Harris Williams Advises Fairway Lawns on its Sale to Morgan Stanley Capital Partners

Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces it advised Fairway Lawns, a portfolio company of Prairie Capital (Prairie) and Rising Point Capital (RPC), on its sale to an investment fund managed by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (MSCP). Fairway Lawns is a market leading provider of residential lawncare services, including weed control and fertilization, pest control, and tree and shrub maintenance. The transaction was led by Brent Spiller, Zach Ledwith and Christian Brumbaugh of the Harris Williams Consumer Group.

“Fairway Lawns is a leader in lawncare in the Southeast and has a phenomenal track record of delivering top-quality results for its customers. Over its 40-year history, Fairway Lawns has expanded its footprint throughout the Southeast and we are excited to see Fairway Lawns continue to grow in partnership with MSCP,” said Brent Spiller, a managing director at Harris Williams.

“We are thrilled to have partnered with Fairway Lawns and both Prairie and RPC. This transaction marks yet another successful outcome for our clients in residential services. We are looking forward to the next chapter for Fairway Lawns,” added Zach Ledwith, a director at Harris Williams.

Formed in 1979, Fairway Lawns is a market leading provider of recurring lawncare services such as weed control and fertilization, in addition to complementary services including pest control and tree and shrub maintenance. The company currently serves over 70,000 customers from 14 lawn treatment locations and two pest control locations operating under the brand Command Pest Control. Fairway Lawns’ locations span across seven states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee).

Founded in Chicago in 1997, Prairie is a private equity fund with a long and successful track record of scaling growth-oriented, lower-middle market companies in partnership with talented founders and management teams. Since inception, Prairie has invested over $1 billion in more than 100 platform companies. Prairie makes control equity investments in founder-owned companies with $4 million to $12 million in EBITDA that participate in growing subsectors within business services, consumer, education, healthcare, industrial, and technology.

RPC is an investment firm headquartered in Chicago. RPC provides partnership and capital to transform and grow businesses, investing primarily in founder-owned business and consumer services companies in the lower-middle market. The principals of RPC, Michael Drai and Justin Marku, have worked together since 2011. RPC has led six investment platforms since its founding in 2019.

MSCP, part of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, is a leading middle market private equity platform that has invested capital in a broad spectrum of industries for over three decades. MSCP focuses on privately negotiated equity and equity-related investments primarily in North America and seeks to create value in portfolio companies primarily in a series of subsectors in the business services, consumer, healthcare, education, and industrials markets with an emphasis on driving significant organic and acquisition growth through an operationally focused approach.

Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC).

The Harris Williams Consumer Group has completed transactions across a variety of verticals, including food, beverage and agribusiness; branded consumer products; consumer services; and restaurant and retail. For more information on the Harris Williams Consumer Group and recent transactions, visit the Consumer Group’s section of the Harris Williams website.

Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 8th Floor, 20 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: hwgermany@harriswilliams.com). Geschäftsführer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business.

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