Ruppert Landscape Inc.

Ruppert History
Ruppert Landscape was incorporated in 1976 and became a nationally-recognized landscape contractor known for its sound business practices, focus on employee development and quality of its landscape construction and landscape management services provided across the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area, Philadelphia, PA and Atlanta, GA markets. The company was sold in 1998 during a period of industry consolidation, but in August 2003, upon completion of the five-year restriction period that accompanied the sale, Ruppert Landscape returned to the industry with full-scale commercial landscape construction and landscape management divisions. A large percentage of the company's management team returned over the years. In the 10 year time period that followed, the company has grown to $84 million (anticipated 2013 revenue) and over 100 returning employees have rejoined the company

Services
Ruppert Landscape provides commercial landscape construction and landscape management services in the mid-Atlantic regions comprised of 15 branches in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. At present, approximately 50% of the business is landscape management and 50% of the business is landscape construction. Ruppert's landscape management services include the following: grounds management contract services, landscape enhancements, floral care, turf care, irrigation system management, pond and lake management, arbor care, snow and ice management and holiday lighting/decoration. Ruppert's landscape construction services include the following: budgeting & pre-construction service, green roof installation, planting, hardscape & irrigation installation, sports-turf and water feature construction and project & sub-contract management.

A Dedicated Team
At the cornerstone of the Ruppert philosophy is the idea that "taking excellent care of our employees will result in our employees taking excellent care of our customers." That employee care program includes: A broad base of ownership, employee incentive programs, various awards and recognition programs, extensive skills and management training, open-book management and active community service programs. In addition, there is an average Ruppert tenure of 14 years within the ranks of branch and executive managers, and an industry tenure average of 22 years within that same group. The benefits of this unusual level of loyalty and experience cannot be measured, but are felt in every aspect of company, customer and field operations.

Philosophy and Culture
Ruppert Landscape is a family-owned business with a clearly defined mission of delivering a high-quality product, top-notch customer service and giving back to the communities where we work and live. Throughout the company's long history, Ruppert has been known nationwide for its cutting-edge management practices, and has regularly won top business management and industry craftsmanship awards. The company continues to dedicate itself to providing exceptional value to clients and to providing significant opportunities for employees to grow and prosper. The work culture and values practiced at Ruppert Landscape are unique to the company, are rooted deep in its history and are a primary reason for the continued success of the organization. This culture fosters employee pride and loyalty, requires a great deal of effort and emphasizes high-quality workmanship and customer service. The net result is a team of management and staff that thrive on challenge, believe they will overcome all obstacles and who seek to exceed customer expectations.

Safety
Ensuring that all persons on a jobsite are protected from injury and hazards is of paramount importance. This includes correcting potentially unsafe working, site conditions or working procedures; maintaining tools and equipment properly; and enforcing all safety rules and procedures. The end result is a company that is substantially safer and attuned to maintaining a jobsite that promotes safety.

Financial Standing
The company's long history of success has resulted in a strong financial capacity. This ability allows us to invest in people and make capital investments that increase our capability to do the job and continually improve. Ruppert Landscape's bonding capacity is one of the highest in the construction industry.

A Track Record of Growth
Healthy growth has been a trademark of the Ruppert organization. This growth has been recognized by Inc. Magazine, among other publications, through inclusion on their list of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies. Growth is more than recognition of Ruppert's health; it helps to create a forward-thinking environment.

Taking Care of the Environment
For three decades, Ruppert has consistently made a positive impact on the environment by planting nearly 1,000,000 trees and shrubs since its inception and growing more than 70,000 wholesale trees on over 500 acres in Montgomery County, Maryland. Not new to the green movement, which is fast-gaining public momentum, the company is using its resources proactively in many areas. These include, among others:
o The 2008 construction of a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified corporate campus in Laytonsville (MD)
o The 2011 completion of a solar farm at its corporate campus, taking this facility completely off the grid
o The use of hybrid vehicles at all locations; 90% of our corporate management fleet are hybrids
o Water reclamation systems being used at several facilities for irrigation.
o The use of oil/grit separators in all company owned facilities
o Standard business recycling practices at all locations
o The U.S. Green Building Council LEED accreditation of individuals within both the installation and maintenance divisions who have achieved the status of LEED Accredited Professional. (LEED AP)
o The use of organic landscape chemicals and materials (when requested)
o The use of organic waste recycling at selected facilities
o Retrofitting of several of the company's existing facilities with more energy efficient lamps and ballasts.

A Commitment to Ethics
An attitude of integrity has been fostered in all employees. The company is committed to dealing with co-workers, vendors and customers in an honest, straight-forward and ethical manner. This means that overpayments are refunded, time commitments are met or rescheduled well in advance, verbal agreements are honored, and disagreements are handled professionally. In 2007, the company was honored with a National Capital Business Ethics Award in the large company category by The National Chapter of the Society of Financial Services Professionals. The award recognizes companies that have demonstrated integrity, civil and social responsibility, and business excellence.