More than 30 professional volunteers teamed up at Helen Simpson Park in Cleveland’s Buckeye neighborhood to provide a much-needed facelift to enhance the aesthetic appearance, vibrancy, environmental impact and accessibility to this important community gathering space.
The project – valued at $25,000 – revitalized the 32,000 sq. ft. park that serves as a vibrant community gathering space. The park is named after Helen Simpson, a neighborhood resident and pioneer in Cleveland television. She was a manager of advertising, promotion, and publicity at local NBC affiliate, who was tragically murdered in 1972 on her way home from work. The case has never been solved.
“Helen Simpson Park is vital to this highly populated community, but over the years it had fallen into disarray,” said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “With the expertise and commitment of our dedicated volunteers, the park’s trees, plants, and grass received much-needed pruning and nutrition to enhance their health and vitality. The result is a vibrant, safe park that serves as the lungs of the city.”
Presenting sponsors Project EverGreen and the Ohio Landscape Association and a team of local green industry volunteers worked together to complete a project that included:
- Pruning and shaping existing trees; removing dead limbs and branches
- Removing old turf and top dressing and reseeding to prevent erosion
- Deep edging the park’s planting beds and adding new soil and mulch
- Installing a selection of new trees and shrubs to increase carbon sequestration
- Adding turf nutrition and weed management applications
- Creating new attractive entryways to the park
“We are thrilled to see these improvements at our Helen Simpson Park,” said Deborah Gray, councilwoman Ward 4 City of Cleveland. “We’re so appreciative of the support shown to this neighborhood and the tremendous work completed to restore this beautiful park.”
Lead volunteers Yardmaster, Turf Pride Lawn Care and Paradise Landscapes provided crews to handle the renovation and planting duties. In-kind sponsors for the project included Advanced Turf Solutions, Bartlett Tree Co., Brightview, Buyansky Outdoor Supply, City of Cleveland Department of Parks, Recreation and Properties, John Deere, Klyn Nurseries, Lake County Nursery, Leppo Rents/Bobcat, SiteOne Landscape Supply, The Davey Tree Expert Company, and Weed Man.
“We were so happy that Project Evergreen asked the Ohio Landscape Association to be their partner on this project at Helen Simpson Park,” said Sandy Munley, executive director of the Ohio Landscape Association. “Public green spaces are such an important part of communities. They help to promote physical and mental health and make the surrounding areas a desirable place to live and play. Our members recognize the importance of giving back and jumped at the chance to provide their expertise and resources to this important project.”
BrightView acquires SGS Hawaii
BrightView Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BV), has announced the acquisition of SGS Hawaii, a commercial landscaping company headquartered in Wailuku, Hawaii with operations on Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1995, SGS Hawaii is a premier resort landscaping company with a loyal customer base in the resort industry. With more than 100 landscape professionals and a predominantly electric fleet, SGS focuses primarily on the hotel and resort sector, with services ranging from grounds management and lawn maintenance to irrigation, tree trimming, arbor care, soil testing, and fertilization.
“We are excited to welcome SGS Hawaii’s team members to the BrightView family, as we continue to grow our presence in Hawaii and execute upon our successful long-term acquisition growth strategy,” said Andrew Masterman, BrightView President, and Chief Executive Officer. “SGS’ expertise in the hotel and resort industry strengthens our portfolio, while its commitment to reducing carbon emissions through the use of electric powered equipment is the perfect complement to our environmental sustainability strategy.”
“SGS Hawaii has established a reputation across Hawaii’s resort industry for using battery-powered lawn equipment to minimize noise and emissions and for our wide use of effective organic fertilizers,” said Sidney Sparkman, RME, President of SGS Hawaii. “BrightView offers our company a national stage to demonstrate that landscape management can and should be stewards of the environment – this is SGS ' platform and BrightView’s vision! The BrightView Ohana brings significant opportunities and resources for our staff, which in turn will further enhance the client experience.”
SGS Hawaii is the second Hawaiian landscaping firm BrightView has purchased this year, joining Honolulu-based Performance Landscapes, which was acquired in January.
BrightView Development Services has been a licensed landscape and irrigation contractor in Hawaii since 2008. In addition to renovating the Hualalai Four Seasons in Kona following a tsunami in 2011, BrightView also restored the irrigation system for the Hilton Waikoloa Village and Resort and performed landscape architecture work at the Four Seasons Maui.
Oldcastle APG acquires Barrette Outdoor Living
Oldcastle APG, a CRH Company, has acquired Barrette Outdoor Living, an industry-leading manufacturer of fencing, railing, outdoor accents, and related products in North America. This acquisition will expand Oldcastle APG’s ability to offer retailers, dealers, contractors, and consumers a more diverse and comprehensive suite of durable and sustainable outdoor solutions.
Founded in 1975, Barrette Outdoor Living operates 10 manufacturing facilities and four distribution sites across the US and Canada. Over the past 45 years, Barrette has manufactured top-quality products with a reputation for exceptional flexibility, durability, and style. With its assorted range of offerings and established leadership in the outdoor living space, the acquisition of Barrette will bolster Oldcastle APG’s portfolio and expand opportunities for customers to access end-to-end architectural solutions.
“We are delighted to welcome Barrette Outdoor Living, along with its employees and loyal customer base, to Oldcastle APG,” said Tim Ortman, President, Oldcastle APG. “We are excited to see how the integration of our operations and product offerings, which are often installed alongside each other, will solidify APG’s position as the leading provider of building products for the complete outdoor living experience.”
Barrette’s extensive variety of features, such as decorative fencing, screens and railing, complement Oldcastle APG’s signature product lines which include Belgard hardscapes, Sakrete packaged products, Techniseal polymeric sand, and PebbleTec pool finishes.
“We are thrilled to join the Oldcastle APG family, whose commitment to delivering high-quality products to customers aligns with ours,” said Jean desAutels, CEO of Barrette Outdoor Living. “I am extremely proud of what we have achieved thus far, and I believe Oldcastle APG will continue to grow our business from here.”
