LMC Landscape Partners Acquires Helping Hand Lawn Care in Central Florida

What happened

LMC Landscape Partners, a commercial landscaping platform and portfolio company of Trivest Partners, announced on October 6, 2026, that it had acquired Helping Hand Lawn Care, a full-service commercial landscaping company serving Central Florida. The deal came in the same release as a Houston transaction, in which LMC Houston added landscape professionals, customer relationships, and operational resources from Nash Landscaping. Helping Hand will keep operating under its own brand, and its employees and leadership join LMC's Florida operations under Regional Vice President Steven Brackin. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The seller

Founded in 2003, Helping Hand describes itself as veteran-founded and family-owned. It operates from Zellwood and Orlando, and its commercial work covers landscape maintenance, irrigation, pest control, installation and enhancements, and tree care. Its featured work is at public sites: two projects at Orlando International Airport, one on International Drive in Orlando, and the SunRail station in Altamonte Springs.

Norm Ripper is the company's president, and its leadership team includes Elder Ripper, vice president of business development, and Reginald Pinard, whom the release identifies as vice president of operations. The release does not name the sellers. "We are excited to join LMC and begin this next chapter with a partner that values our people, our clients, and what we have built," Pinard said. "This partnership gives our team additional resources and opportunities while allowing us to continue serving our clients as Helping Hand."

The buyer

LMC provides capital and shared services to founder- and family-owned commercial landscaping companies and runs regional operations across Texas, Florida, and Alabama, through brands that include Woodlake Outdoor in Dallas–Fort Worth and Austin, LMC Houston, and ALM Commercial Landscaping in Alabama. Trivest is a Miami-based private investment firm with approximately $6 billion in assets under management, focused on founder-led and family-owned businesses.

Until this deal, LMC's Florida companies were both in South Florida. It entered the state in January 2024 with Cutters Edge Total Landscape Solutions of Davie, whose founder, William Quigley, is now LMC's vice president of mergers and acquisitions. In February 2026 it added Shinto Landscaping of Boca Raton, which serves Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Helping Hand establishes LMC in Central Florida.

"These transactions reflect exactly how we intend to grow: by building density in priority markets and partnering with talented local teams that have earned the trust of their customers," said Trey Brock, LMC's chief executive. "Nash strengthens the capabilities of LMC Houston, while Helping Hand gives us a strong entry point into the Central Florida market."

What this means for landscaping owners

The one release treated its two sellers differently. In Houston, where LMC already had a company, Nash is described as people, customer relationships, and resources added to LMC Houston. In Central Florida, where LMC had none, Helping Hand keeps its name and brings its leadership into the platform's Florida operations. Whether a buyer already operates in a seller's market shaped what happened to each business's identity here, so it is worth establishing early with any platform. And the company LMC used to enter Central Florida features work at an airport, International Drive, and a rail station, so public-sector accounts were part of the book a platform chose to open a new metro with. Owners weighing that kind of conversation can start with our guide to selling a landscaping business to private equity.

OffDeal is an advisory firm that helps lower-middle-market business owners sell with confidence. Reach out to learn more about our expertise with landscaping businesses in Florida.

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Source: Business Wire - https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261006784466/en/