Interview with David Koehn, Founder & President of Koehn Outdoor, and Kurt Bland, President, CEO & Board Member of Bland Landscaping

David Koehn

David Koehn is the founder and president of Koehn Outdoor, formerly DM Koehn Landscaping, Inc. David learned the construction and green industry at an early age by working with his father Douglas W. Koehn at his Class A Contracting business in Franklin, VA. After receiving a 2-year degree in industrial technology from a local community college, David moved from Franklin, VA to Jacksonville, FL in 2001 and started DM Koehn Landscaping in 2004, when he was only 24 years old.

In its humble beginnings, David’s business was a one-man residential mowing operation. With the company’s success, David added more employees, equipment, and trucks and began focusing growing the business commercially. Early in life, David was taught that, “when you do something, you do it right and with integrity” —  a life lesson that has become one of the Koehn Outdoor’s core values.

Over time, Koehn Outdoor has developed into a market-leading commercial landscape management company with over 120 full-time employees. The company has developed award-winning hardscapes and beautiful amenity centers throughout the state of Florida.

Having adapted a culture of continuous learning, training, and strategic planning, David and the Koehn Outdoor leadership team hold many green industry certifications and licenses and are involved in many industry professional associations. In 2018, Koehn Outdoor engaged with green industry specialist Envisor Consulting. The Envisor team holds leadership accountable for achieving goals and maintaining a level of customer service that is unmatched in Northeast Florida — which coincides with David’s personal promise to his clients that Koehn Outdoor provides the most customer value for the most competitive price possible.

When not working, David enjoys spending time with his two younger children Leah and Lucas. They enjoy traveling, going to the beach, church services at Eleven 22 church, and being involved in the local Jacksonville Beach community events.

Kurt Bland

Kurt Bland grew up in Apex, NC as an avid outdoorsman, working a variety of jobs in his family’s landscaping business. He attended North Carolina State University and earned bachelor’s degrees in Agri-Business Management and Horticulture Science. He began his management career with Del Conte Landscaping in Northern California.

Since returning to Bland Landscaping Company (BLC) 23 years ago, Kurt has led BLC’s southeastern expansion in partnership with his brother Matt Bland and their executive team. The two brothers recapitalized their 49-year-old family-owned business with Prospect Partners in 2017 and have built one of the country’s most well respected commercial exterior service platforms, focused on landscape grounds management and aquatic services. As a platform, BLC has acquired and successfully integrated 6 landscape add-on acquisitions along with 2 aquatic add-on acquisitions under the DBA Foster Lake and Pond Management. These investments have provided liquidity to fund the retirement of ten previous owners who were ready to retire. In 2024, Prospect Partners exited their investment in BLC, allowing Kurt and his team to join the private equity portfolio of Comvest Partners. With more than $13B of assets under management, Comvest Partners will enable BLC to fulfill its vision of building the most successful landscape and aquatic services platform in the Southeastern United States.

An engaged and forward-thinking industry leader, Kurt speaks on a variety of business-related topics at universities and industry events. He is respected as an authority in leading a multi-generation family business, succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, and entrepreneurial business strategy. Kurt volunteers as Vice Chair of the North Carolina Irrigation Contractors Licensing Board and is a major supporter of The Frankie Lemmon School. In his down time, you will find Kurt and his wife Meredith on, under, or near the water, traveling abroad, going to a concert, or sharing laughs around a table with their friends and 3 black labrador retrievers.