Harvest the Green Partners Research
Advisory Approach
Harvest the Green Partners is a specialized M&A advisory firm that focuses exclusively on the landscaping and green industry. The firm operates under the Harvest Group umbrella, a well-established consultancy that provides operations, human resources, and strategic guidance to landscape businesses nationwide. Unlike generalist business brokers or large investment banks, Harvest the Green Partners brings deep industry-specific expertise, having been founded by professionals who have spent their careers in the landscaping sector.
The firm's thesis is that industry specialization creates better outcomes for sellers. They believe that the fragmented nature of the landscaping industry—with thousands of privately-held businesses ranging from small local operators to regional platforms—requires advisors who understand the unique dynamics of green industry businesses. This includes knowledge of seasonality, labor challenges, equipment valuation, customer retention patterns, and the specific operational metrics that drive value in landscape companies.
Harvest the Green Partners operates in the segment between traditional business brokers (who typically handle smaller deals under $3M) and middle-market investment banks. They describe themselves as offering "the best option for selling companies in the landscaping industry who have revenues between $1.5 million and $25 million." This positioning allows them to provide more sophisticated process management than typical business brokers while maintaining accessibility to smaller businesses that wouldn't be served by larger banks.
Sector Focus
The firm's exclusive focus is the landscaping and green industry, which encompasses several subsectors:
Landscape Maintenance Companies: Recurring service providers offering lawn care, maintenance contracts, and ongoing landscape management. These businesses typically value at higher multiples due to predictable recurring revenue streams.
Design-Build Companies: Firms that combine landscape architecture with installation services. These businesses often have higher revenue but lower margins due to project-based revenue recognition.
Tree Care Companies: Arboriculture specialists with specialized equipment and certified arborists on staff. These businesses often command premium valuations due to technical barriers to entry.
Irrigation Companies: Businesses focused on water management and irrigation system installation and maintenance. An increasingly important subsector given water conservation trends.
Snow Removal Companies: Seasonal businesses that provide winter services. Often integrated with landscape maintenance companies to create year-round revenue streams.
The firm serves clients across all of these subsectors, understanding that each has different valuation drivers, operational dynamics, and buyer pools.
Deal Track Record
Harvest the Green Partners has been active in the landscaping M&A market, with involvement in significant industry transactions:
Cagwin & Dorward → Sperber Landscape Companies (2021): Perhaps the firm's most visible transaction, the acquisition of Cagwin & Dorward by Sperber Landscape Companies was facilitated by Bill Arman of Harvest the Green Partners. Headquartered in Petaluma, California, Cagwin & Dorward was founded in 1955 and had grown to become one of California's largest commercial landscape management providers, serving the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Central Valley from ten field offices. The deal closed in March 2021 and represented a significant consolidation in the California landscape market.
Broad Transaction Experience: Founding member Alison Hoffman brings extensive M&A experience to the firm. Her background includes evaluating, valuing, and purchasing over 30 companies, leading company-wide cultural and business integration projects, and consolidating best practices among business processes. Over the last two decades, she has led over 100 projects spanning acquisition screening, company valuation, due diligence, and mergers and acquisitions advisory services.
This combination of visible landmark transactions plus deep transactional experience gives the firm credibility in the market. While specific deal counts aren't publicly disclosed, the firm's website and marketing materials emphasize their experience helping landscape business owners achieve successful exits.
Process & Fee Structure
Harvest the Green Partners follows a structured sell-side process designed for lower middle market landscape businesses:
Preparation Phase: The firm begins by preparing a market valuation of the company's worth and developing marketing materials including a teaser and Confidential Business Summary (often called a "book" in the industry). This documentation helps present the business professionally to potential buyers.
Buyer Identification: The team identifies and screens potential buyers, maintaining strict confidentiality throughout the process. Given their industry focus, they have established relationships with strategic buyers (larger landscape companies looking to expand geographically) and financial buyers (private equity firms with landscape industry exposure).
Marketing & Negotiation: Once buyers are identified, the firm helps evaluate and improve offers, negotiates terms, and manages the back-and-forth between sellers and prospective buyers. Their industry expertise allows them to advise on which offers represent true strategic value versus premium valuations.
Due Diligence & Closing: The team guides sellers through due diligence, works with attorneys to complete Purchase Agreements and ancillary documents, and assists with post-closing business transfer to ensure a smooth transition.
The firm also offers buy-side advisory services, helping landscape companies identify acquisition targets, develop lists of qualified candidates, conduct outreach, prepare offers, and navigate due diligence from the buyer's perspective.
Fee Structure: While specific fee structures aren't publicly disclosed, the firm operates as an M&A advisory rather than a traditional business broker. This typically involves a retainer structure to cover the costs of comprehensive process management, plus a success fee tied to transaction completion. Their positioning between business brokers and investment banks suggests fees in the middle range—higher than typical business broker commissions but more accessible than investment bank retainers.
Buyer Network
Harvest the Green Partners maintains relationships across the landscape industry buyer spectrum:
Strategic Buyers: Large regional and national landscape companies looking to expand through acquisition. The Cagwin & Dorward transaction demonstrated connections to sophisticated strategic buyers like Sperber Landscape Companies, which has been actively consolidating the California market.
Private Equity Sponsors: The firm has relationships with private equity firms investing in the landscaping industry. Their marketing materials mention working with "Private Equity firms and Family Offices" as part of their M&A practice.
Industry Knowledge: The firm's deep involvement in the landscaping industry through the broader Harvest Group consultancy gives them visibility into companies that are actively seeking acquisitions. This informal network allows them to match sellers with appropriate buyers without widely advertising listings.
Competitive Positioning
Harvest the Green Partners differentiates itself through several key factors:
Industry Specialization: Unlike generalist business brokers who might sell restaurants, manufacturing companies, and contractors, Harvest the Green Partners focuses exclusively on landscaping. This specialization means they understand the specific metrics that drive value in landscape businesses—recurring revenue retention, crew productivity, equipment utilization rates, and seasonal cash flow patterns.
Operational Expertise: The firm is part of the Harvest Group, which provides operational consulting to landscape businesses. This means they can help sellers improve their businesses before taking them to market, potentially increasing sale value. They understand not just how to sell a business, but how to build a better business to sell.
Lower Middle Market Focus: The firm targets businesses in the $1.5M-$25M revenue range—a segment underserved by large investment banks but too sophisticated for typical business brokers. This focus allows them to provide appropriate service levels for their target market.
Team Background: Team members have actual operating experience in the landscaping industry, not just financial advisory. Alison Hoffman founded and ran her own garden design and consulting firm before joining Harvest the Green Partners. This operational credibility resonates with sellers who may be skeptical of pure financial advisors.
Not a Fit If
Based on their positioning and market focus, Harvest the Green Partners is likely not a fit for:
- Businesses outside the landscaping/green industry
- Very small businesses under $1M in revenue (better served by local business brokers)
- Large businesses over $25M in revenue (may require institutional investment banking)
- Companies seeking a quick, limited-process sale (the firm emphasizes comprehensive process management)
- Sellers not willing to prepare their businesses for market through operational improvements
Team
Alison Hoffman – Founding Member, Acquisitions Lead: Hoffman brings 25+ years of experience in strategy, operations, and M&A. Before founding Harvest the Green Partners, she served as Senior Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions for an NYSE-listed financial services and human resource consulting firm. She has evaluated, valued, and purchased over 30 companies and led 100+ M&A projects. Hoffman holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University and completed her BA at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth and the International Business Brokers Association.
Bill Arman – Co-Founder, Harvest Group: A veteran of the landscaping industry, Arman co-founded the Harvest Group and has been involved in facilitating significant industry transactions, including the Cagwin & Dorward acquisition by Sperber Landscape Companies. He is a recognized speaker and author in the green industry.
Ed Laflamme – Co-Founder, Harvest Group: Along with Arman, Laflamme co-founded the Harvest Group consultancy. He is co-author of "The Harvest Way" and "Green Side Up: Straight Talk on Growing & Operating A Profitable Landscape Business." He brings decades of operational experience in the landscaping industry.
Additional Team: The broader Harvest Group includes specialists in operations, human resources, sales and marketing, communications, and landscape construction, providing comprehensive support to M&A clients.
Geographic Coverage
Harvest the Green Partners is headquartered in North Barrington, Illinois (Chicago area), but serves clients nationally. The Cagwin & Dorward transaction demonstrates capability with West Coast deals, and the firm's involvement in industry associations and publications suggests national reach. The landscaping industry's geographic dispersion—local service providers in every market—makes national coverage essential for effective buyer identification.
Membership & Affiliations
The firm maintains professional memberships that support its M&A practice:
- International Business Brokers Association (IBBA): Hoffman's membership signals adherence to professional business broker standards
- Association for Corporate Growth (ACG): Membership connects the firm to the broader M&A community and potential deal flow
- Industry Associations: The firm's involvement with Lawn & Landscape magazine and other industry publications keeps them connected to industry trends and potential clients
Summary
Harvest the Green Partners occupies a unique niche in the M&A advisory landscape—specialized, industry-focused advisors serving the lower middle market of the landscaping industry. Their combination of operational expertise, industry relationships, and transactional experience makes them a compelling option for landscape business owners seeking exit planning or acquisition support. While they lack the breadth of generalist firms, their depth in the green industry provides value that generalists cannot match.