What’s your advice for developing solid owner/general manager relationships?
Landscape professionals
Richard Bare
Arbor-Nomics Turf
Norcross, Ga.
“I promised my general manager a nice stock dividend based on the size of the company upon selling it, then I put it in writing.”
Bill Bemus
Bemus Landscape
San Clemente, Calif.
Chris Joyce
Joyce Landscaping
Cape Cod, Mass.
Jerry McKay
McKay Landscape Lighting
Omaha, Neb.
Greg Winchel
Winchel Irrigation
Grandville, Mich.
Industry Consultants
Dan Gordon
TurfBooks
Newton, N.J.
Kevin Kehoe
3PG Consulting
Laguna, Calif.
“The hiring of that position is critical, obviously. The owner and the GM need to be almost diametrically opposed in terms of their personalities. The companies that make the leap from $3 million to $8-$10 million do this well. We would sometimes test for it, using DiSC or Myers Briggs or others. If the owner is sales-oriented, the GM needs to be production-oriented and vice versa.”
Phil Harwood
Pro-Motion Consulting
Grand Rapids, Mich.
“Weekly ‘same page’ meetings along with clear and honest communication at all times are needed.”
Adam Linnemann
The Green Executive
Columbia, Ill.
“To develop a solid owner/GM relationship, one must master the skill of open, positive and constructive communication. It’s imperative to communicate with your GM on a regular basis for continuous companywide improvement.”
Frank Ross
3PG Consulting
Alpharetta, Ga.
Jeffrey Scott
Jeffrey Scott Inc!
Trumbull, Conn.
“Picking the right GM (skills and personality) to complement the owner is a priority.”
Jody Shilan
FromDesign2Build.com
Upper Saddle River, N.J.
