The approach took root long before the company did. Bill Hildebolt's upbringing on an Ohio family farm and his training in food science and technology shaped the soil-first approach he brought to lawn care in 1994. What follows traces three decades of biological lawn care across North Carolina, told through the people and decisions that shaped Nature's Select® into the company it is today.
Dr. Bill Hildebolt founded Nature's Select® Premium Turf Services in Winston-Salem, drawing on his food-technology and farming background and his interest in nature's role in soil systems. Soon after opening, Bill was joined by Gene Queen. Together, they ran a successful lawn care company that used a biologically enhanced approach, creating healthy soils on hundreds of home lawns. This was the first Nature's Select® Operating Unit. That founding company still operates in Winston-Salem today. It runs independently of the owner-operated franchises that later carried the biological approach across the Triad, Triangle, and Sandhills.
Bill served as president of the Professional Landcare Network and wrote his first book, The Professional Entrepreneur (later republished as When Cowboys Grow Up), which conveys his business insights and the stories of twelve green-industry entrepreneurs. While writing the book, Bill met Robert Hayter, a green-industry consultant and business owner. That conversation led to exploring a business development approach built on partnerships with full-service landscape companies.
The second Nature's Select® Operating Unit was formed with Morris Newlin, then-owner of New Garden Landscaping in Greensboro. Within five years, it grew from 300 to 1,200 customers, proving the model could scale biological lawn care beyond the founding location.
The NS Group, Inc. was formed to own the intellectual property and business development rights for Nature's Select®. Its purpose is to expand the brand by establishing Nature's Select® partnerships with full-service landscape companies across North Carolina and beyond.
The third Nature's Select® Operating Unit was formed with Billy Gray in Pinehurst. They grew from 240 to 1,000+ customers in five years, anchoring the Sandhills territory by building soil biology the region's sandy ground does not supply on its own.
The fourth Nature's Select® Operating Unit was formed in Chapel Hill with Matt Hunter. This location currently serves 300+ customers and is the third franchised location anchoring our current Sandhills-Triad-Triangle footprint.
Bill Hildebolt grew up on the family farm in Eaton, Ohio, where his appreciation for nature and organic systems took root. He spent his career applying food science to consumer goods and ultimately to soil, and his legacy lives on in every operating unit and every soil profile the team builds on every North Carolina lawn.
The biological approach Bill founded in 1994 still drives every visit Nature's Select® delivers today.
Dr. Bill Hildebolt's entrepreneurial philosophy was shaped long before he founded Nature's Select®. A scientist, inventor, author, and business leader, Bill helped lead the development of Prego Spaghetti Sauce during his career with Campbell Soup Company. He later chronicled that journey in It's in There!®, which highlights the teamwork, perseverance, and scientific problem-solving required to bring a groundbreaking product to market.
Bill also shared his insights on leadership and business ownership in The Professional Entrepreneur: When Cowboys Grow Up. In it, he emphasizes the importance of character, technical expertise, customer focus, and professional management, the principles that guided his own career and helped shape the culture of Nature's Select®.
Those same values became the foundation of Nature's Select®. Bill believed that lasting success comes from combining technical expertise with integrity, continuous improvement, and a steady commitment to delivering value to customers. His focus on evidence-based solutions and professional entrepreneurship helped pioneer the company's biologically enhanced approach to lawn care, and it continues to influence Nature's Select® today.
Bill's first book conveys his business insights alongside the stories of twelve green-industry entrepreneurs. Originally published as The Professional Entrepreneur during his 2009 tenure as president of the Professional Landcare Network.
Bill's first book conveys his business insights alongside the stories of twelve green-industry entrepreneurs. Originally published as The Professional Entrepreneur during his 2009 tenure as president of the Professional Landcare Network.
Nature's Select® is currently managed by NS Group, Inc., which owns the intellectual property and business development rights for the brand. The original Winston-Salem company still serves alongside owner-operated franchises in Greensboro, Chapel Hill, and Pinehurst, with additional Operating Units in development.
The biological program Bill Hildebolt founded in 1994 still drives every visit. Each new Operating Unit carries the same biological training and the same soil-first approach that defined the company at its founding. The brand continues to grow with care, taking time to explore new possibilities and learn about the craft and related science while adjusting to work with nature as the team creates healthy soils.
Same-day estimate. 30+ years of biological expertise. Nature's Select® Guarantee. Locally-owned franchises, one team pioneering biological lawn care.