Golden Gate Capital partners with Virginia Green; company expands service in the Charlottesville, Harrisonburg Market.

Golden Gate Capital, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, in partnership with Founder and CEO Gil Grattan, announced the recapitalization of Virginia Green, a provider of lawn care in Virginia. Grattan will continue to lead the company as CEO and will remain a significant shareholder. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2004, Virginia Green is a premier operator of residential lawn treatment services with a growing footprint of ten locations and 70,000 customers across key local markets. The company offers personalized residential and commercial lawn treatment services through a flexible subscription-based model, underscored by its recognizable brand name in Virginia. Golden Gate Capital’s strategic investment will build on Virginia Green’s long track record of growth and support the company’s expansion into existing and new adjacent geographies using its proven, scalable playbook built around an exceptional customer experience.

“Our rapid growth is a testament to the comprehensive lawn care offering and tremendous team we have built that provide superior results and unmatched customer satisfaction,” Grattan says. “I am pleased to be collaborating with Golden Gate Capital and believe their expertise in scaling industry-leading platforms makes them the perfect partner to accelerate the growth of our business in Virginia and beyond.”

“Virginia Green is one of the largest and fastest growing lawn care companies in the country, and an established leader in the lawn treatment sector. The company’s strong track record of consistent growth is truly remarkable, and the extraordinary customer satisfaction they deliver provides an ideal platform for future expansion. We are thrilled to support the company as it continues to extend its reach,” says Mike Montgomery, managing director at Golden Gate Capital.

Neale Attenborough, Managing Director at Golden Gate Capital, adds, “We are proud to partner with Gil and the talented Virginia Green team, and have deep respect for the company and culture Gil has built. We look forward to building upon Virginia Green’s already attractive customer acquisition and retention model as we expand the franchise into new geographies.”

Harris Williams served as financial advisor and Williams Mullen served as legal advisor to Virginia Green. TD Cowen served as financial advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Ropes & Gray LLP served as legal advisors to Golden Gate Capital.

Additionally, Virginia Green is continuing to expand in the Charlottesville – Harrisonburg market by acquiring the business formerly known as Home Pride Lawn Care. Dedicated to making lawns and landscapes greener, healthier and more energy efficient, the company looks forward to continuing to serve Home Pride's 1,300 customers with the previous Home Pride service leaders, staff and programs with no changes.

This move not only strengthens their position in the Harrisonburg market but provides them with a facility to service their customers efficiently and adds opportunity to grow the Valley more quickly. The new branch will be located in Weyers Cave, a central location to service from Broadway to Stuarts Draft.

In recent years, Virginia Green has expanded its service offerings in the areas of tree and shrub care, soil testing and amendments as well as perimeter pest control and all-natural flea, tick and mosquito programs. Virginia Green follows integrated pest management (IPM) practices across their service offering. For a comprehensive list of services, visit VirginiaGreen.com.

"We are so excited to bring our local lawn care service to Home Pride customers. I've respected Danny Davis, Hahns Kanode and his team's work and we are proud to be able to continue to invest in our market and better serve our existing customers and new customers,” Grattan says.