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Laytonsville, MD - Ruppert Nurseries President Chris Davitt is pleased to announce that Ruppert Nurseries is now able to offer mid-Atlantic region clients a full line of commercial landscape management and installation services. Following the completion of a five-year competition restriction agreement with TruGreen, which purchased Ruppert Landscape Company in 1998, Ruppert Nurseries is no longer limited as to the type and extent of landscape services that the company can offer. As of Aug. 19, 2003, the restrictions no longer apply and the company is poised for immediate growth - mainly in the area of grounds management - which is now offered in the Washington/Baltimore Metropolitan area, northern Virginia and the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. "The decision to re-enter the landscape management market was not made in haste," said Davitt. "We had the luxury of time - five years, in fact - to thoroughly analyze what we wanted to do and how we should go about doing it. In short, we didn't want to reenter the market unless we felt that we could provide better products and services to customers than they're currently receiving. We also wanted to have a company that we and our employees could be extremely proud of. Ultimately, our customers and our employees will be the judges of the wisdom of our decision." Partners named Joining current company partners Craig Ruppert, Chris Ruppert, Chris Davitt, Kelly Lewis and Bill Meissner are: Doug Halsey (landscape management), Bob Jones (landscape installation), Mike Monde (landscape management), Rich Schubach (business development) and Ken Thompson (landscape systems and procedures). The five bring a combined tenure of 50-plus years with the Ruppert organization and "each brings a tremendous amount of industry experience, talent and leadership to our group," said Davitt. Majority owner Craig Ruppert will concentrate on future planning, financing, customer service and marketing. "Over the past 30 years, we have tried to build a culture of empowerment and accountability in our company," said Davitt. "As we grow Ruppert Nurseries, we are taking that culture a step further by broadening the ownership base, thus putting key employees in a formal decision-making role and in a position to be directly affected by the results of those decisions through ownership." New hires, returning employees "One of the best things about the expiration of the agreement," noted Davitt, "is the opportunity to once again work with people who we believe are among the best in the industry. In addition to reuniting with former employees who can make an immediate impact because they are familiar with our culture and our system, we have added several new employees with a good deal of industry experience who can bring new skills and thoughts to the mix." The landscape installation division recently added: Shane Carmadella and Mike Marshall (sales/estimating), Karen Key (contract/procurement administrator) and Angela Howes (administrative assistant). The landscape management division hired: John Harich (sales), Garth Jorgensen (area manager) and Rick Woodruff (enhancement manager). Expanding into the Philadelphia region In addition to its corporate and branch offices in Laytonsville, Md., and planned offices in northern Virginia, Ruppert has re-entered the Philadelphia market by opening a landscape management branch in Toughkenamon, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb. "This is a high-quality landscape market with plenty of Class-A customers and landscapes, as well as good competition," said Davitt. "Ruppert served this area for five years, prior to its sale in 1998. With the return of Mike Monde, our Philadelphia region manager, along with some of his key staff, the opening of this office was a natural step for us." During the past 30 years, the companies of Ruppert have developed into a strong force in the mid-Atlantic region, at one time employing nearly 1,000 individuals and winning dozens of industry and business management awards. With a thriving nursery of over 475 acres of wholesale trees and a growing landscape division, Ruppert Nurseries looks forward to leveraging its past experience into an even brighter future.
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