Landscape Architect Articles

Lets Make a Deal04-01-14 | News

Lets Make a Deal
Acquisitions, Expansions and the Like in the Landscape Industry

The Davey Tree Expert Company acquired Cortese Tree Specialists of Knoxville, Tenn. This follows the company's acquisitions in January of Maier Forest and Tree in Rochester, Minn., and Superior NW Tree & Shrub Care Inc. in Seattle. Pat Covey, chief operating officer for Davey's U.S. operations, said the company is committed to future growth, focusing on businesses with similar customer demographics within select markets.

Bandit Industries, a manufacturer of hand-fed and whole tree chippers, stump grinders, and other power equipment, added seven new dealers to its U.S. network. According to company president, Jerry Morey, Bandit is experiencing record growth. The newest dealers will cover northern Louisiana, central and southern Mississippi, central and southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, eastern Tennessee, central Virginia, western Kansas, and South Dakota.

Blue Thumb Distributing Inc., which carries an extensive line of professional PondBuilder equipment and other water feature equipment, acquired Aqua Bella Designs, a manufacturer of custom fountains. Blue Thumb is in the process of moving all inventories from Aqua Bella to their main shipping warehouse in Saginaw, Mich., which, they state, will provide an overall lower delivered cost for customers and an expedited and efficient ordering process.

Outdoor structure manufacturer Backyard America entered into a licensing agreement that will allow it to develop and market outdoor shade structures from Brown Jordan, a leading brand of outdoor furnishings. The collection will initially be offered in two all-aluminum models, the Serenity and the Serenity Solis, each in three sizes.

After acquiring Dixie Chopper, Jacobsen Textron announced its plans to maintain the brand name in the U.S. and decide what brand name to use in foreign markets as it looks to open up export channels, which Dixie Chopper currently does not have according to Jacobsen president David Withers.