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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Brickman Group recently acquired Columbus, Ohio-based Urban Environments, Inc. (UEI).
Founded in 1939, Brickman serves commercial clients in 23 states, offering award-winning maintenance, landscape architecture and construction services. Posting annual revenues of approximately $10 million, UEI is one of the Columbus area’s well-known providers of landscape and irrigation design, installation and maintenance services for commercial properties and residential estates.
Both Brickman and UEI are family-run businesses with similar vision and goals, making the acquisition a comfortable fit for both sides, notes Margie Holly, communications manager, The Brickman Group.
“A solid presence in the Columbus market, their reputation for quality work, and an exceptionally talented leadership team are what attracted Brickman to UEI,” Holly says. “Culturally we are a match, in that UEI places the same value on quality, service and career growth for team members that is at the heart of Brickman’s success. The UEI team, combined with Brickman’s existing Columbus operations will enable us to offer enhanced service to all of our clients in that area, local, regional and national.”
A veteran of industry acquisitions, Brickman plans to pursue similar deals in the future.
“Brickman’s past, present and future strategy is to grow through our existing teams by providing consistent, value-oriented service,” Holly observes. “Although this is our core strategy, we have always been interested in acquiring quality companies that have a strong talent pool of management and staff, that are geographically compatible with our growth goals and that match Brickman’s culture and core values. We are a service-oriented company, and we look to partner with others of like mind, whether clients, business partners or vendors, so that we can continue delivering excellent service in a cost efficient manner.
UEI President, Joel Korte, will remain with the company, as regional manager of Brickman’s Columbus Region, as will his management team.
“This is a fabulous opportunity for UEI,” Korte says. “Becoming part of Brickman will present on-going career growth for my team, and enhance our service to clients with the strength, experience and resources of a national leader behind our team here in Columbus.”
Other UEI staff members also will be retained.
“We have known and admired Joel Korte and his team at UEI for many years,” says Brickman President and CEO Scott Brickman. “We are very excited to have this exceptionally talented team join our organization.”
The author is assistant editor-Internet of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at aanderson@lawnandlandscape.com.
