The Bruce Company of WI, Inc.

What The Bruce Company of WI, Inc. does

The Bruce Company of WI, Inc. is a family-owned, Middleton, Wisconsin-based operator founded in 1952 that runs four integrated business lines out of a single southern Wisconsin footprint: a retail Garden Center, professional Landscape Services, a Wholesale Nursery and Distribution division, and ancillary services including interiorscapes and seasonal snow management. The Garden Center at 2830 Parmenter St. functions as a multi-department retail destination covering plants, annuals, perennials, shrubs, casual outdoor furniture (premium brands such as POLYWOOD, Castelle, Jensen Outdoor, Lloyd Flanders, Telescope, Nardi, Barlow Tyrie, and Kingsley Bate), Weber grilling equipment (Spirit, Genesis, Summit, charcoal, electric, pellet, and smokers), boutique home goods, and a plant desk support function, supported by seasonal promotions and gift cards. Landscape Services span residential and commercial design/build, irrigation (Certified Irrigation Association member using Hunter, Rain Bird, Netafim, and Toro), ponds and water features, recurring commercial maintenance, commercial snow management with 350+ personnel, and interiorscape plant programs. The Wholesale division operates approximately 400 acres of nursery production in south central Wisconsin and a distribution yard supplying landscape contractors, with authorized Aquascape Pro Pond Distributor coverage across Wisconsin and Illinois.

The company serves three primary customer segments: residential homeowners (primary) in the greater Madison area purchasing retail goods and design/build services; commercial enterprises (primary) including corporate, healthcare, education, retail, hospitality, and insurance clients such as Epic Systems, Alliant Energy, American Girl, QBE Insurance, SSM Health, CUNA Mutual, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Hilton Garden Inn, and Kalahari Resorts; and landscape contractors (secondary) purchasing wholesale nursery stock, construction materials, and pond supplies. A small but distinct segment is new home builders, exemplified by a Veridian Homes partnership for packaged landscape installations. Revenue mechanics combine one-time project revenue (design/build, retail), recurring or contracted services (commercial maintenance, interiorscapes, snow management), and transaction-based wholesale distribution, with pricing ranging from unit-priced retail merchandise and percentage-off seasonal promotions to project-bid commercial work and minimum-$5 gift cards. Marketing is executed through organic social (Facebook, YouTube, Houzz, Pinterest, Instagram), in-store events and workshops, content marketing (blog, how-to videos, plant care tips), email newsletters, and local SEO.

Operationally, the company reports 300+ total employees, a 350+ strong snow management crew, and a leadership team that includes a CFO, a President and CEO (Bliss Nicholson), a President and COO (Seth Nicholson), and functional department heads across Garden Center, Customer Service, Green Goods, Home Goods, Aquatic Services, Purchasing, and Wholesale. The company is privately held with no institutional investor, parent, or subsidiary entities disclosed and no funding rounds on record. It has received Madison Magazine's Best of Madison – Gold award for Lawn, Garden & Landscape for 19 consecutive years and operates with Certified Irrigation Association membership and Irrigation Association contractor credentials.

Name

The Bruce Company of WI, Inc.

Legal name

The Bruce Company of Wisconsin, Inc.

Website

https://brucecompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Bruce Company is a family-owned, Middleton, Wisconsin-based landscape services and garden center operator founded in 1952, serving residential homeowners, commercial enterprises, and landscape contractors across Wisconsin and Illinois with design/build, maintenance, snow management, retail, and wholesale nursery offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Services

NAICS

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs) (HSAIAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers) (AFAGAHAM), Tree Care & Arborist Services (BPABADAD), Nursery, Sod & Landscape Supply (Installation Support) (IMAIAIAJ), Soils, Mulch, Fertilizers & Lawn Care Chemicals Retail (CRAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Landscape design services
• Commercial landscape maintenance
• Garden center retail
• Wholesale nursery supplies
• Commercial snow management

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Garden Center Sales: Retail sales of plants, outdoor furniture, grills, garden supplies, boutique items, toys, and home goods through the Middleton garden center location and online shop.
2. Landscape Design and Construction Services: Full-service landscape design/build for residential and commercial properties. Includes patios, plantings, lighting, water features, irrigation systems, outdoor kitchens, pools, and landscape structures.
3. Commercial Landscape Maintenance: Ongoing landscape management services for commercial properties and multi-family developments including mowing, pruning, clean-up, weed control, and seasonal programs.
4. Snow Management Services: Commercial snow removal services for properties throughout Dane County during winter months. Includes plowing, deicing, salting, sidewalk clearing, and snow hauling.
5. Wholesale Nursery and Materials: Wholesale distribution of nursery stock (trees, shrubs, conifers), landscape construction materials (mulch, compost, edging, fertilizer), and pond supplies to landscape contractors and retailers.
6. Interiorscape Services: Interior plant design, installation, and ongoing maintenance services for commercial properties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Bruce Company designs, builds, and maintains residential and commercial landscapes, runs a retail Garden Center in Middleton, WI, and operates a wholesale nursery and distribution business selling plant material, landscape supplies, and Aquascape pond products to contractors and retailers across Wisconsin and Illinois. It also provides commercial snow removal and interiorscape plant services.

Product overview

The Bruce Company is a landscape services and garden center business offering a multi-department portfolio. The core offerings include a Garden Center (plants, outdoor furniture, grilling products, and boutique goods), Landscape Services (Design Build, Commercial Bid, Maintenance, Ponds & Water Features, Irrigation, Snow Management, and Interiorscapes), and Wholesale operations (Nursery, Distribution Yard, and Aquatic Distribution). The company also offers Gift Cards and Online Payment services. The Garden Center and Landscape Services are the primary revenue drivers, with wholesale nursery and distribution supporting both internal needs and external contractor customers across Wisconsin and Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garden Center Retail garden center selling plants, flowers, trees, shrubs, seeds, garden tools, seasonal plants, home goods, and outdoor living supplies, with dedicated departments for houseplants, annuals, perennials, herbs, roses, and garden art. Serves residential homeowners in the Madison, WI area.
• Casual Outdoor Furniture Outdoor furniture showroom featuring deep seating, dining sets, loungers, rockers, wicker, and teak furniture from multiple premium brands, for residential customers.
• Grilling Products Retail line of Weber gas, charcoal, electric, and pellet grills plus accessories, sold through the Garden Center.
• Boutique Retail boutique inside the Garden Center offering gifts, decor, women's apparel, toys, and confectionery items.
• Landscape Design Build Design and construction of residential and commercial landscapes including patios, plantings, lighting, water features, irrigation, outdoor kitchens, pools, fences, arbors, and pathways.
• Commercial Landscape Maintenance Ongoing commercial landscape management including mowing, tree and shrub pruning, spring/fall cleanup, weed control, turf care programs, annual flower installation, prairie maintenance, aquatic care, and holiday decorating.
• Commercial Landscape Construction Bid Commercial landscape construction services including site planning, landscape design, installation, and expert consultation delivered via a competitive bid process for corporate, medical, industrial, and municipal clients.
• Ponds and Water Features Design and installation of bubbling stones, fish/Koi ponds, fountains, pondless waterfalls, streams, recreational ponds, waterfalls, and rainwater harvest systems.
• Irrigation Services Design, installation, and service of irrigation systems for residential, commercial, and athletic field applications using smart irrigation technologies (rain sensors, ET controllers, soil moisture sensors, matched precipitation nozzles).
• Commercial Snow Management Snow plowing, deicing, salting, sidewalk clearing, and snow hauling for commercial, industrial, and multi-family properties, staffed by 350+ personnel using plow trucks, salt spreaders, loaders, and snowblowers.
• Interiorscapes Interior plant design, installation, and ongoing maintenance for commercial buildings using tropical foliage and flowering plants such as Ficus, Schefflera, Dracaena, Orchids, and Bromeliads.
• Wholesale Nursery Wholesale supply of shade trees (1.5"–6"), ornamentals (1.5"–4" single stem, 4–12 ft multi-stem), conifers (4–12 ft), and shrubs (3–8 ft) grown on approximately 400 acres in south central Wisconsin, serving landscape contractors and retailers.
• Wholesale Distribution Yard Wholesale distribution of landscape construction materials and plant material to landscape contractors and retailers, including compost, colored mulch, drainage tubing, edging, fertilizer, landscape fabrics, and rain garden mix.
• Wholesale Aquatic Distribution Wholesale distribution of Aquascape pond supplies — pond gravel, cobbles, boulders, large pond liners, fountains, and aeration systems — to contractors and retailers in Wisconsin and Illinois.
• Gift Cards Stored-value gift cards redeemable across any department of the Garden Center, available online and in-store with a $5 minimum.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19 consecutive Best of Madison Gold awards
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Weber (Weber-Stephen Products LLC)coreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorized Weber Grill retailer. The Bruce Company's Garden Center is promoted as 'Weber Grill Headquarters' offering the full line of Weber gas, charcoal, and electric grills with free setup and Dane County delivery on select models.
• Aquascape Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorized Aquascape Pro Pond Distributor. The Bruce Company distributes Aquascape pond supplies throughout Wisconsin & Illinois to retail and contractor customers. Includes pond gravel, cobbles, boulders, liners, fountains, and aeration systems.
• CastelleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium outdoor furniture brand available at The Bruce Company's garden center showroom.
• Jensen OutdoorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium teak outdoor furniture brand available at The Bruce Company's garden center showroom.
• Lloyd FlandersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium wicker outdoor furniture brand with over 100 years of history, available at The Bruce Company's garden center showroom.
• POLYWOODminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAll-weather recycled plastic lumber outdoor furniture brand available at The Bruce Company's garden center showroom.
• Telescope CasualminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQuality outdoor patio furniture manufacturer with over a century of experience, available at The Bruce Company's garden center showroom.
• NardiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorItalian outdoor furniture maker specializing in high-quality, weather-resistant resin and aluminum pieces, available at The Bruce Company's garden center showroom.
• Barlow TyrieminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBritish teak outdoor furniture manufacturer approaching 100 years in business, available at The Bruce Company's garden center showroom.
• Kingsley BateminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmerica's leading manufacturer of teak outdoor furniture, available at The Bruce Company's garden center showroom.
• The Outdoor GreatRoom CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOutdoor greatroom products including fire tables and accessories available at The Bruce Company's garden center showroom.
• Fetch Rescue WisconsinminorOthersCharitable partner for 2025 hosting dog meet and greet events at The Bruce Company's garden center.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bartlett Tree Experts: Leading U.S. residential and commercial tree care and arborist services company with supplemental landscape and consulting services. Strong overlap with Bruce's tree/shrub pruning, commercial grounds maintenance, and plant health expertise.
• Ruppert Landscape: Privately held, Mid-Atlantic-based commercial and residential landscape services company offering design/build, maintenance, irrigation, and snow/ice management. Highly comparable in service mix, customer profile, and privately held mid-market character.
• Yellowstone Landscape: Large national commercial landscape services company focused on maintenance, irrigation, tree care, and snow services for corporate, retail, and HOA clients. Directly comparable in commercial grounds management and snow management; operates at a larger, multi-region scale.
• Davey Tree Expert Company: Employee-owned provider of tree care, arborist services, landscape construction, and commercial grounds maintenance across the U.S. Closely matches Bruce's tree and shrub pruning, commercial maintenance, and design/build service lines, with broader geographic reach.
• Mariani Landscape: Privately held, family-owned landscape design/build and maintenance firm in the upper Midwest with complementary plant production and large-project capability. Closely comparable in family ownership, regional Midwest footprint, and integrated design/build/maintenance offering.
• Armstrong Garden Centers: Regional retail garden center chain in California offering plants, outdoor furniture, and garden supplies from physical store locations. Comparable to Bruce's Middleton garden center for retail assortment, plant-centric merchandising, and seasonal promotional cadence.

Broad incumbents

• SiteOne Landscape Supply: Largest U.S. wholesale distributor of landscape supplies including nursery stock, irrigation, hardscape, and lighting products to contractors. Directly comparable to Bruce's wholesale nursery and distribution yard business; far larger, national, and publicly traded.
• BrightView Landscapes: Largest commercial landscape services company in the U.S., offering design/build, maintenance, snow removal, and tree care to enterprise customers. Directly comparable in commercial landscape services and snow management; differs in national scale, public-company governance, and absence of retail or wholesale nursery.
• TruGreen: National residential and commercial lawn care services company offering fertilization, weed control, and related turf programs. Comparable to Bruce's turf and lawn care portion of commercial maintenance; operates at much larger scale and is private equity-owned.

Others

• Aquascape Inc. Manufacturer of water feature and pond products distributed through authorized pro distributors like Bruce Company. Comparable via the same Aquascape product line and shared end customers in the pond and water feature category, though Aquascape is a supplier/partner rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCO5AqspqPVatguqCxWS6MCQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/the-bruce-company-113279807065
• Instagraminstagram.com/thebrucecompany
• Pinterestpinterest.com/thebrucecompany
• Xx.com/thebrucecompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-bruce-company-of-wi-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Bruce Company of WI, Inc.