The Greenery Celebrates 50 Years
Friday, May 26, 2023 | The Greenery, Inc.
Celebrates 20 years as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
The Greenery, Inc., a landscaping company based in Hilton Head, SC, is commemorating its 50th Anniversary of creating beautiful landscaping in the Lowcountry.
Established on Hilton Head Island in 1973 by Ruthie and Berry Edwards, The Greenery started as a small landscape nursery with a staff of six employees, a couple of old pickup trucks, and the desire to do something different. With a focus on hiring the most knowledgeable and experienced landscaping and gardening staff in the area, the Edwards family was able to grow The Greenery into one of the largest and most highly respected landscaping companies in the Southeast.
While celebrating its 50th anniversary, The Greenery acknowledges that its efforts are about their people. Before his retirement, Berry Edwards started working towards an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) as a way to give back to the dedicated employees who had helped him develop and grow the business. By 2007, it became a 100% employee-owned company. This year marks its 20th anniversary as an ESOP.
The Edwards Family
Lee Edwards, son of Ruthie and Berry, who grew up in and around the landscape company, is now CEO. “Above all else, we value the people that make up The Greenery,” says Edwards. “From the commercial and residential sites to those in the offices, garden center and gift shop, The Greenery is comprised of more than 800 dedicated individuals that have led to our success day in and day out.”
In the last several years, The Greenery, Inc. has expanded to serve markets in Greenville and Spartanburg in South Carolina as well as Jacksonville, Amelia Island and Daytona in Florida.
“The first 50 years of The Greenery have been full of growth and expansion,” explains Edwards. “We look forward to seeing what the next 50 years has in store as we continue to provide our customers with exceptional landscape maintenance.”
The Greenery, Inc., an employee-owned company, has served Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Beaufort, Savannah GA and Charleston SC and other coastal Georgia and South Carolina regions since 1973 with comprehensive landscaping services including residential and commercial landscape installation and maintenance, hardscapes and irrigation.
National trade publication, Turf Magazine, recently featured this article on The Greenery’s 50th anniversary.
By Christine Menapace – Turf Magazine March 3, 2023
