West Tree Service and Woodson Inc., both of Little Rock, are two of the most recent companies to join Gunnison.
Warren Equity Partners of Atlanta has acquired three companies, including two in Arkansas, that will be incorporated into Gunnison, its network of tree management companies.
Gunnison provides tree removal, right-of-way maintenance and other services to electric utilities, residential homes, commercial buildings and municipalities. Joining the network are West Tree Service of Little Rock; Woodson Inc. of Little Rock; and Pittman’s Tree and Landscaping of Front Royal, Virginia.
Financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
The two Arkansas companies — West Tree Service and Woodson — together employ about 600 people, Gunnison spokeswoman Jessie McClellan told Arkansas Business by email this week.
West Tree Service provides vegetation management services to utilities in the south-central U.S. Woodson provides tree removal and right-of-way clearing services for utilities and municipalities in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic U.S. Pittman handles vegetation management services for utilities and government customers in the mid-Atlantic.
Ford Overton, CEO of West Tree Service; Steve Woodson, CEO of Woodson; and Calley Pittman of Pittman’s will continue to lead their respective companies, according to a news release.
Overton and his brother Warren purchased family-owned West Tree service in 2003.
According to Warren Equity Partners, the acquired companies will retain their names but be slightly rebranded as Gunnison companies. Overton and Woodson will have “significant equity stakes” in Gunnison, according to the news release.
“There are no major operational shifts beyond expanding the capacity and reach of the individual companies,” McClellan said. “They will have more resources to leverage.”
“I am excited to be part of the Gunnison family, which shares similar core values with West Tree Service regarding safety, integrity and people,” Overton said in the release. “It is business as usual at West Tree Service, and we are well positioned for growth by being a part of Gunnison.”
Woodson called Gunnison “the perfect fit due to its strong reputation, geographic diversification and cultural alignment.”
Matt Cathell, described as “a significant shareholder” in Gunnison, will be the company’s CEO. Other companies in the Gunnison network include Gunnison Tree Services, New Urban Forestry, Oddjob Tree Specialists and Redfern Tree Service.
“We are excited to build a best-in-class vegetation management organization that is local in service, but national in scale,” Michael Zhang, principal at Warren Equity, said in the release. “The fragmented vegetation management industry is ripe for consolidation of regional market leaders who, together on the same team, will better serve our customers and play a critical role in maintaining the aging electric grid.”
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