The landscape industry is being reshaped. You can see it in the latest Lawn & Landscape Top 100.

This is no longer just a list of big companies. It is a snapshot of the future.

I compared this year’s list with 2016 and pulled out three major lessons.

First, BrightView remains #1, but its growth has been modest compared to the explosive growth lower down the list. Size and short term thinking does not always make a winning combo.

Second, I looked at the #10 and #25 spots.

The #10 in 2016 had 128mil in revenue. In 2026, that spot had more than 460mil.
The #25 showed similar, with a 3.5x jump in revenue from ’16 to ’26.
This growth highlights the bigger changes happening;

• industry consolidation and outside investment,
• stronger management teams and better platforms, and
• the growing importance of recurring revenue.

Third, what about single-location operators?

The bottom ten spots on this list tell a different story: In 2016, #100 was 17.8 M in revenue. In 2026, #100 was 36.5 mil.

Taking inflation into account, it’s not that much higher. That means there is still ample room at the bottom for the privately held companies to grow and get on this list.

Here are my 5 overarching lessons from this list:

1. Get more professional.

The companies at the top and at the bottom show what the market increasingly values: recurring revenue, clean financials, leadership depth, sales discipline, and a business not completely dependent on the owner.

That applies whether you are doing 3, 10, 25 M, or more.

2. Client Lifetime Value matters more than ever.

Recurring maintenance, lawn care, tree care, snow, and long-term contracts create stability. They create a stronger base to grow from.

If you are design/build-heavy, this does not mean your model is broken, especially if it’s highly profitable.

But you should think harder about client lifetime value: enhancement work, maintenance conversion, and repeat relationships.

3. Turn hustle into systems.

These top companies sell, schedule, produce, manage, and measure work with more consistency.

Smaller companies do not need big-company bureaucracy to compete. But they do need better software, better data discipline, and simple repeatable systems.

If everything still runs through the owner’s head, the company is fragile.

4. Upgrade leadership depth.

These top 100 companies are not just growing revenue. They are constantly upgrading their management depth. I see this all the time, including from my clients that are on this top 100 list!

These firms are constantly building a base of better: branch/account managers, sales leaders, production managers, finance, HR, etc.

Small companies should ask one hard question: Who besides me owns results?

5. Avoid the double-edged sword.

Bigger companies can have stronger recruiting, buying power, capital access, and great systems.

But scale can also create culture dilution, complexity, cash flow pressure, and leadership gaps.

The future does not automatically belong to the biggest companies. It will belong to the companies that get better (and thereby get bigger.) That is an important distinction.

Become the better company that attracts better clients and employees.

Your Challenge: Stay Agile.

You can still compete with larger companies for talent and clients –– it takes being more agile, responsive, focused, and staying connected.

The L&L Top 100 is no longer just a leaderboard. It is a mirror showing where the industry is headed.

Pay attention.

Because the next ten years will reward companies that stay abreast and keep adapting.

Let’s go!

Regards,
Jeffrey Scott