Bower & Branch acquires Plantfast

Leesport, Pa. – Bower & Branch, a group of independent growers and garden retailers throughout the Northeast, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, announced that it has acquired the mobile commerce company, Plantfast. Plantfast founder Jon Ewing will join the Bower & Branch advisory board. 

“This acquisition accelerates our development of a complete end-to-end solution for consumer horticulture sales and services,” says Sid Raisch, President and CEO of Bower & Branch. “Mobile commerce is important today, but is on a trajectory to become vital in the future. Our existing website is mobile responsive and provides an important web-sales functionality. The goal is to create a virtual retail location where new and existing customers can shop on their terms and their schedules wherever they may be, while still interfacing with our retail members’ physical locations. We are meeting the market shift with an innovative business model that puts the customer at the center of the transaction.” 

Plantfast founder Jon Ewing is known throughout all segments of the industry for his ability to move his company forward in ever-changing markets. His landscape firm, Landtrends, Inc., was an industry leader in innovation. Along with his brother Tom Ewing, the duo co-founded Miramar Wholesale Nurseries, Inc. Through multiple acquisitions, they grew the company with an emphasis on plant quality, providing supply chain stability and increasing corporate value to become a signature asset of LandCare USA. Later they acquired Butler’s Mill and co-founded the Sports Turf products company, TurfFirst, which was sold to John Deere Landscapes.

“Plantfast shares the same business values and innovation instincts as Bower & Branch,” said Raisch, “so this was an easy decision for us to come together. For the industry to gain new customers, expand sales and attract new employees in an increasingly competitive market, it must keep pace with other industries. We’re intent on creating a company whose 21st century vision of how to sell plants will leapfrog the horticulture industry forward into the high-end consumer space,” added Raisch. 

Jon will provide consulting services to Bower & Branch from his Silicon Valley office.