IJAMSVILLE, MD – December 5, 2011 – TruGreen LandCare, a leading U.S. provider of landscape maintenance services to commercial, industrial and municipal customers, today announced it has appointed Vidu Kulkarni as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He succeeds Mac McIlvried who has decided to leave the Company to pursue outside interests.
Mr. Kulkarni joins TruGreen LandCare with over 20 years of professional experience in the commercial and industrial sectors, most recently serving as a senior executive at United Technologies Corporation (“UTC”), a publicly traded Fortune 50 company.
“We are delighted to have someone of Vidu’s caliber join the TruGreen LandCare team as Chief Executive Officer,” said Kevin Dowd, Chairman of TruGreen LandCare. “Vidu has an impressive track record of enhancing operations, building strong customer relationships and delivering results. His background and experience are well suited for his new role at TruGreen LandCare as we work to further strengthen our position in the industry. We also thank Mac for his service and leadership in transitioning TruGreen LandCare into a successful standalone company and wish him the best in his future endeavors. ”
Mr. Kulkarni said, “This is an exciting opportunity for me. TruGreen LandCare is a great company and a respected service provider in the commercial landscaping industry. I am delighted to be part of the TruGreen LandCare team and look forward to working with our talented associates to accelerate the Company’s performance.”
Prior to joining TruGreen LandCare, Mr. Kulkarni was President of the Americas, and Australasia regions, for UTC’s Fire & Security business segment, a $6.5 billion division. In these roles Mr. Kulkarni led large branch based businesses providing electronic security and fire safety services to commercial and industrial customers in North America and Australia/New Zealand. Mr. Kulkarni also led the world-wide Field Operations function for UTC Fire & Security, was Managing Director of Carrier India, and was a part of UTC’s corporate M&A team. Before joining UTC, Mr. Kulkarni worked as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company. Mr. Kulkarni has a M.S. in Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, and a M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College.