Skip to content

2020 LM150: Biggest year ever

|
Money (Photo: Marat Musabirov/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images)
Money (Photo: Marat Musabirov/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images)
Money (Photo: Marat Musabirov/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images)
Photo: Marat Musabirov/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

Raise a glass to the year that was — 2019 was simply the best.

Sponsored by Vermeer, Landscape Management proudly presents the 12th annual LM150, recognizing the top 150 landscape companies in the nation, ranked by revenue. Collectively this list represents $12 billion in revenue, breaking last year’s record amount of $11,148,081,125.

The top five companies are identical to the top five companies last year. BrightView, TruGreen, The Davey Tree Expert Co., Bartlett Tree Experts and Yellowstone Landscape once again hold the top five spots. The top three companies amassed $4,953,600,000 in revenue (41 percent of the total list) in 2019, up from $4,742,600,00 in 2018.

While 2019 was an amazing year, it’s hard not to wonder what next year’s numbers will look like, based on the uncertainty the pandemic has thrust upon the nation and the world. That’s why this year we interviewed three companies in the lower third of the list, to discuss their successes from 2019, and also see what we can learn from what they are doing right now to navigate the new normal. Profiles of Hittle Landscaping (No. 114), Westfield, Ind., Art by Nature (No. 119), Granite Falls, Wash., and Brilar (No. 129), Detroit, are included in this year’s coverage.

One theme was common: despite the pandemic, all three companies are being proactive and have hopes of repeating their 2019 magic.

Methodology

Logo: LM staff
Logo: LM staff

LM sought submissions from landscape companies in the magazine, on LandscapeManagement.net, via email and by personal phone calls, from January through May. Companies submitted their details through an online form. LM editors compiled the results and, where applicable, removed nontypical green industry revenue sources from the totals reported by the companies. For example, we omit revenue from pest and janitorial services.

We estimated revenue for firms that didn’t provide data if they participated in last year’s list and reported a projected 2019 revenue figure. We calculated the numbers for client mix, profit centers and regional charts based on data submitted.

The information in the LM150 is self-reported unless otherwise noted. Some companies do not break out individual service lines, so we can’t be sure what revenue is specific to typical green industry services. There are several firms that opt not to participate in the list, there are others we are unaware of and it is possible some revenues overlap due to subcontracting agreements.

Wish you were here?

Should your company be on the LM150 list of the largest landscape companies? Or are you aware of a company you think should be on this list? Let us know. Contact Special Projects Editor Marisa Palmieri at mpalmieri@northcoastmedia.net to be notified when the 2020 submission period opens. We encourage any company that believes they might crack the top 150 to please apply.

Read more:

To view the complete list, breakdowns and company profiles, check out a PDF version here.

Photo: Seth Jones

Seth Jones

Seth Jones is the editorial director of Landscape Management, and the editor-in-chief of Golfdom and Athletic Turf magazines. A graduate of Kansas University’s William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Seth was voted best columnist in the industry in 2014, 2018 and 2023 by the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association. He has more than 23 years of experience in the golf and turf industries and has traveled the world seeking great stories.

To top