Most recent transaction expands Russell’s footprint into the growing Texas market

The Sterling Group Foundation Fund (the “Foundation Fund”), an operationally focused lower middle market private equity firm, today announced that portfolio company Russell Landscape Group (“Russell” or the “Company”), a leading provider of commercial landscape maintenance and construction services, has completed its fifth acquisition since the Foundation Fund’s initial investment in 2024. The acquisitions collectively augment Russell’s leading market position, with the Company now managing 16 regional operations across the Southeast.

Russell’s acquisition of Utz Environmental Services, a commercial landscaping services provider based in Austin, Texas, marks the Company’s first operation in Texas. The addition of Utz builds on the Company’s momentum in 2025, following the acquisitions of Executive Landscaping Inc. and Southern Hospitality Lawn & Landscaping, both based in Florida, in May.

With the five acquisitions over the past 18 months, Russell has expanded its facility footprint across six states: Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The Company has a growing presence in the major metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Tampa, the Florida Panhandle, Charleston, Nashville, Raleigh, Savannah, and Austin.

“Expanding into Texas is an important milestone for our team and the natural next step in Russell’s growth trajectory,” said Teddy Russell, CEO of Russell and second-generation founder. “With these five acquisitions and the Foundation Fund’s support, we have quickly built a regional leader with the scale and expertise to deliver high-quality service to customers located across the South.”

“We are excited about the progress Teddy and the Russell team have made over the past year and a half. With these acquisitions, Russell has partnered with best-in-class local operators and rapidly scaled the business, providing a strong foundation for implementing additional value creation initiatives,” said Lucas Cutler, Partner at the Foundation Fund. The Sterling Group has a long history of partnering with entrepreneurs and management teams to support the continued advancement of their businesses. Through organic growth and further acquisitions, Russell intends to continue building the leading commercial landscaping services provider in the Southern U.S.

About Russell Landscape Group

Headquartered in Sugar Hill, Georgia, Russell Landscape Group is a family-owned provider of full-service landscape maintenance, installation, and design services to commercial end markets across the Southeast. Russell is the largest independent landscaping company in the state of Georgia and operates across six states within the Atlanta, Tampa, the Florida Panhandle, Charleston, Nashville, Raleigh, Savannah, and Austin metropolitan areas. For further information, please visit www.russelllandscapegroup.com.

About The Sterling Group Foundation Fund

Founded in 1982, The Sterling Group is a private equity and private credit investment firm that targets investments in basic manufacturing, distribution, and industrial services companies. Typical enterprise values of these companies at initial formation range from $100 million to $750 million. Sterling has sponsored the buyout of 76 platform companies and numerous add-on acquisitions for a total transaction value of over $25 billion. Sterling currently has approximately $9 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit www.sterling-group.com.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results and all investments are subject to loss.

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