Anyone remember Green Gear's "stock" sale a few years back? Not bicycle stock, but rather "shares" which allowed you to purchase a future product at a discount. When I read that, my assumption is that the company was operating on razor-thin margins and doing whatever they could to raise funds.
If indeed Green Gear has been operating on thin margins all this time, Alan probably thinks it's not worth it anymore, time to hand the day-to-day ops to someone else.
I wish Alan and all the employees at Green Gear the best if they get sold. If they don't get sold, I hope the company at least stays in business.