By Phil Key, CEO
As the holiday season approaches, I want to take a moment to reflect on the year behind us and express my thanks to each one of you—our dedicated employees, loyal customers, trusted vendors, and valued partners. This has been a year filled with tremendous growth, valuable learning, and unwavering teamwork. Each of you has shown dedication and a willingness to pull together to tackle challenges and deliver exceptional results. Your hard work and commitment drive our success, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved as a team.
This year, we made a significant shift in how we operate, transitioning from a division model based on service lines (Maintenance and Installation) to a geographically organized structure (North and South). This change provides more opportunity for our employees to grow and move between both sides of the business and enhances our ability to support and serve customers. While this transformation is still underway, we are already experiencing improved communication, increased efficiency, and greater collaboration across our organization. We are grateful to our team for their support through this transition and for embracing this change, which will help us stay agile and dynamic as we grow.
A major milestone this year was the integration of three outstanding partner companies—Tree Amigos, Scott’s Landscaping, and The Greenery of Charleston—into the Ruppert family. These partnerships have enriched our team, bringing valuable expertise and talented team members who align with our values and commitment to excellence. We have also achieved significant organic growth while successfully balancing these integrations—a testament to the hard work and dedication of our legacy teams, who continue to drive our success. This collective growth expands our reach, enhances our capabilities and positions us to provide even greater value to our customers.
A major highlight of the year was earning several prestigious landscape industry awards (see page 6), celebrating the exceptional quality and innovation our team consistently delivers. We also achieved a milestone by securing our largest landscape installation project to date—the $25 million Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America Project in Savannah, GA. These accomplishments reflect the dedication, expertise, and collaborative spirit of our team, as well as the strong partnerships we’ve built with our clients.
One of the most rewarding aspects of this past year has been witnessing the growth of our employees—people stepping up into new roles, moving to new markets, and mentoring the next generation of leaders. Providing growth opportunities is a core part of who we are, and it’s great to see so many talented individuals advancing in their careers, taking on new challenges, and achieving their personal and professional goals. While each promotion celebrates the hard work of the individual, it also strengthens the foundation of our organization, reminding us that we’re always stronger when we grow together.
As we head into 2025, I’m confident we’ll continue to work together, respect and support one another, and stay committed to excellence in everything we do. I hope this holiday season is filled with health, happiness, and time to recharge and enjoy the company of family and friends.