. How did Great Lakes start, and what shaped its early growth?

My dad started the business in the early 1980s after working in telecom. He kept walking into data rooms and seeing the same problems: no continuity, no standards, lots of jerry rigging. He knew he could do it better. In 1983 he designed our first cabinet, and by 1985 we made our first sale, even though we lost $10 on it. He was fine with that because he believed that if we delivered, more business would follow.

And it did. It was the perfect mix of great product, great service, and great timing with the dot-com boom.

Our core philosophy became fast, flexible, and easy years before Amazon Prime existed. We could ship a configured cabinet in 24–48 hours, which required a heavy inventory position. For us, it was a strategic investment in the customer experience. We engineered our SKU architecture so one cabinet line could be configured into millions of combinations from stock. The math worked because speed reduced churn and raised lifetime value. It also created switching costs that did not rely on price. If you can ship a tailored solution in two days, you win repeat business without being the cheapest.

How did you personally enter the business and begin shaping its direction?

I literally grew up in the shop. As a kid, I packed screws in the summer. I officially joined in 2012 as an intern and later moved into sales and operations. With a closer finger on the pulse, I began to see where we were vulnerable. We were one-dimensional. Anyone can bend metal, so we needed to become a full solutions provider.

We invested in power partnerships, expanded our capabilities, and stayed loyal to our American supply chain, even during the supply chain crisis. Those decisions set us up for the explosive growth that followed COVID.

What signals told you it was time to sell to a strategic buyer instead of going it alone?

We were at a tipping point. To capture the next wave of demand, including AI-driven workloads, we needed capital for equipment, facilities, and systems. Our family had already put everything on the line twice to keep the business moving. We could have bet again, but doing so would have put both the family and our people at risk. A strategic buyer with shared values could accelerate growth while protecting the team. That combination, not a headline price, became the decision rule.

Before working with Harris Williams, you had multiple suitors. What made you ultimately engage an advisor?

We made the mistake of thinking we could sell the business ourselves. We tried multiple times—all failed. We were too close to it emotionally and didn’t have the reach. Harris Williams brought credibility, reach, clarity, and discipline. They presented us the right way, surfaced buyers we never would’ve found, and guided us through every twist and turn. From start to finish, the process was nearly flawless.

With the big banks, we felt like just another transaction. With Harris Williams, we felt important. They matched our culture and understood our industry, which mattered enormously. Harris Williams knew how to position our value and where buyers would see opportunity. And frankly, we trusted the Harris Williams team. That trust ended up being a huge advantage.

You ultimately chose Vertiv. What made them the right fit for Great Lakes?

We looked for senior-level engagement, not just an M&A team. Vertiv’s CEO came to us. We asked for commitments that would be visible to our people, such as long-term leases and capital plans. We paid attention to how they reacted when we pushed back on small points. Culture shows up in small moments. We also watched how they listened. Many companies hear you. Fewer actually listen and act. The senior engagement and the follow-through told us a lot.

What has the transition felt like personally?

The hardest moment was seeing Vertiv logos start replacing some of the Great Lakes logos. That hit me more than I expected. The other challenge has been moving from owner to director and going from full autonomy to leading a smaller team and adjusting to different processes. I’m still involved, still contributing, and still committed.

And yes, I’m having fun. I’m running the sales arm of the Great Lakes operation. It’s a high impact role, even if it’s a big shift from ownership. I’m being listened to, and we’re moving in the right direction.

For founders considering a sale, what’s your best advice?

If you’re a small, privately owned business like we were, don’t try to sell the company yourself. You can’t do it effectively. Hiring the right advisor opens doors you don’t even know exist. It helps you find the right buyer—not just any buyer.

For us, Harris Williams expanded the field and framed the story. We thought we knew the obvious buyers. We did not. The Harris Williams team also set expectations that negotiations could create healthy dialogue and friction late in the game, which typically helps both sides focus on what truly matters to ultimately achieving a successful transaction. When too many voices were in the room, Harris Williams helped cut through noise and brought decisions back to business principles. That kept momentum and ultimately got us to a good spot.

And don’t underestimate fit. Legacy matters. People matter. If your priority is the team that built the business, finding the right long‑term home is everything. Looking back, I genuinely believe there was no better suitor for us than Vertiv. They’ve honored what they committed to, invested in the business, and set Great Lakes up for the future.

On the emotional side, remember that it’s normal to feel loss even when the decision is right. I found it helpful to separate what is sentimental from what is strategic, and to put energy into the new ways I could create value. Having a clear one-year horizon for stabilization also helped me reset expectations.

Overall, start with values, insist on visible commitments, and bring in an advisor who can widen your options and maintain momentum. Do that, and you give your people a future that is larger than any single family can fund on its own.

To learn more, please contact our senior professionals.