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In the same way it targets the types of clients and projects to take on, Russ Dupper, president/CEO of Dupper Landscape, and his son Josh Dupper, vice president, also hone their team’s job descriptions to set them up for success.
Landing at No. 68 on Landscape Management’s 2025 LM150 listing of the industry’s top revenue-generating firms, the Tempe, Ariz., company primarily focuses on commercial bid/build and maintenance.
The right fit
When the company started looking at its team’s current pain points, Russ Dupper says it realized the management team needed a support staff to help with daily administration work as the company grew. Hiring the support staff gave management a better work/life balance, and it also allowed them to focus more on productivity.
Russ Dupper says they also broke down other roles into more specialized areas to minimize the types of tasks for each team member.
“We got really detailed and specific with the structure to minimize each task they had to do,” Josh Dupper says. “When someone tries to do too many things, they don’t do any of them well.”
That strategy also applied to the company’s hiring process.
“We started with defining what the roles would be and what that would require, so when we started hiring, we knew exactly what we were looking for,” Russ Dupper says. “In the first interview, we were looking for the knowledge, skill and ability of the person. In the second interview, we would look at whether they were a cultural fit.”
Standardized system
Dupper Landscape also looked for ways to streamline its other processes to keep its team members on the same page. The company created standard operating procedures for its desktop training, providing digital support to the team without requiring additional time from managers.
In 2024, they also began using Aspire software, and Josh Dupper says that addition was the biggest contributor to their growth.
“Going from having several spreadsheets to one enterprise resource planning system to capture all of the guys’ time, ensure all of the hours were billed, and revenue was realized was one of the biggest factors to becoming profitable while growing,” he says.
Plans for growth
The relationships the company has formed during the past 42 years of providing quality work and honest pricing have created a solid foundation for future growth, as well, Russ Dupper says. His advice to other owners is to ensure they create a solid plan before trying to expand, like ensuring they have the right people and software in place. Using the right technology also allows companies to react in real-time, instead of months down the line.
“You need a budget, KPIs, job costs and reports so you can see how successful you are to make sure you’re profitable,” Russ Dupper says.
Looking ahead, Dupper Landscape is gearing up to open a new branch in the Phoenix metro area to grow the maintenance division, and Josh Dupper says they hope to open a second by the end of the year. The company is also open to making acquisitions if it finds the right fit. But no matter what strategic step they take next, it will be a well-defined team effort.
“One of our core values is teamwork,” Russ says. “We don’t do anything without engaging our team. That’s a critical part of every decision we make in terms of growing the company and being successful.”
