TruGreen/Scotts LawnService Merger | Tomlinson Bomberger

Reactions to TruGreen and Scotts LawnService Merger

Category: Lawn Care

shady lawnIf you’re a customer of either TruGreen or Scotts LawnService in the Lancaster, York, Lebanon, or Harrisburg areas, you may be in for some change this year.

The two companies merged in January 2016 as TruGreen took over interests of Scotts LawnService. The national lawn care company conglomerate now will service over 2.3 million customers for a combined $1.3 billion in revenue.

Although many of the details will be worked out over the next year or so, this merger generated a lot of discussion within the lawn care industry.

If you’d like to read more details on the merger, you can find it easily in any internet search. We thought it would be prudent to discuss the merging of these two industry giants. And, possibly give some points to ponder for local TruGreen or Scotts LawnService customers in the Central PA area.

What Does the TruGreen and Scotts LawnService Mean in Lancaster, York, Lebanon, or Harrisburg, PA?

Reading reactions of other local lawn care companies seemed to be like reading our own minds in some respects. For the most part, local lawn care companies based in small to medium markets have greeted this news with enthusiasm.

I informally polled some of our team and got some reactions as well. The consensus was that the merger will be good for our organization.  We believe this is so because it presents only one very “low-cost” competitor in the market.

We’ve found that comparing that type of service with our own lawn care programs shows a distinct quality difference. The merger may even result in future lawn care team member candidates should we have an opening.

athletic fieldMore importantly, our team speculated on what the merger would do for property owners or managers in our area that are using one of the now big-box-store lawn care companies.

Our Commercial Account Managers seemed relatively unaffected by the merger. Most of the school districts, municipalities, and businesses they provide estimates for don’t typically entertain low cost estimates. Also, many seek to find a higher level of customization to their lawn and athletic field needs.

What Happens to Central PA TruGreen and Scotts LawnService Customers and Employees?

Most of the comments that circulated with team members questioned what it may be like for the Scotts or TruGreen client in the months and year to come. We’ve seen mergers of large firms like this in the past. This caused us to wonder if we will see a similar wave of activity.

The last merger of JC Ehrlich selling their lawn and tree care operations to Scotts was the most recent example. This provided a lot of sales opportunity for our team as homeowners were looking for a “local business” option.

We also benefited from this merger in terms of personnel. Some very experienced lawn care team members joined us! Our production, sales, and management teams all benefited as these people looked for new job opportunities.

Should Central PA TruGreen and Scotss LawnService Customers Find a Local Lawn Care Company?

question markOne can’t help but wonder what changes await for Central PA residents who use those national chains. We speculate that Scotts LawnService customers may see the most significant changes as the company is assimilated by the larger TruGreen.

Will their lawn care treatments transition from granular to primarily liquid applications? Will they no longer receive treatments from Scotts proprietary materials? Who will end up being their designated lawn care technician? Will the branch office that services their property be relocated?

In our market, the TruGreen location is based in Lititz, PA and the Scotts LawnService operations run out of Middletown. Will the two offices merge? How will the changes in company structure affect their employees?

Will disgruntled workers who left one company to work for the other continue to work there? Will their customers see changes in the way their newly merged company communicates or attempts to telemarket them?

Choosing a Local Lawn Care Company in Lancaster, York, or Harrisburg, PA

Voted Number 1 Lawn Care CompanyQuestions raise yet even more questions and it will be interesting to see what lies ahead. With many of merger details being uncertain we can only state the certainty of Tomlinson Bomberger Lawn Care, Landscape & Pest Control.

Our company is still a locally-based company in Lancaster, PA that serves 5 surrounding counties. Our lawn care team has seen very little transition over the years.

As we grow, we may add one or two team members, but the team that existed last year looks much the same as it does this year. We still have dedicated Account Managers that not only know how to help you with your lawn care needs, but those for trees, landscaping, and pest control.

Our standing in our market is strong as the largest locally-owned company, for over 35 years. We continue to win #1 Lawn Care Service from Lancaster Newspapers and Lancaster County Magazine each year, thanks to our hard-working team.

If you would like to consider what our company could do for your lawn and other property needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d be happy to explain how we can make sure you and your lawn is our #1 priority.