Robert Bertog, CLP, CSP
President, Bertog Landscape
Wheeling, Ill.
1. Tell me about Bertog Landscape and how you got into the business.
We’re a design/build maintenance firm, full service across the board, and we’ve been doing it for over 50 years. We’re on the outskirts of Chicago proper in Wheeling, Ill. My background is in finance. My brother started the company back in 1974 when I was in sixth grade, so I’ve been pushing a lawn mower over the summers since then. I went to college, got a couple of degrees in finance, and then I was down at the Options Exchange from ’84 to ’92. Then I hooked up with my brother in ’92 and came on full board with him. We’ve been in a growth phase since then.
2. What is your favorite tool to get the job done?
I know people think of tools like shovels and tractors and things, but I think of it at a different level. I think the most important tool for us is communication, and that’s at all levels. That’s starting at the top, from your first meeting with the customer, and keeping everybody involved. You want to stay in front of everybody with great communication. And I think details, details, details — they are so important. Technology is just changing so quickly. Every week, they come out with new equipment, and they make a better mouse trap. But I like to go back to the basics, and listening and communicating, to me, are tools that are going to give you a great job at the end of the day.
3. You do a radio call-in show with WGN in Chicago. Why do you find that valuable, and what kind of exposure do you get?
You just hit the keyword: exposure. This is our fourth or fifth season. They had me on for just a couple of questions, and then I guess they said that the phone board just lit up. People call with questions. I don’t know what’s coming at me. It’s anything from turf health care to issues with trees and shrubs. It’s a 20-minute segment, and it’s just a lot of fun.
4. Any trends you’re noticing with your clients?
I think if you go back a few years when COVID was around, it was a great opportunity for most people in this industry. People wanted outdoor spaces. They wanted patios. And so we built a lot of outdoor spaces in the back of the house. But a trend we’ve noticed is a lot more people doing front yard gathering areas; they interact with their neighbors. If you want to be intimate, you can go still into the backyard, but what if you want to have fun and just interact with neighbors? The dogs are out, the kids are out playing. We found a lot of people congregate to the front yard, and they want a seating space or seat wall. I think that’s a trend. And then as far as other trends, the buzzword is sustainability. A lot of clients are saying, “We want an organic product. What are you doing about the carbon footprint? Are you using battery-powered equipment?” We’re following all those trends as best we can.
5. How do you feel about the health of your business and the industry as a whole?
I have to be optimistic. Hopefully, every year, you want to have a better season than the last. But I think some people are sitting on their hands right now. I think people are going to finally realize that it is March and they’re moving their clocks forward. It’s time to start moving. I do think interest rates might come into play this year. There’s just a lot of uncertainty in the economy, but I have to be positive. We have a backlog of work from last year. If I had to say, is it going to be a good or bad year, it’s going to be good, but I think there’s some hesitation coming out of the gate.
