Schill Grounds Management, No. 28 on the 2024 LM150 list, completed the purchase of Pinnacle Landscaping to expand operations in Columbus, Ohio, after recently opening a Greenfield location in the area.
Partnering with Pinnacle gives Schill greater density and reach across Ohio and adjacent markets, from its headquarters in Cleveland through the Columbus corridor down through Cincinnati. Earlier this year, Schill opened a facility in the Blacklick area just east of Columbus to serve that market. Schill now has central Ohio operations in Blacklick, Marion, Nashport, Polaris and other markets in the region.
Established in 2005, Pinnacle has been owned and operated by Brett Obenauf, principal and CFO, and Rob McDevitt, principal and COO. The pair will continue to oversee the business in Columbus as Pinnacle becomes part of the Schill family of companies. About 75 Pinnacle employees will join Schill, which has a total headcount of around 1,200.
Pinnacle provides commercial landscape maintenance, snow and ice removal and parking lot sweeping services to office, retail, hospitality, mixed-use, multi-family and other commercial customers throughout the Columbus region.
“Together, Schill and Pinnacle can provide an expanded level of service to our customers across Columbus and central Ohio with a comprehensive suite of landscaping management, snow and ice removal and other property enhancement services,” said Jerry Schill, founder and CEO of Schill Grounds Management. “We strive to be a single source provider to our customers to make grounds management even easier.”
Partnering with Schill gives Pinnacle enhanced operational, financial, sales and marketing strength, plus a network of 27 locations across the upper Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions for customers with multiple locations.
“When we started Pinnacle, it was our goal to become one of the largest landscape maintenance companies in central Ohio. We succeeded in building a solid foundation to a well-respected company, and the partnership, leadership and resources from Schill will push us to the next level much faster,” Obenauf said.
The Pinnacle and Schill partnership also allows the company to provide the same expert care in new markets while also creating greater opportunities for its team of professionals.
“We admire the core values of Schill and how they align with what we believe,” McDevitt said. “The Pinnacle team will benefit from being part of a company that views employees as a very valuable piece of the overall operation. They will have more opportunities for growth and advancement within a larger organization. Customers will continue to receive the same top level service because Schill also provides service at the highest standard.”
Previous Schill acquisitions include:
- BAM Outdoor in Indiana
- GrassCor in Blue Ash, Ohio
- TLC in London and Toronto in Canada
- Grounds Elite in Cincinnati
- Enviroscapes in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia
- Ward + Thornton Landscapes in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
- Fredericks Landscaping in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
- The Ohio Valley Group in Cleveland
- McCoy Landscape Services in Marion, Ohio
- Strauser Nature’s Helpers in Pennslyvania
