Proven Winners becomes single unified company

Proven Winners announced that it has become a single company under one ownership structure.

Historically operating as two distinct businesses that control and operate the Proven Winners brand in North America, Pleasant View Gardens, based in Loudon, New Hampshire, and Four Star Greenhouse, based in Carleton, Michigan, have decided to join forces and form one company, Proven Winners, under one ownership structure in a partnership transaction with private equity firm Staple Street Capital.

"By combining forces, Proven Winners will be able to deliver greater simplicity, scale and service for growers, retailers and consumers," the company said in a news release. "Pooling resources enables the development of additional national programs, enhanced ordering and distribution tools, and stronger marketing to drive consumer demand."

Day-to-day operations and customer relationships will remain unchanged in the near term. The company’s brand license partners — including Nordic Nurseries, Ed Sobkowich Greenhouses, Spring Meadow Nursery (Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs), Walters Gardens (Proven Winners Perennials), Classic Caladiums (Proven Winners Heart to Heart Caladiums), The Plant Company (leafjoy Houseplants) and Garden State Bulb — will continue their collaborations, supported by a stronger Proven Winners marketing engine.

The company said that a key focus of the new organization will be expanding Proven Winners’ reach into underserved markets. Under this partnership, the Huntington and Smith families — founders and owners of Pleasant View Gardens and Four Star Greenhouse — will remain active owners and leaders in the company.

Staple Street Capital joins as a new partner, providing additional resources, expertise and strategic support to strengthen Proven Winners’ position in the marketplace while preserving the company’s culture, values and legacy.

"This partnership represents a historic moment for Proven Winners," said Henry Huntington, co-owner of Pleasant View Gardens. "By uniting our companies and welcoming Staple Street Capital as a partner, we can unlock significant opportunities — from expanded programs and stronger marketing to a unified marketplace strategy — all focused on helping our customers grow."

Since its founding in 1992, Proven Winners has grown from a collaboration of passionate horticultural families into a recognized consumer gardening brand across North America.

"This is about growth — for our customers, our employees, our partners and the gardeners who love our plants," said Tom Smith, co-owner of Four Star Greenhouse. "The combination of our businesses will enable us to extend Proven Winners’ products into new markets, new channels and to take advantage of new opportunities that our businesses could not have achieved on their own."

Staple Street Capital has about $900 million of capital under management. Its portfolio includes Garden State Bulb and Delaware Valley Floral Group.

"We feel privileged to have the opportunity to partner with the Huntington and Smith families — pioneers who invented an iconic brand in a product category where brands did not exist previously," the partners at Staple Street Capital said in a statement. "Having operated as separate companies in the past, Proven Winners was not positioned to capitalize on all of its available opportunities. Now, by combining forces, Proven Winners can better leverage its resources, pursue an aligned strategy and leverage best practices, all of which will enable future growth, so that more consumers can experience the quality and innovation for which Proven Winners is known."

The hunt for an equity partner was a purposeful one, Huntington said.
"We were very careful about picking the right partner who would be focused on building the company and one who shared our same mission and core values," Huntington added. "It's about growth and not about consolidation. There is a lot of opportunity to take this brand to the next level, and that's what we love about partnering with Staple Street."

Huntington said the companies are building transition teams, and because much of the 2026 sales are booked, customers won't experience changes.

"From now through the end of spring 2026 there will be very little difference in how things operate. Our goal is to be able to bring everything together for the '27 selling season," Huntington said. "I can't specifically say to what level since we're still working on the transition, but customers will be working with one company, one price list and one product offering. Working as three different companies created silos and those will be gone."