Steve and Theresa Martinko, co-owners of Contender’s Tree and Lawn Specialists since 2008, have acquired Banner Sales and Consulting, Inc., a Midwest plant-health-care distributor and consulting firm specializing in tree, turf and ornamentals. Contender’s Tree is a three-year TCIA member company based in Waterford, Michigan.
The move to acquire Banner Sales and Consulting began in 2020, with the Martinkos eventually moving the business into a new office in Novi, Mich. The new location is equipped with multiple warehouses to house a variety of products, making it the first of many pickup locations for clients. They’ve also doubled Chicago’s capacity by adding on a second location in Illinois, and are in the process of establishing a warehouse in Ohio.
Former owners Doug Fenner and Dan Banks will stay on to support the new owners. Steve Martinko says the level of knowledge and expertise of the “new Banner boys” will continue to serve clients well.
“We are unique in that we are a distributor and we are consultants, so we can figure out what’s missing from a team and we can provide it, especially when it comes to helping solve labor challenges,” says Steve Martinko.
“This is a big step for us as business owners,” says Theresa Martinko. “Because of our deep understanding of multiple software platforms that aren’t typically friendly to PHC companies, we have the unique ability to assist other PHC owners and office teams like no other distributor, truly helping office operations get past friction points and resulting in more customer compliments and fewer complaints.”
