Riverview Landscapes Breaks Into Long Island with Strategic RSLA Acquisition

Riverview Landscapes is making a definitive move onto Long Island with the acquisition of Richard Sperber Landscaping Associates (RSLA), a well-respected East Hampton landscape and snow services firm. This transaction not only marks geographic expansion, but it also highlights Riverview’s disciplined M&A strategy of aggregating long-standing local firms to build a regional powerhouse.

Deal Summary

• Buyer: Riverview Landscapes, a rapidly growing commercial and residential landscape services company backed by Talus Holdings and its founding management team.
• Target: Richard Sperber Landscaping Associates (RSLA), rooted in East Hampton, NY, providing full-spectrum landscape and snow management services.
• Market Expansion: This acquisition represents Riverview’s entry into the Long Island market, a key strategic growth area.
• Scale: The deal is Riverview’s 17th acquisition since 2022, illustrating an accelerated roll-up tempo in its core markets.
• Leadership Continuity: Magally Nunez, long-time RSLA manager, will become Branch Manager of the new East Hampton office, while Operations Manager Edgar Vasquez stays on in his role.
• New Talent: Riverview is also bringing in Ben Tepperman as its Long Island Account Manager; he brings a horticulture background, local experience, and more than a decade of industry expertise.
• Founder Role: RSLA’s founder, Richard Sperber, remains involved to ensure a smooth handoff and to preserve client relationships built over decades.
• Advisory Team: Clendenin Anthony served as exclusive financial advisor to RSLA in the transaction.

Industry Context

Riverview’s acquisition of RSLA is emblematic of a broader consolidation wave sweeping the commercial landscaping industry. As regional platforms backed by private equity scale, they’re targeting established, family-led businesses in affluent and high-barrier markets. Long Island, with its blend of commercial properties, upscale residential communities, and seasonal demand (snow management included), is a particularly attractive submarket.

Through these acquisitions, consolidators like Riverview can deliver enhanced operational capacity, invest in technology, and standardize best practices across branch offices - while preserving the reputation and customer loyalty of legacy operators like RSLA.

Lower-Middle-Market Roll-Up Perspective

Analyzing this deal through a roll-up strategy lens reveals several key insights:

1. Regional Expansion via Bolt-On: Rather than launching a greenfield operation, Riverview is entering Long Island by integrating a well-known local operator, reducing market risk.
2. Preserving Local Heritage: By retaining RSLA’s long-time managers and bringing on trusted internal leaders, Riverview safeguards institutional knowledge and customer relationships.
3. Leveraging Talent: Recruiting Ben Tepperman for account leadership brings subject-matter expertise and local presence that can help deepen customer relationships.
4. Scalable Growth Model: This transaction supports Riverview’s larger playbook - scale via acquisition, maintain brand quality, and build a network of differentiated, local branches.
5. Private Capital Enabler: With backing from Talus Holdings, Riverview has the capital and infrastructure to support a high-velocity M&A cadence, reinforcing its platform-through-buyout model.

Why This Sector Is Attractive for Roll-Ups

• Fragmented Landscape: Many established landscape companies remain independently owned, making them ripe for platform acquisition.
• Recurring Revenue Streams: Maintenance, snow, and seasonal service contracts provide stable, predictable cash flows.
• Operational Leverage: Platforms can generate cost synergies through shared supply chains, centralized admin, and cross-branch training.
• Scalability: Acquisitions enable platforms to expand quickly into target geographies without the time and risk of opening from scratch.
• PE Appeal: Landscaping platforms deliver recurring service revenue, manageable capital intensity, and significant opportunity for consolidation - an attractive mix for investors.

Conclusion

By acquiring RSLA, Riverview Landscapes secures a strategic entry point into the Long Island market and reinforces its trend of building a robust Northeast landscaping platform through acquisitions. The deal preserves the legacy of RSLA, retains its leadership team, and brings new talent - all while delivering on Riverview’s broader scale ambitions.

For long-standing local landscapers, this deal highlights an opportunity: joining a well-capitalized platform like Riverview can preserve your business identity while unlocking growth potential. For investors and operators, the transaction underscores that disciplined consolidation in landscaping is not only viable - it’s accelerating.