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Company · acquired by Cobalt Service Partners

Automated Door Ways

Founded 2005 in Columbus, GA by Ed Gaffney · 1 branch (technicians across GA, FL, AL) · sold to Cobalt, Feb 2024

The door company that wanted to say yes

Page as of Sept 28, 2026The sale ↓

Legacy

The founder’s story · from the public record

Ed Gaffney started Automated Door Ways in Columbus, Georgia in 2005 after many years in corporate America, where he says he had watched mass layoffs and benefit cuts. He wanted to run a different kind of door company, and set out three rules for it: put employees first, be totally customer focused, and offer more than a traditional automatic door company. Cobalt company page: Founding Story

The third rule became the company's habit. Too often, Gaffney wrote, door companies tell customers 'no, we don't do that type of door.' ADW wanted to say yes, so it expanded from automatic doors into repairing every kind of door: if a technician is already at a customer's building, be there for all of its doorways. Today the company describes itself as a comprehensive entrance provider, distributing automatic door brands and stocking thousands of manual door configurations, security solutions and touchless devices, with fully stocked service vans covering Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Cobalt company page: Founding Story · ADW website

By 2018 Gaffney told Columbus CEO the business had grown to more than 50 employees, with 30 to 35 in the field, two Columbus locations and a third office opening in Pensacola. His explanation of what set ADW apart was simple: 'We show up when we say we are going to show up. If we are running behind, we call you.' Technicians arrive badged, in uniform, in lettered trucks, in an industry he said 'is not always professional.' In 2022 he sat for two short video interviews on the labor shortage and on standing behind the product. Columbus CEO feature (Aug 2018) · Columbus CEO video (Sep 2022)

When Gaffney put out feelers about selling, he says there were many suitors, and he had seen other owners' work 'destroyed very quickly' by buyers chasing a fast profit. His conditions were that the business stay customer driven and that the employees be taken care of. Cobalt, he wrote, was the only bidder that met them: it had just bought a neighboring automatic door company, and its people told him 'numerous times' that they wanted to grow rather than cut the business. The deal closed in February 2024 and was announced that April with three other acquisitions, with Gaffney continuing to run the company. Cobalt company page: Why Cobalt? · Cobalt: Cobalt Continues Momentum (Apr 9, 2024)

The team

The people who built it

ADW's site has no team page and names no staff; the only person named publicly is the founder. Cobalt's team page lists no installed executive for ADW as of Sept 2026.

ADW hero photo on Cobalt's company page
ADW hero photo on Cobalt's company page · source
Image from ADW's About page
Image from ADW's About page · source

In the community

What they gave back · on the record
  • Through the sister Overhead Door franchise, Gaffney ran an annual 'Ugly Door Contest' for Columbus residents, with a free installed garage door for the winner (2018). Columbus CEO feature (Aug 2018)
  • ADW's careers page says the company prioritises employee well-being alongside customer satisfaction and is hiring commercial door installers and technicians. ADW careers page

In their words

6 public statements by the founder and team

Founder Q&A

In their own words · by email · published with permission

We’d like Ed Gaffney (Edward J. Gaffney III) to tell this story in their own words. Ran this company, or built it alongside the founder? Ten questions by email, answered at your pace, published only with your OK.

The sale

As both sides told it · on the public record
Announced Apr 9, 2024 By Cobalt (Business Wire); Alpine newsroom Deal #2 for Cobalt Service Partners Founder stayed Business Wire, Apr 9, 2024
What Cobalt Service Partners said

Cobalt announced ADW on April 9, 2024 as one of four add-ons, describing it as founded in 2005 by Ed Gaffney, who has run it since inception, and serving customers across the Southeast. Hoffman said the four founders had 'trusted us as the long-term home for their businesses'; Gonzalez said Cobalt's focus is removing roadblocks to scale, especially technician recruiting. Cobalt's company page dates the close to February 2024.

Announcement
What the founder said

Gaffney said he had many suitors but refused to sell to anyone preparing to 'destroy my business to turn a quick profit'; he wanted ADW to keep its 19-year tenets of customer focus and looking after employees. Cobalt was the only company that met his expectations, had bought a neighboring automatic door company with collaboration potential, and repeatedly said it wanted to grow rather than cut. He looked forward to seeing 'how big and powerful' ADW would become under Cobalt.

Source

Terms on the record: Nothing public. No price, structure, rollover or earn-out disclosed. Advisors: Seller: Exit Stage Left Advisors (exit consultant to ADW, per the Alpine release). Buyer: none named for this deal.

What happened after

Public signals since the sale · dated
  • 2024-02
    Close (Cobalt company page: 'Acquisition Date: February 2024'); announced April 9, 2024 with Toepfer, IDC and HSS. source
  • 2024-06 to 2024-07
    ADW's website is rebuilt on the same WordPress template as Piedmont's (logo and page images uploaded June to July 2024; page timestamps April 2025). The rebuilt site does not mention Cobalt or the sale and names no staff. source
  • 2026-09-28
    Cobalt's team page lists no installed CEO or GM for ADW, unlike most other Cobalt companies; a public search snippet still shows Ed Gaffney titled 'President at Automated Door Ways Inc.' source
  • 2026-09-28
    Careers page says the company is hiring commercial door installers and technicians (no individual postings listed). source

Then and now

Founder and leadership
Ed Gaffney (Edward J. Gaffney III)
Founder, Owner and President (2005 to 2024)
Stayed Continued running ADW under Cobalt (announcement, Apr 2024); a Sept 2026 search snippet still lists him as President; no installed executive on Cobalt's team page source

Companies Cobalt Service Partners also bought

20 on the public record

All 21 transactions →

Sources

Everything above, dated Sept 28, 2026

Unverified at publish: No founder photo on any permitted source (Columbus CEO videos exist but are JS-embedded and were not captured); whether the Overhead Door Company of Columbus franchise was part of the Cobalt sale or stayed with Gaffney; whether Gaffney is still running ADW in 2026 (no update since April 2024); current employee count (the 50+ figure is from 2018 and covered both businesses); whether the Pensacola office opened; Google and BBB ratings (not fetchable).