David Hartzell, CIC, CLIA
General manager and director of client services, NJ Best Lawn, Irrigation & Fence
Lakewood, N.J.
Education
Piscataway High
Piscataway, N.J.
Class of 1981
“I had three paper routes at the same time when I was in 6th grade. I very quickly realized that the harder I worked, the more money I made.”
Rutgers
New Brunswick, N.J.
1981-1983
Work experience
1980-1986
Manager, Park Landscaping
Piscataway, N.J.
“I started working for Stan’s Lawn Service in my hometown, which grew into Park Landscaping, a multimillion dollar company, when I was 14. Our first big account was cutting a 10-acre site with push mowers; it took two of us the entire week, and every Monday we would start over.”
1989-1996
Owner, Crystal Irrigation
Plainsboro, N.J.
“The best and worst parts of being an owner are the same to me—being 100 percent accountable for the end result of how the business is run and performs … Ultimate responsibility can be both a great joy and a hard burden.”
1996–1998
Irrigation Manager, Twin Industries
Staten Island, N.Y.
1998-2001
Irrigation Manager, All-Pro Landscaping
Hainesport, N.J.
2001-2004
General Manager, Cloudburst Lawn Sprinklers
Claymont, Del.
2004-2006
Asst VP, Irrigation Manager, Live Oak Landscape Contractors
Piscataway, N.J.
2008-2011
General Manager, NJ Landscape Concepts
Williamstown, N.J.
2012-Present
General manager, director of client services, NJ Best Lawn, Irrigation & Fence
Lakewood, N.J.
“I interviewed with the owner 10 years ago, but felt the company was too small and would not satisfy my personal goals at the time. We stumbled across each other again when I was consulting, and at the time I really missed seeing something you are truly accountable for grow.”
Words of wisdom
“Quality is always more important than quantity.”
“Hire slow—fire fast … I can not say that strongly enough. I have seen one bad employee destroy entire companies that were built up over years of hard work.”
“Trust, but verify. Give your staff the authority to do whatever is necessary, and hold them accountable through proper systems.”
