Tenbarge Seed & Turfgrass Supplies

What Tenbarge Seed & Turfgrass Supplies does

Tenbarge Seed & Turfgrass Supplies (legal entity TenBarge Seed Company, Inc.) is a privately held regional distributor founded in 1940 and headquartered in Haubstadt, Indiana, operating as a division of the W.S. Connelly Companies diversified conglomerate. The company distributes grass seed (including bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass, bermudagrass, and zoysiagrass varieties), professional fertilizers, and chemical control products (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides) to golf courses, sports turf facilities, lawn-care operators, landscape managers, and arbor-care professionals across the Ohio River Valley — specifically Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, and Ohio. Distribution is executed through a regional sales-representative network and four physical offices (Haubstadt IN, Indianapolis IN, New Albany IN, Bowling Green KY).

The company's product surface expanded materially in 2024 through a corporate partnership with Environmental Construction Solutions (ECS), a sibling entity under W.S. Connelly Inc., adding contractor supplies and erosion-control categories: geotextiles, sediment control, rolled erosion control, stormwater management, inlet protection, hydroseeding supplies, and contractor seed mixes. Tenbarge also offers recurring contract services (spraying, aeration, topdressing, field construction, laser grading, irrigation installation) and maintains an on-demand webinar education library featuring industry experts on erosion control, turf pathology, and agronomic practices.

Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed; pricing is quote-based and negotiated through individual sales representatives on a pay-as-you-go basis, with credit applications handled centrally. The company employs 11–50 people, is privately held with no venture or private-equity investment disclosed, and has no public ownership or trading status. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, differentiating on the quality of its territory sales staff and customer service rather than on proprietary technology.

Name

Tenbarge Seed & Turfgrass Supplies

Legal name

TenBarge Seed Company, Inc.

Website

https://tenbargeseeds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tenbarge Seed & Turfgrass Supplies is a privately held regional distributor of grass seed, fertilizers, and chemicals serving golf courses, sports turf, lawn care, and landscape operators across the Ohio River Valley (Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee), recently expanded into erosion-control contractor supplies via its ECS partnership under W.S. Connelly Companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Turfgrass & Erosion Control Supply Distribution

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Turf & Ornamental Seeds (Lawn, Golf, Landscaping) (AFABAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Turf & Ornamental Specialty Fertilizers (Golf, Sports Turf, Landscaping) (AFABACAM), Soils, Mulch, Fertilizers & Lawn Care Chemicals Retail (CRAIAIAC), Aeration & Overseeding (Seeding, Topdressing, Renovation) (HSAIAGAD), Tree Care & Arborist Services (BPABADAD)

Keywords

• Turfgrass seed distribution
• Golf course supplies
• Sports turf products
• Erosion control supplies
• Fertilizer distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Haubstadt

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Distribution: Distribution of grass seed, fertilizers, and chemicals for golf courses, sports turf, lawn care, landscape management, and arbor care industries. Products are shipped throughout the Ohio River Valley region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tenbarge Seed & Turfgrass Supplies is a regional distributor of grass seed, professional fertilizers, and chemical control products (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides) serving golf courses, sports turf facilities, lawn care operators, landscape managers, and arbor care professionals across the Ohio River Valley. Through its partnership with Environmental Construction Solutions (ECS), the company also distributes erosion control and contractor supplies (geotextiles, sediment control, hydroseeding materials, stormwater management products) and offers on-site contract services including spraying, aeration, topdressing, and sports field construction.

Product overview

Tenbarge Seed & Turfgrass Supplies operates as a leading distributor of grass seed, fertilizers, and chemicals for golf course, sports turf, lawn care, landscape management, and arbor care industries. The company offers a portfolio of core products (grass seed varieties, professional fertilizers, and chemical control products) alongside contractor supplies through its partnership with Environmental Construction Solutions, including geotextiles, sediment control, erosion control blankets, stormwater management, inlet protection, seed mixes, and hydroseeding materials. The company also provides contract services (spraying, aeration, topdressing, field construction) and on-demand educational webinars. Products are shipped throughout the Ohio River Valley including Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, and Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grass Seed Distribution of grass seed varieties including Green Alliance, Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Creeping Bentgrass, Fine Fescue, Bermudagrass, and Zoysiagrass for golf, sports turf, lawn care, and landscape professionals.
• Fertilizers Professional fertilizers including sprayable fertilizers, organic options, premium fertilizers, combination fertilizers, calcium products, and landscape-specific formulations for turf and ornamental applications.
• Control Products (Herbicides, Fungicides, Insecticides) Chemical control products for weed, insect, and disease management in turfgrass and landscape settings, serving golf, sports turf, lawn care, and landscape professionals.
• Geotextiles & Geogrids Nonwoven filtration fabrics, woven stabilization fabrics, Mirafi HP Series, Mirafi RSI Series, biaxial geogrids, and MSE products for stabilization used in erosion control and construction applications.
• Sediment Control Products Silt fence (private and DOT), custom logo/orange/black options, wire back silt fence, super silt fence packages, Filtrexx Siltsoxx, SiltSaver WBSF 2 Stage, straw wattles, turbidity barriers (Type I, II, III), and Outpak washout solutions.
• Rolled Erosion Control Products Single and double net straw blankets, straw/coconut blankets, excelsior matting, COIR products, North American Green SC-250, turf reinforcement matting (TRMs), Flexamat, and associated pins, earth anchors, staples and staplers.
• Storm Water Management Products Grasspave2 and Gravepave2 systems, de-watering bags, flocculants, drain tile, corrugated pipe, strip drain, Filtrexx Stormexx Systems, and Filtrexx EnviroSoxx for stormwater management applications.
• Seed & Seed Mixes (Native, Contractor, DOT, Reclamation) Native seeds and native mixes, contractor's mixes and turf seed, soilDEFENDER Erosion Mix, DOT tagged seed, upland and lowland mixes for retention basins, FACW wetland and riparian mixes, reclamation mixes, solar array mixes for pollinators, and custom mixing capabilities.
• Hydroseeding Supplies Cellulose (paper) mulch, blend and wood mulch, Promatrix (BFM) and Flexterra (FGM), Proganics (BSM) and Proganics Dual, fertilizers, Earthworks Premium Organics, tackifier, Hydro-Cal Dry (lime), and HydraSmart for hydroseeding applications.
• Perimeter/Dust Control Products Safety fence in orange and green, Rhino Snot dust control, tree protection fence, deer fence, calcium chloride, and A-Tack Ultra for site perimeter management and dust suppression.
• Inlet & Scour Protection Products Filtrexx Inlet Protection Systems, SiltSaver Inlet Protection Domes, silt sacks/filter bags, Terra Tubes, excelsior logs, and ShoreMax for inlet and scour protection.
• Contract Services On-site maintenance services for sports turf facilities including spraying (specialty sprays, pest management, fertilizers, weed control, soil treatments), aeration (pulling soil cores for improved air and water movement), topdressing, and new field construction with laser grading and irrigation installation.
• On-Demand Education Library of on-demand webinars featuring industry experts covering erosion and stormwater BMPs, water and soil interactions, fungicide performance, agronomic challenges, wetting agents, and workforce development for landscaping professionals.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Environmental Construction Solutions (ECS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs corporate partners with Environmental Construction Solutions under the umbrella of W.S. Connelly Inc., Tenbarge Seed offers customers erosion control solutions and contractor supplies. This partnership enables them to provide hydroseeding supplies, silt fences, vegetative solutions, geotextiles, polymers, filtration systems, turbidity barriers, construction supplies, and turf reinforcement mats.
• American Excelsior CompanyminorOthersPartner brand featured in contractor supplies product line offering Excelsior matting and related erosion control products.
• Concrete CanvasminorOthersPartner brand featured in contractor supplies product line offering concrete canvas erosion control solutions.
• FlexamatminorOthersPartner brand featured in contractor supplies offering turf reinforcement matting products for erosion control.
• FODSminorOthersPartner brand featured in contractor supplies product line for sediment control and site stabilization.
• MKB Stormwater InnovationminorOthersPartner brand featured in contractor supplies offering stormwater management solutions.
• Silt SaverminorOthersPartner brand featured in contractor supplies offering silt fence and inlet protection products.
• SolmaxminorOthersPartner brand featured in contractor supplies offering geotextile and erosion control products.
• Western GreenminorOthersPartner brand featured in contractor supplies offering rolled erosion control products.
• W.S. Connelly CompaniescoreOthersParent company umbrella organization. Tenbarge Seed operates as a division under W.S. Connelly Inc., which also encompasses Environmental Construction Solutions (ECS).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Advanced Turf Solutions: Regional turf and ornamental input distributor headquartered in the Midwest, serving golf, sports turf, and lawn care with a similar rep-led model and overlapping product categories (seed, fertilizer, chemicals). Closest comparable to Tenbarge by customer base, geography, and go-to-market.
• BFG Supply Co. Specialty distributor of greenhouse, nursery, and turf/ornamental inputs with a comparable rep-led, multi-vertical model. Similar profile in terms of being a focused specialty distributor serving professional growers rather than a broad-line national platform.
• Target Specialty Products: Distributor of turf and ornamental products, pest control, and vegetation management supplies serving professional markets in the western U.S. Closely mirrors Tenbarge's product mix and professional customer base, though on a different regional footprint.

Broad incumbents

• SiteOne Landscape Supply: National public distributor of landscape, irrigation, and turf-grass supplies with hundreds of branches across the U.S. Overlaps directly with Tenbarge in seed, fertilizer, chemicals, and erosion-control products, but at vastly greater scale and broader end-market exposure.
• Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply: Large regional/national distributor of irrigation, landscape, and turf supplies serving contractors and golf courses. Competes with Tenbarge across its core turf/ornamental product lines and erosion-control adjacencies.
• WinField United (Land O'Lakes): Crop-input and turf-and-ornamental distribution arm of Land O'Lakes; competes in professional turf seed, fertilizer, and plant-protection products sold through a cooperative/retail network that overlaps with Tenbarge's golf and lawn-care customers.
• Helena Agri-Enterprises: National distributor of crop protection, fertilizer, and specialty products including turf and ornamental lines. Comparable to Tenbarge in the fertilizer and chemical categories it distributes to professional turf customers.
• LESCO (John Deere / SiteOne brand): Long-standing specialty brand for turf-grass fertilizer, seed, and chemicals sold through a dealer network to golf courses and lawn-care professionals. Directly overlaps with Tenbarge's core seed/fertilizer/chemical mix.

Regional players

• Grasshopper Farms: Regional turf-grass sod and seed supplier serving the Midwest U.S., overlapping with Tenbarge in grass seed procurement and customer segments such as golf courses and sports fields.

Others

• Filtrexx International: Manufacturer of compost-based erosion control and stormwater products (Siltsoxx, EnviroSoxx, Inlet Protection Systems) that Tenbarge resells through its contractor-supplies line via the ECS partnership. Adjacent rather than directly competitive.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TenBargeSeed
• Facebookfacebook.com/TenBargeSeedTurfgrassSupplies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tenbarge-seed-and-turfgrass-supplies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Tenbarge Seed & Turfgrass Supplies