Ecotone, Inc. Hires New Chief Executive Officer and Acquires Wilkinson Ecological Design

FOREST HILLS, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ecotone Inc., a leading provider of ecological restoration services and portfolio company of L2 Capital, is pleased to announce the hiring of Conor Gillespie as CEO and the acquisition of Wilkinson Ecological Design ("WED"). WED is a provider of shoreline restoration and invasive species management solutions in New England and the surrounding areas. The hiring of Conor and integration of these two organizations will create one of the premier, vertically integrated ecological restoration services providers in the United States.

Conor Gillespie is a former manager at Resource Environmental Solutions and founder of Catalyst Companies who brings a wealth of environmental restoration solutions experience to Ecotone. Lorin Cassidy Wolfe, Partner of L2 Capital and Chairman of the Board of Managers of Ecotone added, “We are thrilled to have Conor join Ecotone and bring his unique background and experience to lead the company’s growth. Conor has demonstrated the ability to deliver and execute complex ecological restoration projects while driving strategic expansion and overall growth. We are confident that Ecotone will continue to build its position as one of the leading, vertically integrated ecological services providers in the industry under his leadership.”

Regarding the acquisition of Wilkinson, Conor added “I have respected Wilkinson for many years. In particular, they have built a unique suite of services that I am eager to continue to expand and develop into the next generation of shoreline restoration solutions. I couldn’t be happier to bring these two teams together in our quest to provide the highest quality restoration solutions to our clients. WED mirrors our values and reputation for quality restoration work. We are building an incredible base of solutions, techniques, and talent that can meet a diverse array of public and private client needs."

This move is the first strategic acquisition by Ecotone, increasing the company's geographic presence to build a leading provider of restoration services. The combined organization will offer vertically integrated design/build stream, wetland, invasive species management, and shoreline-based restoration services in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast markets. Ecotone will also build upon the unique and proprietary investments that WED has made in shoreline restoration techniques to mitigate shoreline erosion in the U.S.

About Ecotone

Ecotone, Inc. (www.ecotoneinc.com), is an ecological restoration services firm serving the Mid-Atlantic region and is one of the largest domestic, vertically integrated providers in this space. The Company works at the intersection of environmental services and conservation biology, and also provides Ecosystem Credit Banking services. Ecotone primarily provides services to state and local governments, private corporations, public/private partnerships, and non-profit organizations.

About L2 Capital

L2 Capital (www.L2Capital.net) is a lower middle market private equity firm in Devon, PA and Miami, FL that has delivered market leading returns since 2010 by investing in niche lower middle market leading consumer and business services companies. L2 executes a differentiated operations-focused strategy by targeting founder and entrepreneur-led businesses that are at an inflection point where L2's breakthrough growth framework and direct operating expertise can quickly accelerate market share gain.