{"id":124607,"date":"2026-08-19T02:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T09:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prolandscapermagazine.com\/us\/?p=124607"},"modified":"2026-08-19T14:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T21:37:13","slug":"we-dont-have-any-intention-of-being-the-biggest-we-just-want-to-be-the-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prolandscapermagazine.com\/us\/2026\/08\/19\/we-dont-have-any-intention-of-being-the-biggest-we-just-want-to-be-the-best\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWe don&#8217;t have any intention of being the biggest. We just want to be the best\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When brothers Kevin and Steve McHale started cutting grass as teenagers in Maryland, they never imagined their neighborhood operation would one day employ 450 people across nine East Coast locations. Now celebrating its 45th year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mchalelandscape.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.mchalelandscape.com\/\">McHale Landscape Design<\/a> has grown into a multi-million-dollar residential architecture and design-build firm\u2014yet the company has navigated the transition from family-run business to private equity-backed enterprise without losing the core values that defined its early days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Expansion, however, brought a critical question: how could they protect their legacy for the long term? The brothers turned to outside advisors and received a surprising answer. &#8220;We hired a couple of consultants,&#8221; Kevin McHale recalls. &#8220;We brought in a family business consultant and also an advisor, and they both recommended that we pursue a private equity partnership to maintain the legacy.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a company deeply rooted in family, bringing in an outside partner might have seemed counterintuitive. But for the McHales, the move was less about cashing out and more about setting the table for future generations. Kevin acknowledges: &#8220;Steve and I are towards the twilight of our careers. We wanted to keep the name, the brand and the opportunities available for the people who have helped us build this company.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The partnership with Hidden Harbor Capital has proven synergistic. While the firm provides financial and strategic acumen to help the company scale, they recognize their own limitations. &#8220;Private equity will not know how to run the day-to-day operations of a landscape company, but they do know how to implement business systems and make companies run more effectively,&#8221; Kevin notes. He describes the experience as akin to going back to college, attending &#8220;all business and finance classes,&#8221; which has invigorated the leadership team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working with Hidden Harbor has already catalyzed growth, enabling the firm to integrate new regional acquisitions, bringing their total to six partnerships overall\u2014all of which, Kevin emphasizes, came to McHale organically. &#8220;Part of that is simply our longevity,&#8221; he says. &#8220;We&#8217;ve been around for 45 years, and our brand is particularly strong in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through it all, the brothers remain adamant about their philosophy: &#8220;We don&#8217;t have any intention of being the biggest. We just want to be the best.&#8221; Commitment to quality begins with rigorous cultural fit during the merger and acquisition process. &#8220;We need to see integrity from the leadership team,&#8221; Kevin states. &#8220;It&#8217;s the first thing we look for. Do they have the mindset to do the right thing by their employees and customers? Is the quality of their craftsmanship up to standard? If we don&#8217;t see that in a partner company, they&#8217;re off our list pretty quickly.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking ahead, the brothers intend for the company&#8217;s core values to remain unchanged. While the private equity partnership has brought new systems and financial rigor, the company&#8217;s soul remains rooted in its family-oriented foundations. Kevin sums up the enduring spirit: &#8220;We still have our very first employee, Phil Kelly, who runs our Virginia Design Build Group. He came to work for us when he was 17 years old, right out of high school. Now he manages a business worth millions. For us, it&#8217;s really about the people.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Read the full article in the <a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/eljays44\/docs\/pro_landscaper_usa_august_2026\/19\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/eljays44\/docs\/pro_landscaper_usa_august_2026\/19\">August 2026 issue <\/a>of Pro Landscaper USA.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When brothers Kevin and Steve McHale started cutting grass as teenagers in Maryland, they never imagined their neighborhood operation would one day employ 450 people across nine East Coast locations. Now celebrating its 45th year, McHale Landscape Design has grown into a multi-million-dollar residential architecture and design-build firm\u2014yet the company has navigated the transition from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":124610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[1066,1064,18,1052,1],"tags":[2385,2264,825,2218],"ppma_author":[2328],"class_list":["post-124607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-mag","category-long-reads","category-news","category-residential-landscaping","category-topics","tag-design","tag-landscape-architecture","tag-landscaping","tag-residential"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u201cWe don&#039;t have any intention of being the biggest. 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