The Bruce Company
Seth Nicholson has been appointed CEO and President of The Bruce Company, taking over for his father, Bliss Nicholson.
Bliss, the company’s previous CEO, takes the role of executive chairman of the board of directors. After founder Lee Bruce stepped back in 2008 in a leadership transition, Bliss oversaw significant company growth. The team now has over 350 employees and a presence across design/build, grounds management, retail, wholesale and nursery operations. It is the largest landscape services business in Wisconsin.
As chairman, Bliss will continue to shape the company’s long-term vision and execution of its 10-year plan.
Seth, 49, started working at the company when he was 12 years old and most recently was president and COO. He is past president of the Wisconsin Nursery and Landscape Association and is active in many national executive groups including business peer groups and industry associations.
"Bliss's remarkable 54-year journey — from field operations to executive chairman of the board — reflects the spirit of hard work and loyalty that defines us," Seth says. “Our goal remains clear: to serve our customers, empower our team, and grow purposefully as we head toward our 100-year milestone."
In addition to the iconic garden center that began in the 1950s in Middleton just outside of the City of Madison, the company provides landscape construction and grounds management to many of the area’s companies. It also operates a wholesale landscape supply and a nursery operation for local landscapes.
The Bruce Company has earned a perennial spot for many years on Lawn & Landscape Top 100 list, including a No. 100 ranking in 2025. Madison Magazine has named Bruce the Best of Madison for 18 years. Other awards include InBusiness Magazine’s Executive Choice Award and The Wisconsin State Journal’s People’s Choice Award.
“We are confident Seth, alongside the executive and operations teams, will continue to support our employees’ mission to remain the area’s outdoor living experts who give gardeners and businesses smart choices to create extraordinary memories in backyards, neighborhoods, corporate campuses, and healthcare healing centers,” Bliss says.
Seth leads Bruce's plan to develop 14 acres of its land in its hometown of Middleton into a needed apartment complex for about 800 residents that will become the face of the city’s proposed Garden District with added access to recreational parkland along nearby Pheasant Branch Creek.
The Bruce Company’s Garden Center and Landscape Design Studio will remain on-site, serving as the welcoming front door to this new district and continuing to offer the expert service and distinctive products that have made the company a destination for generations.
“We’ve always been committed to staying in Middleton,” Seth says. “It’s our home — and we look forward to helping shape its future as we develop our own.”