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Tony Szczechowski
Owner, Pro Edge Lawn Care
Toledo, Ohio
1. What should we know about Pro Edge Lawn Care, and how did it get started?
We’re mostly a maintenance and snow removal company out of Toledo, Ohio. We’re all commercial, no residential. We have 15 people in the green season, and in the winter, 34 people. We offer detail visits, bed maintenance, vegetation control, fall cleanups, fertilization, irrigation, mowing, mulching, pruning, spring cleanups, along with our winter services. I got my start like most people: Once I was able to drive, I’d borrow my mom’s minivan and put my 21-inch mower in there. I’m amazed she let me do that, because it wasn’t the most pleasant car when I returned it each time.
2. What’s your favorite tool to get the job done?
I’m more behind the desk now, and I love my Microsoft and my financial planning tools.
3. Do you have a most memorable day at work?
I think it would be back in the winter of 2011. We were just getting pounded with snow. We needed another truck, so we went to buy one. My wife was on bed rest, and I’m two hours north of home. I’m with my right-hand man, and I say, “Oh, crap, I gotta go — she’s in labor!” I hand him the check and tell him to make sure everything gets taken care of, and I’ll see him back in Ohio. Let’s just say I was pushing the speed limit to get back. But I also remember that taught me the importance of having a good team. Because I was in the hospital, I wasn’t leaving. And the crew was sleeping in a camper at the shop just to get a couple of snoozes during the long snow event. The guys were workhorses. And I realized that I could really depend on them.
4. How do you celebrate the team for a job well done?
We do monthly team dinners on the fourth Tuesday of every month. We usually vote on locations, usually a local restaurant, but sometimes we’ll do a cookout at the shop. And at the end of the year, we do a holiday party — the last couple of years we’ve done it at a bowling alley with a big arcade. Everybody’s able to bring their families; it’s a great atmosphere.
5. Tell me about your family, and what do you do for fun?
I’ve been married to my wife Erica for 19 years; we’ve got two boys, Grayson (age 15) and Reid (age 12). Just recently, I started collecting sports cards with my son, Grayson, and I had a partnership that lasted about two weeks before he fired me. He likes to buy single cards and make profits, whereas I’m more of the gambling man; I like to do what we call ‘rip boxes’ to try to hit that big card. The good news is it ended amicably, and we’re both still collecting. And Reid, he’s into Pokémon. We also like to travel. We go to Cleveland or Auburn Hills, Mich., play Topgolf and stay the night
