Investera Holdings is a Michigan family-operated company that acquires landscaping and grounds maintenance businesses and keeps them running. We are operators and buyers, not a brokerage and not a passive fund. When we buy a Durham landscaping company, we bring proven systems and a professional management layer so the crews keep rolling and the properties keep looking sharp long after the owner steps back. Our own portfolio, CT Cleaners and Optimal Facility Services, reflects that operating mindset, service businesses we own and run for the long term. If you have built a respected grounds business in the Bull City and are weighing a transition, we would welcome a confidential conversation.
Why Durham owners are thinking about selling now
Durham’s humid subtropical climate gives landscapers one of the longest working seasons in the country, and that steady rhythm is the backbone of a strong grounds business. From the first spring green-up through a long, warm growing season, commercial properties need mowing, edging, mulching, and bed maintenance on a set schedule. The office parks around Research Triangle Park, the corporate campuses along I-40 and the Durham Freeway, the retail around Streets at Southpoint, the HOAs in Hope Valley and the master-planned communities on the city’s edges, and the extensive green space at Duke all depend on grounds crews who show up on contract, week after week.
Seasonality gives a well-run Durham operation multiple revenue peaks: spring cleanups and mulch, summer mowing routes, and a heavy fall leaf season under all those oaks and pines, with occasional winter ice events adding storm work. Owners who have spent years locking in commercial maintenance agreements and HOA contracts are holding real, transferable value. The right time to realize that value is while the route book is full and the crews are seasoned. What matters is selling to a buyer who will honor those contracts and keep the team employed, which is exactly what we do.
Who we buy in the Durham area
We are looking for established Durham-area landscaping and grounds companies with recurring commercial or HOA contracts, not just one-off installs. The best fit is a business built on maintenance agreements and a dependable crew, with an owner ready to hand it to a team that will keep the quality up.
- Recurring revenue from commercial or HOA maintenance contracts
- Roughly $500K or more in revenue or SDE (close is fine)
- Crew leaders and staff who can run the routes daily
- A solid reputation across Durham commercial or residential properties
- An owner open to a clean handoff or staying on a season
If that describes your company, we should talk. And if one or two points are not a perfect match, call anyway, because we care far more about the strength of your contracts and crew than about a flawless checklist.
What makes selling to Investera different
No broker fees. We buy directly, so there is no listing commission cutting into your proceeds and no getting shopped around a marketplace.
A confidential process. Your crews, your clients, and your competitors hear nothing until you say so. Early talks stay strictly between us.
Creative deal structures. A clean exit, a phased handoff, seller financing, or an arrangement where you stay on, we shape the terms around your goals.
Operators, not a fund. We run service businesses ourselves through CT Cleaners and Optimal Facility Services. We buy grounds companies to operate them, not to flip.
How the process works
We keep things simple and low-pressure. It begins with a confidential call about your business, your contract base, and the transition you have in mind. If we both see a fit, we sign an NDA and review your financials and the shape of your route book. Then we bring a clear offer with honest terms. Because we are the direct buyer and there is no broker in the middle, you deal with the decision-makers the whole way, which keeps everything discreet and moving.
We will take care of what you built
After we acquire a Durham landscaping business, our focus is keeping every property serviced and every crew working through the seasons. We put a professional management layer in place, a dedicated general manager and operations lead, so the company runs without the owner driving every route and every estimate. The client relationships, the reputation, and the crews you built are the real value of the business, and we protect them. We buy to keep the trucks rolling, not to break the company apart.
Learn more about what we buy, see how we acquire landscaping & grounds businesses, or read about Investera Holdings.
Frequently asked questions
How much is my landscaping business worth in Durham?
It depends on your numbers, but well-run landscaping and grounds companies with recurring maintenance revenue typically sell in a range of roughly 2.5 to 4 times SDE (seller’s discretionary earnings). Your contract mix, route density, equipment, and how much the business relies on you all affect the figure. We will give you a realistic range from your actuals, never a guarantee.
Will this be kept confidential?
Yes. Confidentiality is our default. We sign an NDA and keep everything private, so your crews, clients, and competitors hear nothing until you are ready to tell them.
Are there broker or commission fees?
No. We are the direct buyer, not a broker, so there are no commissions or listing fees taken from your proceeds. Dealing with us means dealing with the buyer.
Can I stay involved after the sale?
If you want to. Some owners prefer a clean break, others like to stay through a season to help with the transition and hand off key accounts. We can build the deal either way.
How long does a typical deal take?
When both sides feel it is a fit, a clean transaction usually closes in weeks rather than many months, because we decide in-house with no broker slowing things down. We move at your pace.
What areas around Durham do you buy in?
We buy throughout Durham County and the wider Triangle, including Chapel Hill, Cary, Morrisville, Hillsborough, and Raleigh. Routes reaching into those areas are a plus, not a problem.
Start a confidential conversation
If you own a landscaping or grounds company in the Durham area and any of this resonates, let’s talk. A first conversation is confidential, carries no obligation, and costs only a little time. Reach out and we will listen first, learn your business, and be honest about whether there is a fit. When you are ready to think about what comes after the years you have invested, we are ready to listen.