The Edge January/February 2026

CHANGING THE GAME

Rooted in Relationships: Inside the Formation of Hatcher Landscape Partners

By Jill Odom

IN SEPTEMBER 2025, OLIVE BRANCH, MISSISSIPPI-BASED MICHAEL Hatcher & Associates and Raleigh, North Carolina-based GreenView Partners came together to form the new Hatcher Landscape Partners.

geographical distance, the two compa nies’ shared values and extremely similar cultures that have allowed them to unify and strengthen their teams. HLP is also backed by private equity firm Walnut Grove Capital Partners. “Given our long-term vision for MHA and GVP, this strategic partnership was the only logical next step,” Sneed says. “It allowed us to invest more deeply in our people, systems, and infrastructure – providing the foundation to achieve our long-term growth initiatives while maintaining our culture.” Sneed says Walnut Grove stood out as a partner who understood their culture and valued their team as the true differentiator. Unlike other private equity firms, Walnut Grove has a long-term focus rather than concentrating on short-term returns. accountability partner, which has made us sharper as leaders and more disciplined in execution.” THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS HLP’s model allows them to combine the scale and resources of a larger orga nization with the trust of a local partner. Both Green View Partners and Michael Hatcher & Associates will maintain their brands in their regions. Meanwhile, HLP’s branch support center centralizes tasks such as account ing, HR, technology and marketing. “This enables our local teams to focus on serving our customers while growing their teams and expanding within the markets in which they operate,” Sneed says. “It’s the balance between local “We lead the day-to-day business, and they help us think long-term about growth, structure, and cap ital allocation,” Sneed says. “They’ve been a sounding board, a resource, and an

grow via partnership, not consolidation. “We can provide shared resources like technology, systems, finance, HR, and training that help local teams thrive without losing what makes them special,” Sneed says. Sneed says the partnership with Dar rin Hockstra and the GreenView Partners team was several years in the making. “We knew years back that the two businesses would be better together – with the ability to invest in technolo gies, create more team member growth opportunities/benefits, and ultimately build a healthy organizational structure to support each of our local teams and the commit ment to our custom ers,” Sneed says. Despite their

This landscape platform was created out of a desire to offer a new breed of commercial landscape company that blends operational excellence with authentic stewardship. “Commercial landscaping has too often been treated as a transactional service,” says Russ Sneed, CEO of Hatcher Landscape Partners. “Contracts are won on price, work is delivered with little investment in people, and high turnover leaves clients and communities underserved. What truly sustains great companies isn’t shortcuts, it’s people who feel valued, trusted client relation ships, and leaders committed to building something deeply rooted.” POWERED BY PARTNERSHIPS Sneed notes that they are choosing to

28 The Edge // January/February 2026