Chicago, Ill. — December 11, 2024: Prospect Partners (“Prospect”), a leading private equity firm investing in pre-middle market companies, announced that it has exited its investment in Bland Landscaping (or the “Company”). Kurt Bland (CEO) and Matt Bland (CFO and COO) will continue to lead Bland Landscaping alongside its talented management team as the business enters its next stage of transformative growth with Comvest Private Equity. Prospect initially recapitalized the Apex, NC-based business alongside management in December 2017.
Bland provides a comprehensive suite of premium landscaping maintenance and enhancement services to commercial clients across diverse end markets spanning homeowners associations, multifamily properties, Class A offices, industrial centers, and municipalities across North and South Carolina.
“Kurt and Matt Bland are tremendous leaders with a distinguished reputation in the industry. They have been exceptional partners; it’s always bittersweet for us to exit a business like Bland Landscaping” said Brad O’Dell, Partner at Prospect Partners.
Bland Landscaping was founded in 1976 by Tom and Nancy Bland in Apex, NC. Kurt and Matt took over the day-to-day operations in 2005 and have transformed the business from an installation and design-oriented service provider to a premier recurring maintenance focused business. During Prospect’s investment, the Company built out the leadership organization, enhanced the reporting capabilities through investments into systems and analytics, and expanded geographically both organically and inorganically through seven add-on acquisitions. The Company employs 700+ team members across a 12-branch network and has become a dominant provider of commercial landscaping services across the Carolina markets. The Company supports thousands of properties as a comprehensive service provider for all landscaping needs.
“Partnering with the Prospect team has been an absolute pleasure, and I am incredibly grateful to have had the support and guidance that they provided as we navigated substantial growth in the business,” said Kurt Bland. “They helped us evolve into a scalable platform, overseeing investments in our team and systems. With the right infrastructure in place, Prospect helped us accelerate growth as we developed a proven buy-and-build strategy and integration playbook.”
“Together, we more than just grew the business – we built a platform set up to scale rapidly and sustainably to become a true leader across the Southeast. We are excited to watch Bland Landscaping’s continued success in the coming years” said Erik Maurer, Partner at Prospect Partners.
Citizens M&A Advisory served as Bland Landscaping’s exclusive financial advisor in this transaction and DLA Piper LLP provided legal counsel to the Company.
About Prospect Partners
Founded in 1998, Prospect Partners is an active investor and builder of pre-middle market companies. Prospect focuses on partnering with management teams to complete recapitalizations, build-ups, carve-outs, and generational transitions. The Prospect team brings deep domain expertise building high potential companies through both operational improvements and acquisitions. For more information, please visit: www.prospect-partners.com.
About Bland Landscaping
Bland Landscaping is a regional commercial and estate landscape management and contracting business headquartered in Apex, N.C. Best known for its horticultural landscaping and grounds management work, Bland Landscaping also performs contract care of memorial gardens, parks, and estate grounds alongside stormwater and pond management services. Led by a team of seasoned industry leaders, Bland Landscaping has been recognized with numerous industry awards and noted for its commitment to the industry and to local communities. For more information, please visit: https://blandlandscaping.com.