Schill Grounds Management has promoted four leaders in the company to senior positions in recognition of their contributions to the growth of the business and greater responsibilities in their roles.
The four leaders being promoted are:
- Patrick Quinlan, Director of Mergers & Acquisitions
- Bryan Salisbury, Corporate Controller
- Cali Thomson, Vice President of Sales & Marketing
- Mary Vales, Vice President of Human Resources
“Schill is fortunate to have the expertise, wisdom, and unique skills of each of these talented professionals,” said Jerry Schill, Founder & CEO of Schill Grounds Management. “All of them bring their A-game to Schill every day in support of our culture, values, and business growth. We are excited to promote them to more senior roles that will give them new opportunities to grow and reach their full potential.”
Quinlan joined Schill in 2022 as Corporate Development Manager, and in that role, he assisted in the acquisitions and integration of Grounds Elite, TLC, and GrassCor (which Schill finalized in January 2023). In his new role as Director of M&A, he will oversee the buildout and tracking of the acquisition pipeline, and refine Schill’s acquisition strategy for prospect identification, due diligence, integration, and post-closing performance benchmarking. Before joining Schill, Quinlan held increasingly senior roles at boutique investment bank VRA Partners in Atlanta. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington and Lee University, with a double major in Business Administration and Politics.
Salisbury became Schill’s Corporate Controller in late 2022, and he oversees the day-to-day accounting and controller functions, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, and the month-end close. His responsibilities include ensuring smooth integration of the accounting and cash management functions of businesses that Schill acquires and proactively targeting opportunities for streamlining and improving current processes, functions, platforms, and dashboards. With more than 25 years of corporate accounting experience and Six Sigma Black certification, Salisbury previously held senior financial positions at private equity–backed businesses and corporations including Modern Hire, Seam Group, Technology Recovery Group, Riverside Micro-Cap Fund, Eaton Fluid Power Group, and Lockheed Martin Control Systems. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Accounting from the University of Michigan.
Thomson has been with Schill since 2019 when she joined the company as Marketing Director. She has taken on increasingly complex duties including supporting strategic sales initiatives and marketing campaigns, deployment of new technology platforms, search engine optimization and inbound marketing leads, branding and co-branding companies that Schill acquires, and engagement with employees and commercial customers. She previously held senior marketing roles at Kuno Creative, Invacare Corporation, and American Greetings Corporation. She earned a Master’s degree in Management from Harvard University with a graduate certificate in Marketing Management & Digital Strategy, and an undergraduate degree from Kent State University. She recently joined the Leadership Council for Engage! Cleveland, which connects and supports young professionals and emerging leaders as they develop their careers.
Vales joined Schill in 2022 as Vice President of Human Resources, and she oversees the entire team of 1,100 employees who are now part of the Schill family of companies. She is responsible for smoothly integrating HR functions of businesses Schill has acquired, and setting and implementing HR policies and processes for benefits, recruiting, onboarding, offboarding, career development, and other core functions. Earlier in her career, Vales held senior HR and talent management positions at Flexsys, Fortune Brands Water Innovations, Hyland, New York Community Bancorp, PNC, and Medical Mutual of Ohio. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Baldwin Wallace University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Cleveland State University.
Already one of the largest family-owned commercial landscaping and snow and ice removal companies in America, Schill is intentionally driving consolidation in the landscaping industry as it acquires well-run businesses with strong leadership, positive culture, and shared values. Schill offers service across the entire state of Ohio and parts of Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the Greater Toronto Area.
Over the past two years, Schill has acquired eight independently owned landscaping companies:
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GrassCor Lawn & Landscapes in Cincinnati
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TLC Landscaping Design + Pools in London, Ontario (the first expansion into Canada)
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Grounds Elite in Cincinnati
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Enviroscapes in Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia
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Ward + Thornton Landscapes in Cincinnati
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Fredericks Landscaping in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
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Ohio Valley Group in Cleveland
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McCoy Landscape Services in Marion, Ohio
ABOUT SCHILL GROUNDS MANAGEMENT
Schill Grounds Management is a leading provider of year-round landscaping and snow and ice removal services for multi-family, retail, office, mixed-use, healthcare and industrial properties of all sizes located in the Upper Midwest. The Cleveland, Ohio-based company was founded in 1993 by Jerry Schill, who serves as the Company’s President and CEO. Over the last three decades, Schill has grown from a single branch operator in Northeast Ohio to a 20+ branch operator serving thousands of properties across the entire state of Ohio and parts of Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the Greater Toronto Area. In 2020, Argonne Capital Group, LLC made a majority investment in Schill as part of a strategic plan to consolidate the fragmented commercial landscaping industry. To learn more, please visit schilllandscaping.com.
