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The world’s largest landscape company will be called BrightView, Lawn & Landscape has learned.
The news came from a company meeting of about 500 regional managers and directors from both ValleyCrest and Brickman.
The merger of the two companies was finalized in June after both were purchased by private equity giant KKR. BrightView has approximate annual revenues of $2 billion with more than 20,000 employees nationwide.
But even with revenue of nearly $2 billion, BrightView would still only represent about 3 percent of the landscape industry’s total size.
Brickman ranked second on the 2014 L&L Top 100 List, with $900 million in total revenue. ValleyCrest ranked first, with $992 million in revenue. Combined, the companies have 22,700 employees. Brickman grew by 9.6 percent last year, and ValleyCrest grew 12.7 percent.
The two companies, while very similar in many aspects – their large commercial maintenance footprints, most notably – aren’t identical. Brickman has long dominated the snow and ice management market. In 2013, it reported more than $172 million in winter revenue, compared to ValleyCrest’s $29.5 million.
And ValleyCrest has a long history in the design, construction, golf and nursery businesses. It also operates a separate national commercial maintenance franchise arm in U.S. Lawns, which ranks 9th on the Top 100 list with revenue of more than $195 million.
Below is a statement from the companies.
Brickman Group, Ltd. LLC (“Brickman”) and ValleyCrest Companies, LLC (“ValleyCrest”) announced BrightView as the future name of their combined organization. Following the announcement of Brickman and ValleyCrest’s merger in June of this year, this represents the next step for the $2 billion landscape services firm and its 22,000 employees in continuing to shape the industry.
The name BrightView suggests the bright views, or beautiful landscapes, the organization designs, builds and maintains on its clients’ properties. Additionally, it speaks to the bright view the organization will offer its team members in the form of opportunity and career advancement, as well as a continued commitment to excellence in service delivery for its clients and their customers.
Although a forward-looking name, BrightView also honors the organization’s legacy brands, founders, shared values and all the people who contributed to Brickman and ValleyCrest’s combined 140 years of success. This is done by carrying forward the ‘B’ from Brickman and the ‘V’ from ValleyCrest. A new logo system will also be revealed that acknowledges the legacy brands and reinforces our position as a dependable, adaptable and proactive partner to our clients.
“BrightView is more than a name; it indicates what is to come. BrightView reflects our optimism for the future and our drive to create greater value for our clients. It embodies our excitement to leverage the strengths of our combined company to enhance how we care for our people, our clients and our communities. It also enables our team members and clients to take pride in trusted relationships and solutions that matter,” said BrightView CEO Andrew Kerin.
While the new name and logo will be announced, they will not be used in operations until mid-2015 in line with the company’s implementation plan. In the interim, both Brickman and ValleyCrest brands will continue to be used in the marketplace and customers’ properties will be served by their familiar local teams.
“We will continue to remain focused on our teams and in delivering the highest-quality service to our clients, remaining steadfast in our commitment to their complete satisfaction,” said Vice Chairman Roger Zino.
Brickman and ValleyCrest partnered with Lippincott, a leading global branding firm, to develop the brand strategy and visual expression of the united company, including the new brand positioning, name, logo and visual system.
For more:
KKR in talks to buy ValleyCrest
Kerin: Brickman will remain a landscape company
Brickman and ValleyCrest merger closed
