Willowbend Acquires Herman Losely & Sons

Chris Beytes

Willowbend Nurseries, owned and operated by Angelo Petitti of Petitti Garden Centers, has purchased the assets of woody ornamental producer Herman Losely & Son, Inc. of Perry, Ohio. The deal will double the Petitti family’s production space, giving them 2,000 acres of field production, 500 acres of container production and 300 employees, all located in Lake County, Ohio, and geographically positioned within a 500-mile radius of 75% of the North American market. The deal was finalized December 31.

Herman Losely & Son, a third-generation business encompassing 1,200 acres of field production growing a diverse selection of more than 1,000 varieties of mostly woody ornamentals, will operate under the name Losely Nursery. Losely joins Ridge Manor Nurseries under the Willowbend umbrella.

“With the combination of Losely to our family of companies, we are now a 2,500-acre, one-stop-shop for bareroot, container and balled-and-burlapped trees and shrubs,” said Angelo Petitti.

Willowbend President Joe Allio, who also happens to be Angelo’s son-in-law, affirms additional benefits expected to be achieved through greater infrastructure at Losely.

“We’re committed to invest in new technology at Losely that’s consistent with what we’ve implemented at Willowbend and Ridge Manor over the past several years, and it will have an incredibly positive impact,” he said. “Adding that technology will enhance the quality of Losely’s product offerings and achieve efficiencies that are expected to result in consistent inventory, reliable supply and an overall better value for customers.” GT