News

BizBuySell Reports Slight Dip in Business Sales for Second Quarter vs First Quarter

  BizBuySell.com’s Q2 2012 Insight Report reveals 1.6% dip in small business transactions in the second quarter of 2012 versus the same period last year. Year-to-date totals, however, remain on the rise suggesting that the small business transaction marketplace continues on its path of modest recovery. BizBuySell.com has released its latest economic data for the second quarter of 2012. The company’s data tracks trends in the sales of small business-for-sale and the latest data shows that business-for-sale transactions were down slightly in the second quarter of 2012 as compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date business sales for 2012, however, remain above … Read more

Seattle-based Plantscapes, Inc. Acquires Operations of Highridge Corporation

Plantscapes, Inc. of Seattle has acquired certain operations of  Highridge  Corporation of Issaquah, Washington.  Highridge ranked number 70 on Lawn and Landscape’s Top 100 in 2011.  Plantscapes, which indoor and outdoor landscape maintenance and installation, seasonal color and holiday displays.  Highridge offered landscape design, construction and maintenance. Plantscape acquired the recurring maintenance accounts from Highridge, along with supporting assets.  The majority of Highridge’s employs have joined Plantscapes.  Highridge served a primarily suburban clientele while Plantscapes has been more urban in focus.

Ruppert Landscape Acquires Eco Scapes in Raleigh

  LAYTONSVILLE, MD — Ruppert Landscape, Inc. has announced the acquisition of selected assets from Eco Scapes, Inc., a Raleigh, NC-based company, which provides commercial grounds management services. The transaction includes the purchase of selected commercial landscape management contracts, trucks, equipment and the hiring of several employees. The commercial clients are primarily based in Wake, Orange and Durham counties. “Eco Scapes has built a reputation as a small company with great clients,” said Ruppert President Chris Davitt. “Whenever we can align ourselves with a group of individuals who have successfully exceeded customers’ expectations it makes us a stronger team. We are pleased and … Read more

A Look at Growth Strategy in the Green Industry and How Acquisitions Fit In

It is a popular belief that businesses, including small businesses, must grow to thrive.  While many of our beliefs about business have been challenged over the past four years and only a few businesses have been able to sustain growth during the Great Recession, growth is a major objective for many if not most businesses.  There are multiple reasons for the “growth imperative”: Growth is often a factor in creating long-term value for the owners of the business. Sustained and projected growth is a major factor in creating a sellable business as part of an exit strategy. Growth can be … Read more

Four Ways to Protect Your Turf

Warren Buffett famously invests in businesses that have what he calls a protective “moat” around them – one that inoculates them from competition and allows them to control their pricing. Big companies lock out their competitors by out-slugging them in capital infrastructure investments, but smaller businesses have to be smarter about how they defend their turf. Here are four ways to deepen and widen the protective moat around your business: Get certified Is there a certification program that you could take to differentiate your business? A Canadian company that disposes of radioactive waste decided to get licensed by the Canadian … Read more