The board of directors at BrightView Holdings appointed Dale A. Asplund, 55, as president and CEO effective Oct. 1, 2023.

In conjunction with his appointment as CEO, Asplund will also join the BrightView board as a director as of that date.

In addition, BrightView’s affiliate of One Rock Capital Partners, a private equity firm, has made a $500 million investment in the company in the form of convertible preferred stock.

Asplund’s appointment follows a thorough search process, conducted by the board over the last number of months in consultation with a leading search firm.

Asplund succeeds interim president and CEO Jim Abrahamson. Abrahamson, who has served as a BrightView independent director since 2015, will remain as a member of the board.

Asplund brings 25 years of extensive operational, service provider, and publicly traded company expertise to BrightView from United Rentals.

Most recently, as executive vice president and chief operating officer, a position he was appointed to in 2019, Asplund served on the executive leadership team with company-wide responsibility for operations and employee safety. Asplund, who joined United Rentals in 1998, has held strategic leadership roles encompassing business services, shared services, supply chain, fleet management and information technology. Earlier in his career, Asplund worked for United Waste Systems.

“We are excited to welcome Dale to the BrightView team. Dale is an outstanding leader whose proven operational excellence and exceptional strategic capabilities make him an ideal choice for our next CEO,” says Paul E. Raether, chairman of the board of directors. “As BrightView continues its transformational journey, the board looks forward to working with Dale to deliver long-term growth and value for shareholders and is grateful to Jim for leading the Company through this transition period and his continued involvement in BrightView.” 

“I am excited to lead this great company and talented team into its next phase of growth and performance,” Asplund says.

“BrightView has firmly established itself as the industry leader in commercial landscaping. I look forward to collaborating with the board, senior management, and dedicated team members to build upon their success. Underscoring my confidence in the company’s future, in the coming weeks, I plan to make a personal investment of approximately $5 million in BrightView shares.”

The Asplund announcement follows the company’s recent fiscal third quarter earnings report. Project Accelerate, the company’s cost containment initiative, has been materially expanded and is transitioning into the implementation phase — now identified as Project Liberty, with the intent of driving continued growth in revenue, profitability and margin expansion.

According to Brightviews’s press release, as part of its strategic initiatives, BrightView has received an investment from One Rock in the form of $500 million newly-issued shares of convertible preferred stock. BrightView will use 90% of the proceeds from the investment to pay down debt, helping to significantly de-lever the company’s balance sheet to 3.1x net debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDA and position it for growth under Asplund’s new leadership.

Remaining funds from the new investment, coupled with increased free cash flow due to lower interest expense, are expected to provide BrightView with the flexibility to pursue acquisitions of complementary landscape businesses and other accretive initiatives. BrightView’s existing shareholders are not selling any shares in connection with the transaction.

“We believe this investment from One Rock is a strong vote of confidence in BrightView’s strategy and continued efforts to increase growth and profitability,” Raether says. “We look forward to partnering with One Rock and leveraging their operational expertise, including extensive experience in the landscaping industry, as we continue to drive BrightView’s future success.”

Following receipt of HSR approval and certain other requirements, the preferred stock will be convertible into shares of BrightView common stock at a conversion price of $9.44 per share and will vote together with the company’s common stock on all matters brought to shareholders on an as-converted basis. The preferred stock has a 7% annual dividend, compounded quarterly, which is payable in cash or in kind at BrightView’s option.

In connection with this transaction, One Rock operating partner Kurtis Barker and One Rock partner Joshua Goldman have been appointed as new directors to BrightView’s board.

SavATree, announced the addition of key members to its executive team. Ben Stevie has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO), succeeding current COO Don Becker, while Phil DeGisi assumes the role of Chief Growth Officer (CGO). These appointments come as SavATree accelerates national growth and lays the groundwork for expanding internationally.

“The addition of Ben and Phil to our executive team marks a significant milestone for SavATree,” says SavATree CEO Carmine Schiavone. “Their extensive experience building at-scale, top-quality customer experiences will help propel SavATree on into the next phase of growth and expansion. As we step into the future under their leadership, I also wish to express my heartfelt appreciation to Don for his remarkable 36 years of service to our organization. His contributions have been invaluable, and his legacy will continue to inspire us all.”

Becker will retire this year, after close to four decades at SavATree. He came onboard with SavATree in 1987 and helped SavATree become the first multi-state tree care company in the U.S. to earn accreditation by the Tree Care Industry Association. Becker was instrumental in expanding SavATree into the 30 states it now operates in and hiring many of the team members that have helped SavATree become a leader in the green industry. Becker will stay on through the end of the year, ensuring a smooth transition of responsibilities. As Becker transitions to spending more time with his family, he will also continue as an advisor to the company, allowing SavATree to continue leveraging his expertise.

Succeeding Becker is Stevie, an executive with a strong track record in scaling operations and service delivery, and a deep expertise in field services. Prior to joining SavATree, Stevie spent 18 years with General Electric. Stevie received his MBA from Xavier University and has his undergraduate degree in Business from Northern Kentucky University.

DeGisi joins SavATree after six years at residential real estate firm Orchard, where he was a co-founder and president. Previously, DeGisi held marketing leadership roles across brands including Amazon subsidiary Quidsi, Walmart.com, and CommonBond. DeGisi holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a Bachelor of Economics from Vassar College.

In addition to these appointments, SavATree continues to invest in its Mergers & Partnerships platform. Most recently, Kyle Johnson has joined as VP of Integration, working closely with Kirk Crecco, SVP of Mergers and Partnerships. The team is focused on partnering with talent in the arboriculture and professional lawn industries. Johnson brings six years of experience leading integration at Rentokil North America, where he integrated an average of 15 partners annually. Crecco, celebrating his one-year anniversary with SavATree, has already led over a dozen notable partnerships, including mergers with Aspen Tree Service, Preaus Landscape of Tulsa, Barrett’s Tree Service and Boise Tree.

Briggs & Stratton appointed Joe Liotine as CEO in August.

Liotine joins Briggs & Stratton after serving 18 years in senior roles at Whirlpool Corporation, most recently as president and COO, where he led the Global KitchenAid business, had global responsibility for product development, R&D, sourcing and IT and was instrumental in building world-class operations and driving growth.

Prior to his role as COO, Liotine was president of Whirlpool’s North American business, SVP Product and Brand Marketing, general manager Canada operations, sales general manager and senior strategy director. 

“I am delighted to be joining Briggs & Stratton and look forward to working closely with the talented Briggs’ team to provide market leading products and services to our customers and to drive the continued growth and success of Briggs & Stratton,” Liotine says.  “Briggs & Stratton has over 110 years of experience, is trusted by millions of people around the world and is backed by the largest service network in the industry. It is ideally placed to take advantage of the multiple market opportunities and I am delighted to be leading this great business at this exciting time.”

According to media reports, it was announced last month that former CEO, Steve Andrews, stepped down for personal reasons.

Landscape Workshop recently completed the acquisition of Martin Landscape, adding two locations servicing the low country region of South Carolina and coastal Georgia.

Wade Martin founded Martin Landscape in 2004, starting with one truck and a push lawn mower. Today, Martin Landscape has grown into one of the top landscaping companies in the area and is known for their commercial landscape services.

“Our organization has developed a strong reputation with clients through our skilled team delivering exceptional landscape services. We sought out a partner that values our employees’ and offers growth opportunities. Landscape Workshop emerged as the perfect choice, providing superior service and career opportunities,” says Wade Martin.

Martin will join Landscape Workshop, assuming the role of general manager. He will be accountable for facilitating the transition for Martin’s customers and employees.

“With the acquisition of Martin Landscape, one of South Carolina’s most prominent landscape companies, we are now able to offer our services to an even wider range of clients in the Southeastern United States. I grew up in South Carolina and am proud to bring LW to my home state. We extend a warm welcome to all Martin team members as they join our LW family,” says J.T. Price, CEO of Landscape Workshop.

Landscape Workshop is a full-service grounds management firm, delivering professional service and expert maintenance for commercial outdoor spaces since 1984.

Serving 18 Southeastern markets, Landscape Workshop operates in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and the Florida panhandle. Landscape Workshop is backed by Carousel Capital and McKinney Capital.

Fairway has added GroGreen, which is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

“Texas is an important market for us, with Dallas being a critical hub within the state,” says Fairway CEO Greg Harbison. “Adding a business with the operational excellence and passionate commitment to exceptional customer service provides a home run for us as we grow our service companies in the Dallas metroplex. Founder Gary LaScalea and General Manager Darrel Nail share our values as well as people and customer-first culture. It was a natural fit.”

LaScalea was a Lawn & Landscape Leadership Award winner in 2001 and offered some “tips from the top” in an issue 10 years later.

“Everything for us is about relationships, so our first concern was for our people — the women and men who made GroGreen and represent the quality of service we all believe in," he says. “I spent a considerable amount of time getting to know the Fairway team and discovered that they are zealous and totally exemplary in reflecting GroGreen’s journey and mission for the future.”

“We wanted to join a company that values their employees and has exceptional customer service as we do,” adds Darrel Nail, a vice president and general manager at GroGreen. “After meeting Fairway, we realized right away, that they possess the same values and would be a great fit with our strategic plans for the future.”

GroGreen marks the fifteenth company to join Fairway since 2022 and the third in Texas.

Shoreline Equity Partners acquires American Landscaping Partners

Headquartered in Nashville, ALP provides commercial and residential landscaping and chemical application services.

Shoreline Equity Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm, has acquired American Landscaping Partners.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, ALP provides commercial and residential landscaping and chemical application services. Under the leadership of the CEO, Stefan Banks, the business has completed six acquisitions and has grown to more than 500 employees servicing customers throughout Tennessee, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

In partnership with Shoreline, ALP will continue to execute on an aggressive growth plan via organic initiatives and acquisitions. The new partnership with Shoreline provides the company with expertise in the facility and residential services sector and offers access to additional capital needed to partner with other leading landscaping providers across the U.S. The management team continues to maintain an ownership position in the business and will continue to lead the Company going forward.

“Stefan and the broader ALP team have built an exceptional company, and we are beyond excited to partner with them to grow the business through add-on acquisitions," says Mike Hand, a managing partner at Shoreline. “It was clear from our first conversation that ALP would be a great fit for Shoreline due to the quality of the business and its people. We are so appreciative they chose us as partners and we look forward to collectively executing on an ambitious growth vision for ALP over the years to come.”

“The team at ALP has built an exceptional brand and reputation as the go-to landscaping service provider for its customers. We are very much looking forward to helping ALP embark on its next phase of growth,” says Ian Garland, principal at Shoreline.

“We are thrilled about our partnership with Mike, Ian and the wonderful Shoreline team. It was incredibly important that we found a partner that aligned with our core values. As we continue to execute on our growth strategy while remaining committed to service, we wanted a partner with experience in doing just that," says CEO Stefan Banks. “Through building a relationship with Shoreline, we knew they understood where we are today and where we are looking to go in the future.”

Joshua Tree Experts, the Pennsylvania-based home services franchise that provides tree maintenance, lawn care and pest control services, signed its first franchisee. Carlos Lozano, a former investment banker and lifetime entrepreneur, will open the franchise in Orange County, N.Y.

“I got out of the banking business four or five years ago and ended up forex trading and day trading while I figured out what I wanted to do next,” Lozano says. “Joshua Tree Experts actually came out of necessity. I had some trees I needed taken care of, and it was like pulling teeth trying to get someone to come out.”

Lozano briefly considered purchasing an existing private business but decided that franchising was the more appealing investment option due to the investment range and available support.

As Joshua Tree Expert’s first franchisee, Lozano says he is looking forward to playing a crucial role in establishing a strong foundation with the brand as it continues to grow. As the first local owner, Lozano feels confident he will have more than enough support as he grows and sees an opportunity to grow to be a model franchisee.

“This allows me to set myself as the example and push the boundaries for other upcoming franchisees,” he says. “I want people to see me and think, ‘He did this, he’s implementing the proven systems laid out to follow, and he’s expanding.’”

As the franchise expands in Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, Lozano will play a key role in developing his fellow franchisees as they visualize and pursue their own futures with the brand.

Genesis Turfgrass recently joined United Turf Alliance as its newest owner. Based in Glen Rock, Pa., Genesis Turfgrass serves customers in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia and New Jersey.

Mike Del Biondo founded Genesis Turfgrass in November 2005. With more than 25 years of green industry experience, Del Biondo’s mission was to provide products and knowledge to industry professionals. That mission has grown Genesis Turfgrass to two locations and 40 employees today. The company provides products and support to lawn and landscape services, sports complexes, athletic fields, golf courses, nurseries, sod and organic farms, agriculture, vineyards and infield tracks.

The new partnership between Genesis Turfgrass and UTA is a logical move for both organizations as they align to better serve turfgrass professionals.

“Joining UTA is an opportunity for Genesis to partner with similar distributors around the country,” says Genesis Turfgrass Founder and President Mike Del Biondo. “We’re confident that this new membership will serve our employees and customers well for years to come.”

The addition of Genesis Turfgrass makes the third new UTA owner this year, following the announcement of D & K Products joining UTA in June. UTA now has nine owners serving turf professionals across the country.

“Our recent momentum marks strategic growth for UTA,” says Nick Strain, CEO of UTA. “We’re deliberate about who we invite into the consortium, and it’s always exciting to find a fit like Genesis.”