Seth, Stephen and Chase Hillenmeyer
Hillenmeyer Landscape Services has partnered with HeartLand, LLC, a Kansas City-based landscape management firm.
Under a structure outlined in its marketing materials, the venture-capital backed HeartLand specializes in consolidating and streamlining back-end operations and management of the landscape firms included in its portfolio—many of which are regional leaders in their markets—while retaining the heritage, culture and operational nuances of each individual brand. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Our continued growth brought us to a point that our commercial landscape division deserved a separate identity,” said Stephen Hillenmeyer, CEO and fifth-generation owner of the company. “Those clients have unique needs, which can best be served through a business that is laser-focused on them.”
Hillenmeyer, which celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2016, is a multigenerational business that grew from a small fruit nursery into one of the area’s first and largest retail garden center operations, starting around the 1950s. Stephen Hillenmeyer’s brothers, Louie and Chris, were partners in the business, until they sold their interests in 2001.
Under Stephen Hillenmeyer’s leadership, the company divested itself of its retail operations and has grown significantly in exterior maintenance services and expanded to include customized lawn care and mosquito control services. Stephen’s son, Chase Hillenmeyer, became the sixth-generation leader of Hillenmeyer when he became president of the company in 2016. In 2018, the company rebranded itself with a name change from Stephen Hillenmeyer Landscaping Services to simply Hillenmeyer.
As the father and son considered how to move the Hillenmeyer brand forward, they recognized that the need for additional resources, training and capital would be necessary to support an accelerated growth plan, they said. After a brief search process, HeartLand emerged as the ideal partner.
"When exploring who to partner with, it became obvious to us that the HeartLand leadership team were professionals in business but were also genuine in how they cared about our company culture." — Stephen Hillenmeyer
“Our most valuable asset has always been our employees. When exploring who to partner with, it became obvious to us that the HeartLand leadership team were professionals in business but were also genuine in how they cared about our company culture,” Stephen Hillenmeyer said. “I’m very excited to see the long term benefits this partnership brings to our employees and clients.”
HeartLand was formed in 2016 by parent company Great Range Capital, a Kansas City-based private equity firm, with the stated aim of pursuing growth in the commercial landscape industry through controlling equity investments in established landscaping firms across the Midwest and Mountain-West regions. Other brands in the HeartLand portfolio include Signature Landscape in Kansas City; Keesen Landscape in Denver; and Columbia Landcare in Columbia, Missouri.
The Hillenmeyer brand and team will remain visible and unaltered in Lexington, with Chase Hillenmeyer at the helm. Stephen Hillenmeyer will continue to be part of strategic growth through partnering with employees and clients. Hillenmeyer Landscape Services continues to deliver complete landscape and snow removal services to commercial and equine clients through the same experienced team, the company said. The residentially-oriented “Weed Man” and “Mosquito Authority” businesses will continue to be operated by the Hillenmeyer family, led by Stephen's younger son, Seth Hillenmeyer.
“Our team of experienced professionals are the heart of this company and they’ve enabled us to form long-lasting relationships with our customers,” Chase Hillenmeyer said. “It isn’t the length of time in business that is important to our clients, but it is a testament to the way we do business the old-fashioned way. We say what we're going to do, and we do what we say. We stand behind our product, service and team and we'll always make it right.”