What to Expect – Key Trends for 2010

Now that we seem to have passed through the worst of the recession of the last two years, we believe there are some key trends to look for over the next year. In this article, we will go on the line and make some predictions for 2010.   In our view, these are some of the key trends that will impact green industry mergers and acquisitions in 2010: Strong players will move to take advantage of growth opportunities This trend began in the latter part of 2009.  Many industry players expressed an interest in pursuing acquisitions during 2009.  Their efforts in … Read more

The Year in Review

2009 was definitely a down year for mergers & acquisitions within the green industry – and for just about every other industry as well.  The twin specters of economic uncertainty and an often extremely challenging credit market caused the number of transactions to fall both out of necessity and out of caution. That being said, many transactions did get completed.  In this article, we will recap many of the transactions that did take place as we try to make sense of what to expect in the coming year. January Yellowstone Landscape Group and its private equity sponsor, Gridiron Capital, announced … Read more

The Times That Great Companies Are Made In

I recently called a green industry businessman about a business opportunity  – a business for sale in a complementary segment of the green industry.  It wasn’t an obviously  perfect fit, but I thought there was a chance he might be interested enough to take a look.  After hearing that I was calling about a potential acquisition, he almost dismissed it without even hearing about the opportunity.  As we talked, his tone changed a bit and we agreed to meet after the holidays to discuss this and other opportunities down the road. During the conversation, he reflected a bit and said, … Read more

Time for Considering Your Next Step

The months after the holiday rush can be some of the most tedious and boring of the year. Winter has truly set in, and most people are not thinking of landscaping their yards.  Buying plants is counter-intuitive with a foot of snow on the ground, and the push to buy Christmas trees and poinsettias seems like a distant memory. While this is a great time to take a break and recover from the hectic summer months and mid-winter push, it is also an important time to think about where you stand with your business. Even if you have no current … Read more

Proposals to Increase SBA Lending

The chairman and ranking minority member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship have introduced legislation to enhance Small Business Administration lending programs.Committee chair Mary Landrieu, D-La., and ranking member Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, introduced the “Small Business Job Creation and Access to Capital Act of 2009.” The bill would increase the limit for Small Business Administration-guaranteed 7(a) loans for business acquisitions to from $2 million to $5 million and extend for a year the fee eliminations and increased guarantee that are both set to expire under the Recovery Act.  The bill would increase the loan limit for SBA … Read more