The Brickman Group Acquires Duke-Weeks Landscaping

Duke Realty Corp. - known as Duke-Weeks Realty Corp. until a July 2, 2001, name change - is a real estate company that owns interests in a diversified portfolio of industrial, office and retail properties across the Midwest and Southeast. As the nation’s largest commercial real estate company, Duke provides leasing, property and asset management, acquisition, development, construction, build-to-suit and other related services.

The acquisition of Duke-Weeks Landscaping expands Brickman's current presence in the Indianapolis, Ind.; Atlanta, Ga.; Raleigh, N.C.; Chicago, Ill.; St. Louis, Mo.; Dallas, Texas; and Cleveland, Ohio, markets and will give the company a presence in Nashville, Tenn.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; and Greenville, S.C.

Scott Brickman, president and CEO of The Brickman Group, said, "This acquisition is ideal for both companies. It allows Duke Realty to focus on their core real estate business while partnering with The Brickman Group to provide their tenants the highest quality landscape and snow removal services."

The Brickman Group will retain substantially all the former Duke-Weeks Landscaping employees, including the division's former president, Mark Flowers, who will become manager of Brickman's Atlanta regional office. "The culture and commitment to quality that exists at The Brickman Group is very similar to that which we built at Duke-Weeks Landscaping, and it is why we see this as a great opportunity for all of us former Duke-Weeks employees - not to mention the added career opportunities it provides all of us," noted Flowers.

Gary Burk, executive vice president and head of Duke's Construction and Property Management Operations said, "We chose to negotiate exclusively with The Brickman Group because we were looking for a long-term partner who could provide us with the highest level of quality and service, and they are clearly the industry leader."

The acquisition of Duke-Weeks Landscaping will increase Brickman's annual revenue by roughly $35 million and will increase the number of employees by 309 bringing the total number of Brickman employees to 5,100. With this acquisition, Brickman's total proforma revenue for 2001 will exceed $300 million. Established in 1939, Brickman now operates 88 branches in 25 states.