U.S. Lawns joins the EverSmith Brands platform following the landscaping company’s acquisition by The Riverside Company.
With more than 200 locations and 3,000 employees in 37 states, U.S. Lawns covers a lot of ground in the commercial landscaping and snow removal space. Longtime President Ken Hutcheson hopes the company’s recent acquisition by The Riverside Company paves the way for further expansion.
“It was the feeling here that we needed to accelerate our growth, and partnering with a company like Riverside will allow us to do that because of its other commercial brands and the opportunity to work together to bring in new business,” said Hutcheson, U.S. Lawns president since 1995.
Riverside’s acquisition of U.S. Lawns from BrightView Holdings for a reported $51.6 million in cash, according to MarketWatch, begins a new chapter for both the Orlando, Florida-based franchisor and its new owner. Hutcheson was appointed president of landscaping and snow services for EverSmith Brands, one of Riverside’s platforms, following the deal.
Longtime U.S. Lawns President Ken Hutcheson is now president of landscaping and snow services for EverSmith Brands.
U.S. Lawns, which landed at No. 247 on the Franchise Times Top 400 rankings with $205.4 million in systemwide sales, joins forces with Canada-based franchisor Clintar, another outdoor services provider, under EverSmith Brands. Riverside launched EverSmith in 2020 when it acquired Clintar.
The New York-based private equity investment firm added MilliCare, a commercial floor and surface service, to its platform in 2021 and Green Guard Services, a kitchen hood cleaning business which is being rebranded as Kitchen Guard, in 2022.
Related: Riverside Co. Adds Kitchen Cleaning Concept to EverSmith Brands
“EverSmith Brands is specifically focused on commercial B2B franchisors, and we had our eye on U.S. Lawns for some time,” said Alex Abramovitz, an investment specialist with The Riverside Company who worked on closing the deal with U.S. Lawns. “It’s really a perfect fit for us as we build out our commercial brands and services in the U.S. and focus on getting more national accounts with clients who own commercial buildings and need landscaping and snow removal.”
“If you think about U.S. Lawns and what they’ve been able to accomplish, they’ve done really well without having a very formal franchising development strategy,” Abramovitz said.
Alex Abramovitz, an investment specialist with The Riverside Company, worked on closing the acquisition deal with U.S. Lawns.
U.S. Lawns launched in 1986. BrightView Holdings, owners of commercial landscaping company Brightview Landscapes, bought U.S. Lawns in 2015 and it saw unit counts drop. The company went from 224 units in 2022 to 209 in 2023.
“It is tough to grow when you’re owned by a competitor. It’s tough to share information. In fact, you don’t share information with a competitor,” said Hutcheson.
U.S. Lawns wasn’t receiving the resources expected from its previous owner, Hutcheson said. “Do I sound excited and at the same relieved that we have partnered with Riverside? You bet I do,” he said.
Following the acquisition, Hutcheson said he reached out to his franchisees and assured them they will receive support from corporate to grow their businesses.
“As I told them, when you’re at 200 units, you either move up or you move down. You don’t stay like this,” Hutcheson said. “For us to really accelerate the growth, we really needed to be involved with people who understood franchising, that could help support us, and that’s what we have found with Riverside. We’re just three weeks into this and we’re already seeing the difference.”
The average unit volume at U.S. Lawns is $1.2 million, according to Item 19 in its franchise disclosure document, with the largest units at $8.8 million a year. The initial investment range is $80,100 to $148,500.
“This new partnership represents a new beginning for U.S. Lawns and our 165 franchisees, and gives us the confidence to take this business to another level,” Hutcheson said. “We’re embracing change.”