For the past two years, BrightView has proudly served the campus of Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, keeping the grounds and landscaping a focal point for the employees and visitors. BrightView recognizes that no matter the weather, our job is to deliver safe and navigable walkways, parking areas, and entrances that help reduce liability and minimize safety risks.

As COVID-19 began impacting our entire country, BrightView recognized that while landscapes continued to grow and need maintaining, facilities had bigger issues to worry about. Nowhere was this truer than for those in the healthcare industry. BrightView continues to work closely with the team at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital to keep them informed of the service schedule, handle any requests they may have, and make their experience during these trying times as pleasant as possible. While we recognize nothing can ease what the brave healthcare professionals are going through, BrightView was happy to donate cupcakes and flowers to Holy Cross Germantown Hospital staff to help brighten their day.

BrightView looks forward to continuing to serve this valued client.

Taking care of our people, our clients, and the communities in which we live and work has always been a point of pride for all of us at BrightView. Whether you’re in a critical sector like healthcare, a retail business waiting to reopen its doors, or an HOA whose residents are now sheltering in place, we know you need someone you can count on to maintain the safety of your property during this difficult time. That’s why we wanted to share why we’re continuing to operate, and most importantly, the precautions we’re taking.

For most people, landscaping is likely not top of mind right now.  It’s our job to keep it that way, by taking care of the details you shouldn’t have to worry about in a time like this. We continue to operate because landscape is an essential service, necessary to maintain infrastructure. For the businesses and organizations that remain open during this time, it is especially important they feel confident the safety of their property will be maintained. As a national provider with the resources to continue operating, this is one small way in which we can contribute.

Just as we feel duty-bound to be there for our clients, we feel the same duty to protect our crews. Our crews are tight-knit teams, and in many cases, care for one another the way families do. While the nature of their job requires them to work and travel in close proximity, we have taken steps to keep crews separated within their branches to minimize their exposure to others. This is in addition to specialized SOPs developed in response to the pandemic that provide for enhanced sanitation practices and social distancing from clients and the public. We’re continually reviewing and refining these measures, based on the latest information from public health authorities, to ensure we’re minimizing the risk of infection and transmission.

It’s not just our crews, however, who are observing these precautions. Every member of our teams is adjusting their daily routines to ensure safety.  While working with our clients face to face is our preference, we’ve had to make changes, keeping in touch virtually, and conducting meetings like property walks via FaceTime or Skype to maintain social distancing.

Like you we’re looking forward to a time when we can get back to business as usual. We’re continually inspired by nature’s resilience, and in these trying times, we take comfort in the everyday examples of renewal we see in the landscapes we care for. It reminds us that our communities can and will bounce back. In the meantime, while so much is uncertain, you can count on this-- we’ll be with you every step of the way.

HomeAid Atlanta, a registered nonprofit charity that builds and renovates housing facilities for organizations serving homeless families and individuals in the metro Atlanta area, has honored BrightView’s Atlanta Development Services branch as its 2019 trade partner of the year.

The award is presented to “…an extraordinary non-builder partner that is essential to HomeAid Atlanta’s mission.” BrightView donated more than $20,000 in labor and materials to create a green space for the children at Rainbow Village as part of HomeAid’s April 2019 project at the Duluth facility for families experiencing homelessness.

BrightView also completed an additional $2,500 worth of work at a small home operated by nonprofit Jesus Set the Captive Free to house formerly incarcerated homeless veterans as they rebuild their lives.

“We take great pride in the work we do in support of our community. Partnering with HomeAid over the past year has been so rewarding for our entire branch.  To be recognized by HomeAid as trade partner of the year is a great honor,” said Atlanta Branch Manager Robert Reich.  “We are humbled by the recognition and we look forward to a continued partnership with this wonderful organization.”

HomeAid has completed more than 140 projects at locations for victims of domestic violence, teen mothers, veterans and more, utilizing connections with building industry professionals and community organizations. HomeAid also provides essential items like diapers, wipes, and hygiene products to those affected by homelessness. HomeAid is the designated charity of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association.

Learn more about the organization here. 

This past holiday season, the BrightView Northern Virginia regional team participated in a Toys for Tots toy drive. This is the 10th consecutive year that the Northern Virginia region has supported the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve program. This year’s drive had full participation from all five branches including Alexandria, Chantilly, Dulles, Fredericksburg, and Lorton. The region has provided more than 500 gifts to the charity over the last ten years.

The mission of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community. In 2018, the local Virginia region distributed 106,947 toys to 89,755 children.

Thank you to all the Northern Virginia branches for their continued charitable efforts.

Nationwide, only 40% of teen parents graduate high school. But at Benjamin Franklin High School in Baltimore, the percentage is an astounding 74%. The secret to their success is the community school strategy of the United Way Ben Center in Brooklyn/Curtis Bay, which, in addition to providing a variety of resources for students, their families, and neighborhood residents, supports teen parents pursing a high school diploma. BrightView had the honor of assisting in their noble mission, by helping construct a playground for Ben Center’s tiniest members: the teens’ infants and toddlers.

While teen parents attend high school classes at BFHS, their children can attend the early childhood development program offered at Ben Center. The program is critical to the teen parents’ success, providing safe and convenient care and enrichment for their children while they complete their education. With the addition of the playground, the children now have an enhanced space to take their learning outdoors.

Developing the playground was a true community effort. BrightView partnered with Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) and Plano Coudon to create the play areas. COPT CEO Steve Budorick, former United Way campaign chair, led the charge. BrightView donated services and materials and COPT committed $100,000 in support of the project. Vendor partners SYNLawn and Country Springs Nursery also lent their support, along with BrightView’s Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Howard branches.

Following demo and soil amendments, the multi-company volunteer force installed plants, fertilizer and mulch, to create the beautiful environment for Ben Center’s children. Completed in mid-August, the playground enhances the childcare program and provides a place for parents in this challenged community to bring their children to play. What was once an abandoned building now serves as a symbol of hope.

Since opening in June 2014, Ben Center has helped more than 60 students and 44 infants. To learn how you can help Ben Center continue to change lives, visit UnitedtoAct.org.

The re-opening of Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, part of Independence National Historical Park, can be described in one word: incredible. BrightView, along with fellow champions, suppliers, local media, and eager crowds, were there to witness the symbolic ribbon cutting to re-open the historic lawn to the public on May 17, 2019.

BrightView’s in-kind donation to Independence National Historical Park’s landscape includes the replacement of nearly 100,000 square feet of damaged sod, irrigation repair, tree care, and improvements to the gardens, as well as maintenance of the landscape for the next year.

(For the full transcript, see below.)

While more than 80 percent of U.S. landscaping companies are owned by men, women are rising to the top and determined to make their mark.

Chequita Mccullough started with BrightView as a business developer in the California Bay Area, where she was able to observe the crews and listen to the operations team. Now a Branch Manager, she recognizes that basic management and business principles are similar across most industries.

“Although I’m still learning, with the mentoring and leadership development opportunities my company offers, especially for women, I know the opportunities at BrightView are limitless,” Mccullough says. Chequita says her purpose is to “lead and inspire people to be the absolute best in their lives, relationships and careers.”

To read the full article, visit Forbes.  

The National Park Service and BrightView Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BV) (“BrightView”), the nation’s leading commercial landscaping services company, today announced the re-opening of Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, marking the end of the first phase of the company’s in-kind donation to Independence National Historical Park.

Independence Mall has been closed since work began on the project March 25. BrightView crews made significant improvements to the landscape, including the replacement of nearly 100,000 square feet of damaged sod, as well as irrigation repair, tree care and improvements to gardens along the Mall’s perimeter.

“Independence Mall is one of the nation’s most important historical sites and a destination for both Philadelphia residents and visitors to our city,” said Andrew Masterman, BrightView President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our company is headquartered here and it was our honor – in partnership with the National Park Service and our valued suppliers -- to help bring the landscape back to what its designers intended more than a decade ago.”

INHP Superintendent Cynthia MacLeod said, “We are sincerely grateful to BrightView for this valuable in-kind donation. This landscaping project in front of Independence Hall – a World Heritage Site and the birthplace of our nation, will enhance the visits for our millions of visitors to enjoy all of the Park and make their connections with history. Independence Mall looks beautiful, and we are thrilled it will be showcased during all of our special events and other park festivities."

BrightView acknowledges its suppliers who also made significant contributions to the project:

• National Construction Rentals
• Sunbelt Rentals
• Clearview Nursery
• Feeney’s Nursery
• Laurel Valley Soils
• Delaware Valley Paving
• Aquarius Supply
• Rain Bird Corporation
• Center City Film & Video

With Independence Mall now re-opened to visitors, BrightView will begin work on the second phase of its donation to NPS: Maintaining the Independence Mall landscape for the next year, free of charge. Later this year, team members from BrightView operations throughout the eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and northern Delaware will participate in volunteer days at INHP to ensure the landscape continues to look its best.

Photographs and video of the project, including sound bites from Andrew Masterman and Cynthia MacLeod, can be accessed here.

About Independence National Historical Park
Independence National Historical Park is one of over 400 places within the National Park Service and is often referred to as the birthplace of our nation. Millions visit the park each year to see the Liberty Bell, an international symbol of freedom, and Independence Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated, adopted and signed. Here are stories about the events and the lives of the diverse population during the years when Philadelphia was the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800. It is the site of the nation's executive mansion in which Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived and where nine enslaved people served the first president. Spanning over 55 acres, the park has over 20 buildings open to the public during the summer months.

The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) and BrightView Landscapes LLC, the nation’s leading commercial landscaping services company, today announced a plan to make significant improvements to the grounds of one of America’s most treasured and historic sites, Independence National Historical Park (INHP) in Philadelphia.

BrightView, headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., is donating landscape rehabilitation work to INHP, including the complete replacement of sod in the park’s most visited section, Block One of Independence Mall, bounded by the Liberty Bell Center on South Sixth Street and Independence Hall on Chestnut Street. Work is scheduled to begin today and likely will continue until the end of April. The lawn will remain roped off through May to allow the sod to take root.

In addition to turf remediation, BrightView has committed to repair or replace the Block One irrigation system, to make significant improvements to the gardens and hardscape along South Independence Mall East, to improve beds surrounding the Liberty Bell Center, and to provide arbor care for trees along the east and west sides of Block One. BrightView also has committed to maintain the Block One landscape for a full year at no cost to NPS. 

“We are sincerely grateful to BrightView for this much needed in-kind donation. This landscaping project in front of Independence Hall – a World Heritage Site and the birthplace of our nation, will beautify the Park for our millions of visitors to enjoy as they move through the grounds and make their connections with history,” said Park Superintendent Cindy MacLeod. “We truly appreciate Independence Historical Trust for facilitating the relationship between INHP and BrightView.”

BrightView President and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Masterman said the company is honored to help. 

“We’d like to thank the National Park Service for the privilege of working on this historic site and for helping to improve the experience for everyone visiting Independence National Historical Park,” he said. “BrightView is a national company, but Philadelphia is our home. INHP is a source of pride for everyone living in this community and for those who travel here from around the world to experience the history of America’s independence.”

INHP is not the first historic landscape developed or cared for by BrightView. The company installed new sod in the National Mall in Washington D.C. in 2011 and developed landscapes in New York’s Governors Island. BrightView also maintains landscapes at Virginia’s historic Colonial Williamsburg and Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark in Brooklyn, N.Y.

BrightView and Independence National Historical Park will host a ribbon cutting event for the new Block One landscape work later in the spring.

About Independence National Historical Park

Independence National Historical Park is one of over 400 places within the National Park Service and is often referred to as the birthplace of our nation. Millions visit the park each year to see the Liberty Bell, an international symbol of freedom, and Independence Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated, adopted and signed. Here are stories about the events and the lives of the diverse population during the years when Philadelphia was the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800. It is the site of the nation's executive mansion in which Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived and where nine enslaved people served the first president. Spanning over 55 acres, the park has over 20 buildings open to the public during the summer months.

Part of Independence Mall to be Roped off through May During Lawn Rehab, PhillyVoice
Independence Mall is getting a makeover in time for spring tourism, KYW Newsradio 1060
BrightView partners with National Park Service for park rehabilitation, Lawn & Landscape
BrightView to perform restoration at historic park, Landscape Management
BrightView helps revitalize Independence National Historical Park, Total Landscape Care
Landscaping Firm Improving Terrain at Independence National Historical Park, Globe St.
Plymouth Meeting-Based Brightview Landscapes Donating Landscape Rehabilitation Work to Independence National Historical Park, More Than the Curve
BrightView Landscapes and National Park Service Join Forces to Improve Independence Park, Gloucester City News

Caroline Weilert, BrightView Vice President of Marketing and Brand Management, was recently awarded the Comerica Bank Best of LA Women’s Business Award for the month of December.

Along with her many BrightView marketing duties, Caroline co-founded Growth in Relationships and Opportunities for Women (GROW) within the company to advocate for the women of BrightView.

“It was an extremely proud moment for me personally, but more importantly, it also validates all the work we have begun to do at BrightView to recruit, promote, and retain more talented women within our organization,” Weilert said. “Although GROW is not my full-time job, it is my passion project. It’s a cause I wholeheartedly believe will make a lasting difference for the women at BrightView. Though we may still be in our infancy with it, we’re continually adding more programming and opportunities for involvement. Receiving recognition for this only fuels me to do more.”

Once a month, from November 2018 to March 2019, Comerica Bank honors and recognizes five women in leadership within five counties in Southern California with the award. Each of the five selected per month are based on five categories: Woman of Entrepreneurship, Woman of Business, Woman of Philanthropy, Women of Diversity, and Woman of Promise. Weilert was chosen for the Woman of Business category, which acknowledges women executives who are non-owners of the business.

To be considered, the women have to be nominated and submit a 500-word essay discussing her career success and qualifications. Winners are then recognized each month at a Los Angeles Lakers game.