Natural Capital in Action: The Ray Expands Southeast Pollinator Habitat Network

New installations at Cox Enterprises properties add five sites to a broader effort to strengthen ecological connectivity across the Southeast.

ATLANTA, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ray and Cox Enterprises have joined forces to advance native ecological corridors across the Southeast, successfully establishing five new pollinator zones at Cox locations throughout Georgia and Florida in 2026.

Spanning two sites in Georgia and three in Florida, the high-impact initiative showcases how managed commercial land can be converted into active biological sanctuaries without disrupting everyday business operations.

The five new pollinator meadows are located at: 

• Cox Enterprises Headquarters, Atlanta, Ga.
• Manheim Georgia, Atlanta, Ga.
• Manheim Orlando, Winter Garden, Fla. 
• Manheim Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. 
• Manheim Tampa, Tampa, Fla. 

Ecological Design Over Traditional Turf
Instead of relying on high-maintenance grass that requires frequent watering and gas-powered mowing, The Ray collaborated with Cox to plant nearly five acres of native plants carefully chosen to thrive in local soil and climate. These resilient habitats create healthier outdoor spaces while offering reliable food, shelter, and nesting grounds for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other local wildlife.

"This partnership demonstrates how to create meaningful habitat in places we might not traditionally think of as conservation landscapes," said Josh Weaver, natural capital manager at The Ray. "By selecting plants that are adapted to local conditions, we're creating landscapes that are beautiful, functional and beneficial to pollinators while also reducing the resources required for long-term maintenance."

Driving Positive Environmental Change — Inside Cox and Within the Communities it Serves 
Cox has a suite of sustainability goals that includes protecting, restoring or sustainably managing more land than it uses. With these new meadows, Cox will add five acres of sustainably managed land to support pollinators, improve soil health, and enhance water quality.

"Protecting and restoring nature is central to our sustainability strategy and our commitment to leave the world better than we found it," said Amit Vyas, vice president of environmental sustainability at Cox Enterprises. "By transforming underutilized land into thriving ecosystems, we're supporting biodiversity, strengthening climate resilience and advancing our goal to protect, restore, or sustainably manage more land than we use."

Smart Planning and Easier Maintenance
The meadow installations follow a site-specific approach. Areas are prepared before seeding, with soil testing guiding soil amendments and seed selection. Each meadow is designed around plant species that can thrive in its particular environment, with consideration given to factors such as drought tolerance and deer resistance.

This approach saves significant time and upkeep costs while being more ecologically friendly. Once established, these meadows eliminate the need for weekly mowing, chemical fertilizers, and heavy watering systems. Maintenance drops down to a single trim each year after the first winter frost, allowing wildflowers to bloom freely and support wildlife from spring straight through autumn.

Scaling the Corporate Natural Capital Framework
The five Cox installations represent the latest milestone in The Ray's expanding portfolio of partnerships with corporate leaders, state departments of transportation, and municipal managers aimed at embedding natural capital, the economic and environmental value generated by healthy ecosystems, into standard land management.

Together, The Ray and Cox are illustrating that small corporate parcels can connect into vital regional wildlife corridors—boosting plant biodiversity, supporting key pollinator species, and enhancing landscape climate resilience across the Southeast.

About The Ray
The Ray is a nonprofit infrastructure innovator demonstrating how transportation infrastructure can be designed and managed to deliver environmental, economic, and community benefits. Through its Natural Capital program, The Ray works with transportation agencies, corporations, and other partners to integrate natural systems and ecological assets into the built environment.

About Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is a global privately held company that owns, operates, and invests in businesses across multiple industries, including automotive, greenhouse agriculture, cleantech, software, outdoor recreation, and journalism. Guided by its purpose to build a better future for this generation and the next, Cox's diverse family of businesses delivers solutions to address some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since its founding in 1898, Cox Enterprises has been fueled by a relentless focus on innovation and a deep commitment to people, the planet and progress. To learn more about Cox's history and how it's shaping what's next, visit CoxEnterprises.com. 

SOURCE Cox Enterprises; The Ray