Sterling-backed XKIG acquires HTC, adding a southern Alabama tree care, land clearing and storm cleanup contractor

Following our coverage of Tree Guardians’ acquisition of Cartwright Tree Care in Kansas City, another private equity-backed buyer has picked up a regional tree company. XKIG, the Norfolk, Virginia infrastructure services group backed by Greenwich, Connecticut private equity firm Sterling Investment Partners, announced on November 9 that it has acquired HTC LLC, a tree service, land clearing and storm cleanup contractor serving southern Alabama. Terms were not disclosed.

The asset.

HTC is based in Andalusia, Alabama, and has served homeowners, commercial customers, municipalities and utilities across southern Alabama for more than a decade. On its website, the company lists tree trimming, tree removal and hazardous tree removal for residential and commercial properties, along with forestry mulching, brush clearing, land clearing and site preparation for developers, contractors and rural landowners. It also offers emergency storm cleanup, including fallen trees, debris and hazardous limbs. A utility line clearance and right-of-way crew rounds out the mix. Owners and co-operations managers Tommy Thompson and Cleve Henderson are both quoted in the announcement. Headcount and revenue were not disclosed.

The platform.

Sterling formed XKIG in 2022 by combining Xylem Tree Experts with its existing portfolio company, Kendall Vegetation Services. In October 2025, Sterling recapitalized XKIG through a single-asset continuation vehicle. At that point, it said XKIG employed more than 6,500 people across 39 states. XKIG’s core business is utility vegetation management, transmission and distribution work, and disaster restoration. The release names River City Construction and Canopy Infrastructure Solutions as sister companies alongside Xylem and Kendall.

“This acquisition marks another important step in our strategy to expand our geographic reach and to bring together specialized companies that share our commitment to operational excellence and customer service,” said XKIG CEO Randolph Hoover.

What it means.

For tree care owners, the deal widens the buyer pool. Landscaping and outdoor-services platforms are not the only consolidators interested in tree companies. Infrastructure groups that started in utility work are buying them too. They value the same things: trained climbers and bucket crews, chippers and mulching equipment, and storm response capacity across a region. A tree company that does commercial and residential work, land clearing and storm cleanup, and has at least some municipal or utility exposure, can draw interest from both sides rather than from one.