LOS ANGELES – November 06, 2026 -- Landscape industry veteran Richard Sperber has partnered with Austin, Texas-based American Operator to steer independent landscape businesses into succession deals that keep them locally owned and operated.
Sperber to advise on deal sourcing as consolidation reshapes landscaping
Sperber will advise on buying and selling landscape businesses, identify acquisition opportunities and connect interested parties with American Operator. He helped grow his family's company, ValleyCrest, founded by his father Burt Sperber, into one of the nation's largest landscape services companies.
The partnership gives owners another succession route as industry consolidation continues. Sperber said small local businesses are often the toughest competitors in any market, but "too many are disappearing."
Operate-to-Own model gives operators a path to majority ownership
American Operator buys established businesses and keeps their names, employees and local identities intact. Under its Operate-to-Own model, it acquires companies alongside experienced industry professionals. The operator runs the business as CEO, earns an ownership stake and eventually becomes majority owner.
The arrangement targets three groups:
- Business owners considering succession, who can sell while preserving their legacy and local identity.
- Aspiring owners, who can take over an established company without financing an entire acquisition.
- Industry advisors, who can share expertise, support new owners and potentially receive an equity stake.
Dan Long, Chief Investment Officer at American Operator, said Sperber brings industry expertise and a trusted network built over decades. He added that the pairing can help retiring owners preserve what they built and open ownership to the next generation of landscape leaders.
Sperber to meet owners at NALP Elevate, November 8-11
Sperber will attend NALP Elevate, November 8-11, to meet landscape business owners and industry professionals interested in the partnership.