CHANGING THE GAME
Exploring Ethoscapes’s Meteoric Rise Through M&A and Organic Growth
By Jill Odom
IF YOU HADN’T HEARD OF THE company Ethoscapes five years ago, that would be understandable, as the business was created in 2023. However, since then, they have soared into the spotlight with their rapid M&A and organic growth.
In 2024, the business was the sec-
ond-fastest growing company out of Landscape Management’s Top 150, with 203% growth in revenue year-over-year. “The rapid growth of our develop- ment can be attributed to successfully executing our growth strategy,” says Manny Gonzalez, CEO of this Houston, Texas-based company. “Clearly, growth can occur in two ways — organically and through acquisitions — and we have pursued both. However, to achieve our goals, the enterprise must not only have a clear, executable strategy but also the right equipment, systems, market awareness, client confidence, and, most importantly, the right people to execute the plan, ensuring a balanced approach to integration and scaling.”
HOW ETHOSCAPES WAS BORN Gonzalez previously worked in the oil and gas industry, where he focused on the environmental aspects of the business.
In 2020, Gonzalez and Stenning Schueppert, the managing partner of Evolution Strategy Partners, recognized an opportunity within the landscape industry to unite major family-owned businesses and develop them into a large, professionally managed enterprise. Later that same year, they acquired Westco Grounds Maintenance, which was established in 1984. In 2023, they established Ethoscapes as the parent company. “My shift into the landscape industry began as an investment opportunity with a private equity firm, where I served as an operating partner,” Gonzalez says. “Once we finalized our first acquisition in the landscape sector, I decided to step away from the firm and take on the role of CEO to lead the platform business.” Gonzalez says while Schueppert excels in deal-making, financial strategy, and negotiating, his own strengths lie on the human side of operations. “I focus on understanding talent and
how well individuals fit their roles, as well as optimizing organizational structure
32 The Edge //May/June 2025
and operational efficiency,” Gonzalez says. “I also place a strong emphasis on communication — ensuring the team is aligned with the vision of growth, syner- gies, system professionalization, safety, and company culture.” Evolution Strategy Partners has quar-
terly board meetings with Ethoscapes as well as weekly team meetings to provide updates on safety, sales, operations, and financial matters. Gonzalez says when they are in M&A mode, the Evolution team collaborates closely with him and a select group of others.
ETHOSCAPES’S BUSINESS STRUCTURE So far, Ethoscapes has completed six acquisitions over four years. After acquiring Westco, they added on Cham- pions Hydro-Lawn in 2023 and Houston Landscapes Unlimited (HLU) in 2024, as well as three smaller acquisitions. Gonzalez says the plan initially was to
use Westco as their platform company, but as their M&A strategy evolved, they decided to establish Ethoscapes as the parent platform company.
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