Update: Aurora Resurgence sells LandCare to management group

Editor’s note: After publishing, Editor-in-Chief Seth Jones sat down with LandCare Executive VP and CEO Mike Bogan to discuss specifics of the LandCare sale. Below is an update on the new management structure.

Aurora Resurgence, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, announced that it sold LandCare, a national provider of landscape maintenance services, to the company’s management team and a small group of investors led by Scott Brickman, former CEO of the Brickman Group.

“The ownership group is actually, primarily our management team,” said Mike Bogan, CEO and executive vice president of LandCare, in an interview with Landscape Management Editor-in-Chief Seth Jones. “We took a large piece of ownership and leveraged it to become a larger percentage of the total ownership and then we brought in some outside investors led by Scott Brickman. Scott’s been a friend of mine — a mentor and friend — for over thirty years, and I am really excited to have his support and backing for our business and we’re excited about that going forward.”

As an investor, Brickman will serve as chairman of the board of directors and support and advise the company moving forward, while Bogan will manage the company day-to-day, according to Bogan.

Since being acquired by Aurora Resurgence, LandCare introduced a new management team in 2014, led by Bogan. Under Bogan’s leadership, LandCare restructured its operations and rebranded in 2015, leading to significant revenue and profitability growth over the past four years. Today, LandCare is one of the most comprehensive providers of commercial landscape services in the United States.

“We are pleased with the impressive turnaround that LandCare realized over the past five years,” said Board Member Sean Ozbolt, on behalf of Aurora Resurgence. “Its success provides testament to how our investment process and partnership approach drive significant financial improvement and deliver strong value for our investors, the company, and its customers and employees.”

“LandCare has quickly established a model corporate culture that has positioned it as the employer of choice in the landscape services industry,” said Andrew Fohrer, board member of LandCare. “Mike and his team have been a tremendous partner to Aurora Resurgence, and they, along with Scott and the rest of the new ownership group, have an unmatched track record of success together. We are excited to leave LandCare in their hands and watch its continued growth.”

“With Aurora Resurgence as a partner, we have been able to rebuild LandCare from the ground up, creating one of the leading landscape services companies in the United States,” Bogan added.  “We are thrilled to have the opportunity, in partnership with an industry veteran like Scott Brickman, to continue leveraging our passion for landscaping and customer service to build upon our recent growth for our customers and hardworking employees.”

View a video interview with Jones and Bogan.