News

Vila & Son seeks buyer
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – By October, one of the largest landscape companies in the country will no longer exist, according to its chief restructuring officer.

“There’s not even a question in my mind” a sale will be done in mid-July, said Alan Goldberg, who joined Vila & Son in March as its chief restructuring officer.

According to the Lawn & Landscape Top 100 list, Vila & Son posted revenue of $62.5 million in 2008 and $53.8 million in 2009. Last year, it ranked as the 14th largest company in the industry.

The company was heavily reliant on the construction market, in addition to offering maintenance, irrigation, tree care and lighting services, and in 2010, its revenue dropped to $45.9 million.

“That’s tough on a company,” said Goldberg, who also owns Miami-based Crisis Management, Inc. “Construction, mainline construction, went down and landscape construction went down. Were there things we could have done? … That’s irrelevant,” Goldberg said.

Juan Carlos Vila, who founded the company in 1984, still serves as its owner and president, Goldberg said. The company has not entered bankruptcy.

Goldberg said the company is negotiating with three potential buyers – both landscape companies and private investment firms – right now, and recently hired an investment bank to help manage the process.

In anticipation of a sale, in early July Vila & Son filed a notice with the state of Florida that it could lay off all of its 641 employees in August.

“We’re still around; we’re still alive,” Goldberg said. “Just like many businesses, we need an influx of cash.”

Vila & Son, headquartered in Homestead, Fla., also has branch offices in Miami, Orlando, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa, Port St. Lucie and West Palm Beach.

At one time, the company also operated 200 acres of nurseries and tree farms throughout the state, as well as a retail store in Royal Palm Beach, Fla. The retail operation closed a few years ago.

A sister company, Vila & Son Tree Farm, Inc., is not involved in the company’s restructuring. – Chuck Bowen

Nutri-Lawn adds U.S. franchise
SEATTLE – Nutri-Lawn has expanded its presence in the United States, adding Utah to the list of states it services.

The lawn care company has locations in Seattle, Colorado, Texas and nationwide in Canada. The newest franchise will service residents of Davis and Weber counties in Utah.

Local franchisee Jaxon Searcy opened a Nutri-Lawn  location after deciding to move to the lawn care industry from the refrigeration and HVAC industry. Searcy has been servicing clients since the spring.

“After a long search for the perfect business to bring to the local market, I discovered Nutri-Lawn and contacted them about purchasing a franchise in lawn care,” Searcy said.

“Their commitment to eco-friendly lawn care impressed me so much that I purchased a franchise."

Landscaper teams with Nets for Threes for Trees campaign
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Lawns by Yorkshire has agreed to donate 459 maple trees to be planted this fall in Brooklyn and Newark, N.J. parks.

Why the obscure number? Well, it’s the number of three-pointers the New Jersey Nets made during the NBA 2010-11 season.

The landscaping company and basketball team collaborated on the green initiative Threes for Tree, in which Lawns by Yorkshire committed to donating a tree for every three-point field goal made by the Nets during the season.

“The Trees for Threes Program is a fun and innovative program that educates and promotes environmental stewardship, and we are pleased to collaborate with the Nets and help grow trees in Brooklyn ,” said Lawns by Yorkshire CEO Steven Jomides. “Our cultures and green goals are perfectly aligned.”

Jomides, members of the Nets organization and Brooklyn elected officials celebrated the planting during a ceremony at a Brooklyn park.

“The planting of these trees not only beautifies our wonderful and historic parks in this great borough, but it will also go a long way in helping to reduce pollution in our environment,” said U.S. Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns. “This signifies yet another important step in our commitment to being good stewards of the land, and securing our precious natural resources for generations to come.”

• A majority of the reports involve Norway spruce or white pine.
• In most cases, Imprelis was not applied alone, but in a mixture with other herbicides, either pre-emergent, post-emergent and/or with a liquid fertilizer.
• Some reports indicate there may have been errors in use rates, mixing practices and/or applications to exposed roots, or the tree.

Bert Cregg, associate professor of horticulture and forestry at Michigan State University, said it’s too early to tell what the damage means for trees’ long-term health, but, based on the level of dieback seen, trees could look deformed for the foreseeable future.  – L&L staff


Californians form turfgrass and landscape foundation
A diverse group of turf and landscape professionals have formed the California Turfgrass & Landscape Foundation, a statewide coalition with the goal of funding and supporting turfgrass and landscape research.

The new foundation is a charitable 501(c)3 corporation that will raise funds and support research that represents the interests of stakeholders throughout the state in the areas of turfgrass, landscape and related water use.