Read more about these NALP members and partners in the news.
LandCare Announces First COO
Mark Hopkins has been named LandCare’s Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Hopkins will play a vital role in providing strategic leadership and guidance to the company’s divisional leaders.
As the company has expanded its presence in established and emerging markets nationwide, it has opened the opportunity to enhance the company’s structure. Hopkins will step into the newly created role of COO and focus on business growth, driving operational excellence, and talent acquisition and development.
Hopkins joined LandCare in 2014. As region vice president, his impact on the Texas and Oklahoma regions resulted in growth and the opening of multiple branches.
“Mark’s leadership, strategic vision, and embodiment of our culture and core values have played a pivotal role in the success of LandCare’s Central Division growth and the cultivation of a strong group of leaders under his guidance,” says Mike Bogan, CEO of LandCare. “I am confident that in his new role he will continue to drive our company forward.”
LandCare Promotes Divisional Vice President
LandCare has also promoted Zach Belcher to divisional vice president of their Central Division. In this new role, he will oversee the company’s business in Oklahoma and Texas.
Belcher joined the company in 2019 as the market vice president of Texas South, overseeing branches in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. He was able to cultivate a strong culture and deepen relationships among team members and clients.
“Zach has displayed a level of commitment to the professional development of his teams that has not only fostered strong bonds among the branches but has also highlighted his effectiveness as a leader,” says Mark Hopkins, COO of LandCare. “I am confident that in his new role as the divisional vice president, he will successfully drive excellence and passion within the Central Division.”
Landscape Workshop Acquires Meliora Landscape Group
Landscape Workshop has expanded their footprint in Southern Louisiana with the acquisition of Meliora Landscape Group.
Brandon Luteman, Randy Luteman, and Ben Dutruch founded the predecessor companies of Meliora Landscape Group beginning in 2005. They built a leading commercial landscape maintenance and installation firm with over 100 team members.
“Our reputation speaks for itself, as we have consistently delivered outstanding results to our clients,” says Brandon Luteman. “We believe in investing in our employees and providing them with opportunities to grow. That is why we chose Landscape Workshop – they not only value our team but also offer outstanding career prospects.”
Luteman and Dutruch will join Landscape Workshop as general managers.
“We did a lot of diligence on Landscape Workshop before choosing them as our partner,” Dutruch says. “Brandon and I are both joining the Landscape Workshop team, and we wanted a culture that both we and Meliora’s other team members would enjoy and prosper in.”
J.T. Price, CEO of Landscape Workshop, says this strategic move will allow them to expand their services and cater to a broader clientele in the Southern Louisiana area.
Electric Sheep Acquires Phenix Landscape and Complete Landscaping
Electric Sheep recently acquired landscaping businesses Phenix Landscape and Complete Landscape. The company is creating a large-scale outdoor maintenance company powered by artificial intelligence and robotics.
The company acquires traditional outdoor service providers and transforms operations by deploying their proprietary AI software and robots. For 2023, Electric Sheep is on track to grow their revenue eight times since implementing this model.
“We are aggressively exploring landscaping businesses in the top 50 metro areas with a high rate of growth and plenty of turf to maximize the impact of automating mowing,” says Nag Murty, CEO and Co-Founder of Electric Sheep.
Jarret Herold, COO and co-founder of Electric Sheep, adds they are looking for businesses that have great facilities, a strong team, well-maintained equipment, and a solid customer base. Electric Sheep’s model is designed to automate various physical tasks like mowing and sweeping and knowledge work like inventory management, customer success, and marketing.
Their robots explore, map, navigate and manipulate the physical world around them, including HOAs, parks, university campuses and more. Electric Sheep’s robots don’t require an engineer on site – they can be shipped to the site and begin tasks alongside the crew. This is only possible through Electric Sheep’s full stack data channel and the large volume of data that the robots are continually trained on.
“We are building Large World Models (LWMs) to power robots with an AI brain so they can work in all types of outdoor environments,” Murty says. “What Open AI did with language, Electric Sheep wants to do for outdoor robotics – under the aircover of a profitable business model.”
Davey Tree Donates Trees Through Partnerships
The Davey Tree Expert Company has donated 1,861 trees as of October 2023 through their partnerships with the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers, the MLB Cleveland Guardians and the NHL Pittsburg Penguins to re-establish tree canopies in Northeast Ohio and Pittsburgh.
At maturity, these trees will sequester over 3,000 tons of carbon, intercept almost 30 million gallons of rainfall and stormwater runoff and provide a monetary value of almost $500,000.
During the 2021-22 NBA Cleveland Cavaliers season, Davey donated 953 trees as part of the Trees for Threes program for every home and away three-pointer made. During the 2022-23 season, 486 trees were donated for every home three-pointer made.
During the 2022 MLB Cleveland Guardians season, Davey donated 132 trees for the Swing for the Trees program for every home run scored. During the 2023 season, 148 trees have been promised to the community for every home run scored. The Guardians scored 124 home runs during the season, and Davey decided to add 24 trees to the final number of donated trees for the number of home runs José Ramírez contributed.
During the 2022-23 season, 142 trees were donated as part of the Score for the Trees partnership with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where one tree will be planted in the Pittsburgh area for every home goal scored.
“Davey recognizes the positive impact and critical role trees have in our communities, so it’s important for us to help reestablish the tree canopies in these areas,” says Sandra Reid, vice president of corporate communications and strategic planning at Davey Tree. “We are excited to be a part of initiatives helping to bring more trees to Northeast Ohio and Pittsburgh, and we look forward to continuing these partnerships and cheering on some of our favorite teams in the upcoming seasons.”
Davey Canada Acquires Four Seasons
Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada, Limited has added Four Seasons of Stouffville, Ontario, to their family of brands.
Four Seasons provides residential and commercial tree care services to the Toronto area. Their team of 11 employees will stay on as part of Davey’s new Toronto Northeast residential/commercial (R/C) services office.
“The Four Seasons’ team is excited about this new opportunity with Davey Tree so that we can continue to provide the quality service our clients are used to along with Davey’s additional support systems,” says Kenneth Lund, co-owner of Four Seasons. “Davey’s strong commitment to client satisfaction and safety culture aligns perfectly with Four Seasons’ mission, so I’m looking forward to our teams’ collaboration from here on out.”
