Tree-trimming companies merge, announce new leaders

Two national tree-trimming and vegetation management companies have merged and announced new leadership.

The merger of Norfolk-based Xylem Tree Experts with Lawrenceville, Georgia-based Kendall Vegetation Services was backed by Connecticut-based private equity firm Sterling Investment Partners.  The new company will have dual headquarters in Norfolk and just outside Atlanta. Its services will continue to include professional arboriculture services, including commercial tree trimming, vegetation management, right-of-way clearances for power lines, and hazardous tree removals.

Xylem Tree Experts co-founder Randolph Hoover will take the helm as CEO of the combined holding company on July 1, after serving as co-CEO alongside Robert Williams, who will retire on June 30. Williams joined Kendall Vegetation Services in 1988 and served as president and CEO, helping the business expand across the Southeast and Midwest. He will continue to serve on the board of directors as a strategic adviser.

Benjamin Hoover, Randolph Hoover’s brother, will take on the position of president of the combined company and president of Xylem Tree Experts. Kurt Goodman will serve as chief financial officer of the combined company and president of Kendall Vegetation Services. Scott Konikoff will serve as chief legal officer of the combined company.

“I am honored to be a part of the leadership team that has been developed to operate two national brands under one umbrella,” Randolph Hoover said in a statement. “Our partnership with Sterling Investment Partners to bring these two great companies together has allowed us to establish a company that covers approximately half of the U.S. today with nearly 3,000 dedicated employees. I personally could not be prouder of the business that we have created and look forward to a bright future — our best days are still to come.”

The company has 314 employees in Virginia, with 78 working out of the Norfolk administrative office, which includes the Wakefield fleet and logistics facility, and another 236 in field operations working with utility providers, maintaining right-of-way line clearance and storm response.