The investment firm of computer mogul Michael Dell bought a majority ownership of the ValleyCrest Companies, the decades old family-owned landscaping firm based in Calabasas, it was announced Thursday. Financial terms of the deal between ValleyCrest and MSD Capital L.P were not disclosed. Company founder and chief executive Burton S. Sperber, President Richard A. Sperber and Stuart Sperber, chief executive of Valley Crest Tree Co. retain equity ownership and will continue to lead the business. Burton Sperber founded the company in 1949 and operates its development and maintenance divisions through more than 100 offices in 21 states and has 8,500 employees on its payroll. The company has designed the landscaping for the Orange Line busway, the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, the Getty Center, and the Grove and The Lakes at Thousand Oaks shopping areas. ValleyCrest also put in a new field and landscaping at Dodger Stadium prior to the 2006 season. The new partnership is no different than other decisions made by the company to benefit its employees and customers, Burton Sperber said. “MSD Capital shares our values and long-term perspective of the $50 billion landscape industry, and we welcome them to the ValleyCrest family,” Burton Sperber said. ValleyCrest was named in March as the largest family owned business in the San Fernando Valley by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.
