Lawn & Landscape is once again calling for companies to enter its Best Places to Work contest. Lawn & Landscape works with Best Companies Group to determine the winners of the contest. Below are eligibility requirements:

• Businesses having 50% or more of revenue coming from landscaping services

• Publicly or privately held businesses; For-profit or not-for-profit businesses

• Business based in the U.S./Canada with 15+ full-time or part-time staff in the U.S./Canada

• Businesses that have been in business a minimum of 1 year

Registration Deadline is Jan. 27, 2023. For more information, click here.

Bartlett Tree Experts, the leading scientific tree care company with 159 offices worldwide, is pleased to announce that it has expanded its presence in the Alberta, Canada market with the acquisition of Sullivan Tree Service in Calgary.

Since 2008, Sullivan Tree has provided quality tree and shrub care services in Calgary and the surrounding areas. The acquisition, which includes the onboarding of 12 Sullivan Tree employees, provides greater depth of experience and strengthens the capabilities of Bartlett’s existing local office team in Calgary.

READ MORE: Bartlett acquired Tree Top in June

“Like Bartlett Tree Experts, Sullivan Tree is a family business with a passion for trees,” said Jim Ingram, president and chief operating officer of Bartlett Tree Experts. “As a leader in our industry for more than 115 years, we continue to expand our scientific tree care services in new and existing markets with a focus on quality work and customer satisfaction. We’re excited to welcome the Sullivan Tree team of professional arborists into our Calgary office.”

Noah Violini, vice president of Bartlett’s Canada Division, said the owner of Sullivan Tree, Joey Sullivan, approached Bartlett about joining forces because he heard favorable reviews from the former owner of a company that was previously acquired by Bartlett.

“They were impressed by our elevated level of safety, professionalism and customer service,” Violini said. “Bartlett has been committed to growing our presence in Canada since we began serving our clients here over 23 years ago. Sullivan Tree Service was the right cultural fit for this acquisition, which provides an important addition to our business and growth strategy. We’re proud to have their talented team join us, and we’re excited to show our new clients Bartlett’s offerings as a global leader in scientific tree care and safety in our industry.”

The acquisition doubles Bartlett’s presence in the greater Alberta area, which it first entered in 2019 with the acquisition of Tree Frog Tree Care. In addition to 147 offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, the company operates 12 offices in Canada.

Sperber Landscape Companies has partnered with Idaho-based Trautman Lawn & Landscape Company.  

Founded by husband-and-wife team Tal and Jennifer Trautman in 1988, Trautman Lawn & Landscape provides commercial landscape maintenance, installation and snow services in the greater Boise market.

Tal Trautman will continue his leadership of the company alongside wife Jennifer.

“The Sperber partnership will allow us to provide better benefits and opportunities for our existing employees and, will also, set the foundation for growth and expansion," Tal said. "We are excited about the additional resources, technology, and support from the Sperber team. We look forward to taking this business to the next level.”

“Trautman is an exceptional family-built company that is doing great work within a thriving market," said Founder and Executive Chairman Richard Sperber. "We are excited for the future as we join forces with Tal, Jennifer and their talented team, and continue our mission to build the nation’s best-in-class landscaping company.”  

CCG Advisors exclusively represented the Trautman’s in the transaction. Brian Corbett, Founder & Managing Partner says, “Jennifer and Tal are great people and have built a fantastic maintenance company and know they will do well as a part of the Sperber family of companies.”

The National Association of Landscape Professionals held its new annual conference and expo, ELEVATE, which saw record attendance of 1,800 professionals from 47 states and 147 exhibitors at the ELEVATE Expo. The event also raised $50,000 for the NALP-PAC and nearly $200,000 for NALP’s Foundation.   “Our first ever ELEVATE event received rave reviews from attendees and we couldn’t be more proud,” said Britt Wood, NALP CEO. “We are honored to be able to bring the nation’s top industry leaders together for such a high-caliber education and networking event that helps companies find solutions to their biggest challenges.”NALP also presented its annual leadership and landscape project awards at ELEVATE.Kevin Kehoe, founder of Aspire and The Kehoe Family Foundation, was honored with the Lifetime Leadership Award for his years of service to the industry as a consultant, entrepreneur and philanthropist.  Pam Dooley, owner of Plants Creative Landscapes, was honored with the Women Leader of the Year Award for her dedication to the industry, most recently, serving on the executive committee of the NALP Board of Directors, as well as her commitment to supporting women in the industry.  Nick Brummel, the CEO of Brummel Lawn & Landscape, was honored with the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his work building his company from the ground up and for his leadership in various industry groups, including chairing NALP’s Government Affairs Council.  Joe Munie, President of Munie Greencare Professionals, was honored with the Advocate of the Year for his dedication to lobbying for the industry at the state and national levels. This year, 182 projects received an Award of Excellence from NALP. The awards honor outstanding landscape management, landscape contacting, design-build, lawn care and interiorscape projects. View a list of winners. In addition, each year, one or more outstanding projects receive a prestigious Judges’ Award. This year, The LaurelRock Company received a Judges’ Award for their “Chateau Louise,” project located in Greenwich, Connecticut. And Ruppert Landscape received a Judges’ Award for their  “Norfolk Southern Headquarters,” project located in Atlanta, Georgia.  ELEVATE received support from top partners JOHN DEERE (Platinum), Caterpillar (Gold), and Bayer (Silver).  Next year ELEVATE will be held in Dallas, Texas, Sept.10-13, at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Conference Center.  

The TCI EXPO, hosted by the Tree Care Industry Association, is the  largest tree care industry conference and trade show in the world. This year it will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Charlotte Convention Center, from Nov.10-12. With more than 250+ exhibitors, it allows professionals in the tree care industry to learn new skills, see the latest equipment and technology the industry has to offer and network with their peers. 

TCI EXPO ’22 will feature a new experience dedicated to the climbing community: TCI EXPOClimb. This experience gives tree climbers an opportunity to try out and try on new gear and get tips from experienced trainers. Climbers can try on everything from harnesses, to ropes, to personal protective equipment (PPE), to hardware and gear bags.  

This year’s vendors include Buckingham Climbing Innovations, Drayer Tree Care Equipment, Engineered Rope, ISA, Kong USA, Samson Rope, Speak Easy Communication and more.

TCI EXPOClimb amplifies the opportunities for networking and education for the attendees. “We’re excited to bring together so many players in the industry so that they can build relationships, learn from each other, demo new products and talk to the leading experts in the field,” said Peter Gerstenberg, senior VP of industry expertise at TCIA.

Leading experts include Jared Abrojena, president/co-founder of Academy-Trained, certified arborist and former International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) World Champion.  

Throughout TCI EXPOClimb, there will be music, gear giveaways, a Happy Hour and a demo area for climbers who want to geek out on gear and just talk trees.

To learn more about TCI EXPO ’22 go to: www.expo.tcia.org.