What Bluestem Ecological Services does

Bluestem Ecological Services is a regional ecological services firm operating as a partner company of Sebert Landscaping, headquartered in Marengo, Illinois. The company delivers four core service lines: Ecological Restoration, Stewardship, Sustainable Native Landscaping, and Sustainable Green Infrastructure. Its work spans native plant establishment, invasive species control, prescribed fire management, bioengineering, erosion control, wetland mitigation, and tree inventories, supported by specialized field credentials including Illinois Department of Natural Resources certified prescribed burn managers and licensed herbicide/pesticide applicators. Bluestem also designs and installs native plant landscapes for new construction and existing sites, drawing on a database of regional ecotypes and plant communities.

The company serves commercial property owners, homeowners associations, municipal and government clients, and non-profit organizations across Greater Chicagoland and Southeast Wisconsin. Its business model is primarily project-based, combining one-time ecological restoration engagements with recurring stewardship contracts that provide ongoing site management and monitoring revenue. Bluestem leverages the operational infrastructure of its parent Sebert Landscaping—including 350+ employees, five Chicago-area offices, a LEED Gold certified headquarters, and a 75-acre Grace Nursery—giving it embedded distribution, vertical integration into native plant supply, and shared back-office capabilities that standalone competitors would struggle to match.

Bluestem's commercial positioning emphasizes sustainability credentials and award recognition, including NALP honors, the Daily Herald Business Ledger 2011 award, the 2019 Governor's Hometown Award via the Schaumburg Monarch Initiative, and the 2020 William H. Miller Award. Leadership is anchored by founder Jeff Sebert and President Eric Sebert, with recent senior-level transitions including the 2025 retirement of Vice President Jan Papa after a decade of service. The firm participates in external initiatives such as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task Force (2022–2023), reinforcing its positioning with institutional and public-sector clients.

Name

Bluestem Ecological Services

Legal name

Bluestem Ecological Services

Website

https://bluestemeco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bluestem Ecological Services is a regional ecological restoration and native landscaping firm serving commercial, HOA, municipal, and non-profit clients across Greater Chicagoland and Southeast Wisconsin, operating as a partner company of Sebert Landscaping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ecological Restoration Services

NAICS

Forestry and Logging (113)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation, Restoration & Biodiversity Services (Habitat, Wetlands, Riparian) (IMAMAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wetland, Riparian & Buffer Services (within forest landscapes) (AFAMAMAI), Biodiversity Conservation & Habitat Banking (AFAMAMAC)

Keywords

• Ecological restoration services
• Native landscape design
• Wetland prairie restoration
• Green infrastructure installation
• Stewardship land management

Headquarters

HQ city

Marengo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ecological Restoration Services: One-time project-based services for prairie, woodland, and wetland restoration including site assessment, native seed installation, plug installation, and shoreline stabilization.
2. Stewardship Programs: Ongoing maintenance contracts for invasive species control, mowing, prescribed burns, seed dispersal, inter-seeding, and monitoring of established native areas.
3. Sustainable Native Landscaping: Design and installation services for native perennial beds, pollinator gardens, and small tree/shrub installations for commercial and residential properties.
4. Green Infrastructure Services: Installation and stewardship of naturalized detention basins, bio-swales, and stormwater management systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bluestem Ecological Services is a sustainable ecological restoration company that builds, restores, and maintains native ecosystems across the Greater Chicagoland area and southeast Wisconsin. Its offerings span four service lines: prairie/woodland/wetland restoration, long-term stewardship of native areas, sustainable native landscaping design and installation, and naturalized green infrastructure such as detention basins and bio-swales for stormwater management. Customers include HOAs, commercial property owners, municipal and government organizations, healthcare facilities, and non-profit conservation groups.

Product overview

Bluestem Ecological Services is a sustainable ecological restoration company offering four integrated service lines: Ecological Restoration (prairie, woodland, and wetland restoration), Stewardship (ongoing maintenance of native areas), Sustainable Native Landscaping (native plant installation for landscapes), and Sustainable Green Infrastructure (naturalized detention basins and bio-swales). The company focuses on bringing elements of the original Midwest landscape back to natural state, working with prairies, woodlands, wetlands, sedge meadows, conservation easements, and detention/retention basins.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ecological Restoration Wide-ranging prairie, woodland, and wetland restoration services including site assessment, native seed installation, native plug installation, wetland/woodland/prairie/savanna installation, shoreline buffer planting, and erosion stabilization for commercial properties, HOAs, and municipal clients.
• Stewardship Long-term maintenance programs for established native areas, including licensed herbicide control for invasive species, seed collecting and dispersing, inter-seeding, mowing, prescribed burns, and ongoing monitoring to sustain ecosystem functions.
• Sustainable Native Landscaping Native perennial landscaping services including site assessment, design, bed preparation, native perennial bed installations, small tree and shrub installations, pollinator/butterfly gardens, and Monarch Watch and Conservation@ certification programs.
• Sustainable Green Infrastructure Green infrastructure services including evaluation of existing systems, naturalized detention basin installation and stewardship, bio-swale installation and stewardship, and stormwater/erosion management for commercial and HOA properties.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shoreline naturalization reduces pollutants from entering water by 40-80%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Monarch InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Sarah Voska serves on the Board of Directors of the Monarch Initiative. The organization focuses on Monarch butterfly preservation and habitat restoration.
• UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task ForceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Sarah Voska is a member of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task Force (2022-2023), mobilizing youth in the United Nations' push to protect and restore ecosystems by 2030.
• Citizens for ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2021Citizens for Conservation (CFC) is a local conservation organization that honors individuals for outstanding conservation efforts. Sarah Voska of Bluestem won the 2020 William H Miller award from CFC. Bluestem supports CFC community conservation efforts and Sarah grew up participating in CFC programs including 4th Graders on the Prairie.
• Sebert LandscapingflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBluestem is a partner company of Sebert Landscaping, a top 100 commercial landscape firm in the U.S. founded in 1985. Sebert Landscaping has grown to nearly a $35-million company with five Chicago-area offices, a 75-acre nursery in Marengo, Ill., 350-plus employees, and a 30,000 square-foot LEED Gold certified headquarters. Sebert Landscaping founder Jeff Sebert is President and Founder of Bluestem Ecological Services. The partnership provides Bluestem with infrastructure, customer referrals, and operational support.
• Grace NurserycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwned and operated by Sebert Landscape, the 75-acre Grace Nursery is located outside of Marengo, Illinois. It grows quality trees and shrubs exclusively for Sebert and Bluestem customers. The nursery environment allows control of growing conditions to yield plants that surpass industry standards. The property is also home to an American bison herd and hosts the Grace Nursery Scholarship Program.
• Schaumburg Monarch InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchaumburg Monarch Initiative works to inspire the local community to restore Monarch habitat throughout Midwest breeding grounds. Sarah Voska serves on the Board of Directors. The initiative received a Governor's Hometown Award in 2019 and helped declare May as Monarch Month in Illinois in 2021.
• Gateway Technical College Horticulture Department Technical Advisory CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSarah Voska serves on the Technical Advisory Committee for Gateway Technical College's Horticulture department.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec (Environmental Services): Large global engineering and environmental consulting firm whose environmental-services division performs ecological restoration, wetland mitigation, and green-infrastructure work at much greater scale — overlapping capability but not Bluestem's niche.
• SEH (Short Elliott Hendrickson): Upper-Midwest engineering, architecture, and environmental-services firm with a natural-resources practice doing restoration, wetland, and green-infrastructure work — comparable end customers and Midwest geography.
• Davey Tree Expert Company: Large U.S. commercial landscape and tree-care firm offering ecological and environmental services across a national footprint — competes for commercial property RFPs but as part of a broader portfolio rather than ecological specialization.
• BrightView Landscapes: Largest U.S. commercial landscape services company, increasingly active in sustainable and green-infrastructure offerings — broad incumbent with overlapping but non-specialized ecological services.

Direct peers

• Prairie Restorations Inc. Minnesota-headquartered native prairie, wetland, and savanna restoration and management firm — competes in the same ecological-restoration category with similar prairie/wetland focus and stewardship contracts.
• Tallgrass Restoration: Illinois-area native landscape, ecological restoration, and prescribed-burn services provider with overlapping service lines (restoration, stewardship, native landscaping) and Midwest customer overlap.
• Native Edge Landscape: Native landscaping and ecological restoration firm specializing in sustainable landscape design, native installations, and stewardship — closely aligned service offering and customer profile.
• Heartland Ecological Services: Midwest ecological restoration contractor offering prairie, wetland, and native landscape services to HOAs, municipalities, and developers — directly comparable operating model and service menu.
• Applied Ecological Services: Midwest-based ecological restoration firm offering prairie, wetland, and woodland restoration plus long-term stewardship — directly comparable service mix, geography, and customer base to Bluestem.

Regional players

• NewLeaf Forest Services: Michigan-based ecological restoration and native landscape services firm with comparable restoration and stewardship offerings, serving a different Midwest geography than Bluestem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BluestemEco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bluestemeco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Bluestem Ecological Services