Native Resources

What Native Resources does

Native Resources International (NRI) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based specialty environmental services company founded in 1994 by Rob Kater and Jeff Homan. The company provides a full lifecycle of native Sonoran desert plant services: GPS-mapped inventory assessment, plant salvage (boxing and containerizing root systems), nursery maintenance, large-specimen tree relocation, and site revegetation. Its core technical capability centers on heavy-machinery operations — loaders, backhoes, bulldozers, and cranes capable of relocating trees weighing up to 50,000 pounds — combined with desert-specific botanical expertise and statewide transport via semi-trucks with oversize permits. NRI concurrently maintains 75+ nurseries as intermediate holding infrastructure for boxed plants during multi-year development cycles.

The company operates a project-based, sales-led B2B model with custom quote-based pricing. Revenue streams span professional services (salvage, revegetation, inventory, nursery maintenance) and a one-time tree and plant sales division marketing desert-harvested specimens (Ironwood, Mesquite, Palo Verde, Creosote, Jojoba, Ocotillo, Saguaro, and specialty cacti) in 30-84 inch box sizes. Its primary customer segments are residential developers (DR Horton, Toll Brothers, Taylor Morrison, Mattamy, Meritage Homes, Howard Hughes), golf courses and recreational facilities (TPC Scottsdale, Desert Highlands, Frontier Golf at The Phoenician), public and educational institutions (Boyce Thompson Arboretum), and utility/infrastructure developers (Sunzia transmission line). Mid-market landscape architecture firms (The Green Room Collaborative, Land Resources) act as referral and project partners.

NRI remains a privately held, founder-influenced company (now under second-generation management including Vice President Brian Kater and Director of Tree Sales Emily Kout) with 101-250 employees and a regional Arizona operating footprint. There is no disclosed external funding, no M&A activity, and no product-software layer — the business model is fundamentally services- and asset-based, monetizing specialized labor, heavy equipment, and 30+ years of institutional expertise in desert plant reclamation.

Name

Native Resources

Legal name

Native Resources International

Website

https://nativeresources.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Native Resources International is a Phoenix-based specialty environmental services firm that salvages, relocates, maintains, and sells native Sonoran desert plants for developers, golf courses, public institutions, and utility projects across Arizona.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape and Environmental Restoration Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Native Species & Restoration Plant Nurseries (AFAMADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tree Planting & Transplanting (HSAIADAE), Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) Harvesting (Resins, Mushrooms, Botanicals) (IMAMAAAK)

Keywords

• Native plant salvage
• Tree relocation services
• Landscape construction
• Plant nursery development
• Revegetation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Plant Salvage Services: Plant salvage process consists of preparing a plant for removal by boxing and containerizing the roots. Placing native trees in boxes allows them to be relocated to either a new location or a nursery where they can be maintained until development is complete. Work with contractors, developers, and landowners on new projects requiring native plant inventory and salvage.
2. Tree and Plant Sales: Sale of desert-dug native plants including Ironwood, Native Mesquite, Palo Verde varieties, Creosote, Jojoba, Ocotillo, Saguaro, and specialty cacti. Sizes range from 30 inch to 84 inch boxes. Company can transport large boxed trees throughout the state using semi trucks with wide load and oversize permits.
3. Revegetation Services: Recycling natural resources back into disturbed areas including cacti and tree replanting, boulder placement, seed spreading, gravel distribution, and naturalization to replicate the adjoining undisturbed native palette
4. Nursery Maintenance Services: Maintenance of native trees and cacti with skilled nursery crews in irrigation systems and plant health monitoring. At any given time, maintaining over 75 nurseries

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Native Resources International (NRI) provides native plant salvage, tree relocation, plant nursery development, and landscape construction services for development projects in Arizona. The company inventories, boxes, transports, and replants desert-native trees and cacti using heavy machinery capable of moving specimens up to 50,000 pounds, and also sells desert-harvested native plants in box sizes from 30 to 84 inches.

Product overview

Native Resources International (NRI) is a tree and native plant salvage and relocation service operating in Arizona since 1994. The company offers a coordinated suite of services spanning the complete lifecycle of native plant preservation: inventory assessment (GPS-mapped site analysis and species identification), plant salvage (boxing and containerizing roots for relocation), nursery maintenance (irrigation and health monitoring across 75+ nurseries), tree relocation (using cranes and heavy equipment for specimens up to 50,000 lbs), and site revegetation (replanting and naturalization). The company's tree sales division markets desert-harvested native plants including Ironwood, Palo Verde, Creosote, Ocotillo, Saguaro, and specialty cacti in sizes from 30" to 84" boxes. Projects range from residential landscaping to large-scale commercial installations such as golf courses and arboretum transformations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inventory Services Native plant inventory assessment service where field technicians perform site analysis including species identification, measurement of caliper, height, and canopy width, and GPS mapping of all protected plants on development sites. Targeted at developers and contractors needing to comply with city native plant inventory requirements.
• Plant Salvage Services Native plant salvage process involving boxing and containerizing roots to prepare plants for relocation to new locations or nurseries until development is complete. Serves contractors, developers, and landowners on new projects requiring native plant inventory and salvage.
• Nursery Maintenance Maintenance services for native trees and cacti including irrigation systems and plant health monitoring, with crews maintaining over 75 nurseries at any given time. Sold as a managed service to developers holding salvaged material until project completion.
• Tree Relocation Services Large tree relocation service using loaders, backhoes, and cranes capable of moving trees weighing up to 50,000 pounds, with statewide transport capabilities using semi trucks and wide load/oversize permits. Serves developers, golf courses, residential properties, and arboreta throughout Arizona.
• Revegetation Services Site restoration service involving replanting cacti and trees, boulder placement, seed spreading, gravel distribution, and naturalization to replicate the native landscape. Includes innovative water harvesting techniques and soil management with over 2,000 tons of soil handled per project.
• Tree Sales Sales of desert-harvested native plants including trees, cacti, and shrubs in box sizes from 30 inches to 84 inches, featuring Ironwood, Native Mesquite, Blue Palo Verde, Foothill Palo Verde, Creosote, Jojoba, Ocotillo, Saguaro, and specialty varieties. Available to developers, landscape architects, golf courses, and luxury residential buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lower water usage through use of native plants already adapted to desert environment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Landscapes UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnered with Landscapes Unlimited and TPC golf course staff starting in 2017 for the landscape transformation of the TPC Golf Course stadium course in Scottsdale, Arizona. Work continued with landscape overhaul of the TPC Clubhouse.
• The Green Room CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture firm that sources native plants from Native Resources for residential projects. Collaborated on multiple projects including Casa Blanca Estates and Historic Casa Blanca transformations. Testimonial client praising superior level of services and attention to detail.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SavATree: National tree, shrub, and lawn care company with arborist and tree preservation services. Overlaps with NRI in tree health, preservation, and relocation-adjacent services for institutional and high-end residential clients, but as a broader, multi-service provider rather than a native salvage specialist.
• Davey Tree Expert Co. National tree care, arborist, and large-tree transplanting services company. Comparable to NRI in large tree relocation and arboricultural expertise, with overlapping services for developers, municipalities, and institutions, though operating at much broader national scale and without NRI's native desert specialization.
• Moon Valley Nurseries: The largest retail/wholesale nursery chain in the Phoenix metro and Southwest, offering a broad portfolio of trees, palms, and desert plants. Overlaps with NRI on tree sales, large specimen availability, and serving homebuilders and residential developers, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Bartlett Tree Experts: Major national tree care company offering tree relocation, preservation, and landscape management. Comparable to NRI in technical arborist capabilities and large-tree handling, but focused on residential and commercial tree maintenance at scale across many U.S. geographies.
• Asplundh Tree Expert Co. National vegetation management and tree care company, including utility right-of-way work. Comparable to NRI on the utility/infrastructure side (e.g., Sunzia transmission line) for protected plant handling on regulated federal/state land, but at vastly larger scale and broader service scope.

Regional players

• Treeland Nurseries: Scottsdale-based retail and wholesale nursery with a deep tree-focused inventory. Comparable to NRI in offering mature shade and ornamental trees to landscape contractors, golf courses, and developers in the Arizona market, though without NRI's specialty salvage/relocation services.
• Mountain States Wholesale Nursery: Arizona-based wholesale grower of native and desert-adapted landscape plants. Comparable to NRI on the native plant nursery side of the business, supplying landscape contractors and developers, but focused on container-grown production rather than salvage and relocation.

Direct peers

• Whitfill Nursery: Long-established Phoenix-area nursery specializing in large specimen trees and desert-adapted plants. Directly comparable to NRI in tree sales of mature, large-box specimens and in serving the same Phoenix metro developer, landscape architect, and high-end residential customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nativeresources

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Native Resources