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Author: Casey Payton

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Casey Payton

Payton is a freelance writer with eight years of experience writing about the landscape industry.

 Photo: The Green Scene

Moving trees proves profitable for one landscape company

One landscape business owner has found a unique service in moving large trees. Two decades ago, Drewe Schoenholtz’s clients were putting on a home addition that would require them to cut down a beautiful blue spruce. Schoenholtz, owner of The Green Scene, remembers thinking, “There must be a way we can move this tree.” And […]

Case Study: Party time

Party prep has been a fun and easy add-on for CLC Landscape Design. After being asked several times to help clean up properties before clients’ parties or events, Richard Cording Sr., LIC, owner of CLC Landscape Design in Ringwood, N.J., realized he had a new service on his hands. Though it remains small—less than 1 […]

Photo: flickr.com/photos/billjacobus1

GPS: Beyond maintenance

Texas Turf Management invested in a GPS tracking system as a vehicle maintenance solution, but it got much more. The Problem: Nolan Butterfras, owner of Texas Turf Management in Houston, was tired of having to take his diesel trucks into the local lube shop for oil changes and routine maintenance. Remembering to check the little […]

Case Study: Finding a way to keep good employees year-round

Finding a way to keep good employees on staff year-round has been a positive investment for one landscape firm. The Problem: Chris Demato, owner of Rock Bottom Landscaping & Fencing in Somerset County, N.J., was sick of worrying about losing valuable employees to other lines of work during the offseason. The Inspiration: Navigating the January […]

Case Study: Motivational monday

What started as an email to a small group has grown into a nearly decade-long commitment. When Mark Svozil was promoted in 2007 from branch manager to regional manager for Davey Tree Expert Co. in Kent, Ohio, he sought a way to maintain connections with his former co-workers and clients. As a fan of motivational […]

headshot: Leigh Townsend

Case Study: Using an employee recognition program to boost morale

Recognizing well-deserving employees boosts morale at J.W. Townsend Landscapes. Leigh Townsend, president of J.W. Townsend Landscapes, is always looking for ways to invest in his people, and he’s willing to learn from ideas that have been successful at other companies. When he heard in his peer group about a successful employee recognition program at another […]

Photo: The Goatscaping Co.

Case Study: How to turn goat grazing into profits

A Boston area company specializes in goatscaping.  In 2012, investment banker Elaine Philbrick read a newspaper article about how goats could be used for brush clearing. With four goats of her own, Philbrick thought goat grazing or “goatscaping” would make a brilliant business model. That year The Goatscaping Co. was born, starting with one golf […]

Case Study: Into the woods

Forestry mulching proves to be a beneficial offering for Visual Edge—and its clients.  After posting a sign for “bush hogging,” Andrew Jenkins, president of Visual Edge, was flooded with calls. The inquiries were about clearing large, wooded areas rather than the simple overgrowth he had in mind. Instead of turning work down, he found a […]

Case Study: Referral program our way

How one landscape company added $100,000 in sales by redefining its referral program. For the past few years, Mark Borst, owner and president of Borst Landscape & Design in Allendale, N.J., has been offering a customer referral program where clients could earn a $250 invoice credit for referring a new customer. Borst says it helped […]

Case study: Add-on biz

When leaves fall, profits rise for a Delaware-based landscape company. By offering leaf clean-up as a stand-alone service, Kevin Shackleford, president of Shackleford Landscape Group in Bear, Del., attracts new customers. Some aren’t necessarily interested in year-round landscape work but need occasional help on bigger projects. “Right after Labor Day, we start really pushing the […]

Heron Home & Outdoor

Case study: Reaping awards

A lot of companies say they value their employees, but Heron Home & Outdoor in Orlando, Fla., wants to “walk the talk,” says the company’s Marketing Director Cherissa Vandergriff. That’s why Heron’s leaders invested $20,000 into its employee appreciation program last year, and they expect to invest $30,000 by the end of 2015. The program […]

Gachina Landscape Management

Cultivating an experience

A landscape firm’s large garden serves its staff and the community. Gachina Landscape Management in Menlo Park, Calif., has practiced sustainable gardening as part of some of its maintenance contracts for nearly a decade. It naturally parlayed those skills into its own project: a large garden area it calls The Farm. The Farm, launched in […]

Photo: Greenscape

Case study: CEO school

One North Carolina company taught a college landscape student an ultimate lesson. When the National 
Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) hosted its 39th annual Student Career Days at North Carolina State University in March, nearby Greenscape decided it wasn’t enough to just attend or have a booth at the career fair this year. The execs […]

Case study: Scheduling solutions

As design/build business picked up, one company found a better way to manage and communicate its installation schedule. The Problem: As the housing market rebounded and business picked up for Ross NW Watergardens, the Portland-based company found itself scheduling jobs as far as 10 to 14 weeks in advance. Managing this kind of demand was […]

Hiring & Retention: Finders, keepers

Strategies LM150 firms are using to up their employment game. Finding and keeping good people are fundamental to success for any business, but in the landscape industry, companies are discovering these to be increasingly difficult tasks. We spoke to several LM150 business owners who’ve been dealing with these challenges and are employing a variety of […]

Photo: Target Lawn Care

Case study: Slick service

A Kansas landscape company adds value by offering oil clean-ups. After cleaning up an oil spill from a car accident one day, firefighter Joe Flake had an idea. He often saw oil spots on drive-thru lanes and on residential driveways while on the job for his full-service landscape business. But he didn’t know of anyone […]

Photo: Schmechtig Landscapes

Case study: Staged to sell

One landscape company helps clients sell their homes. As Michael Schmechtig observed real estate staging become popular and help sell homes, he got an idea. Buyers get their first impression of a home before they even get through the door—so why not stage the exterior? He put the idea in motion in 2010, when his […]

Case study: Cross-train to gain

A fast-growing, full-service company expands employees’ skill sets. By cross-training employees among all departments, Birchcrest Tree & Landscape runs a lean and efficient operation. The company rotates employees based on need, allowing it to keep employees working full-time while eliminating the need for seasonal workers. This approach has helped maintain quality and boost profitability for […]

Case study: Specialty trimming

Crape myrtle pruning helps trees bloom and profits grow at Thompson Landscape. In the 1990s, customers repeatedly asked Thompson Landscape to add crape myrtle trimming to their yearly landscape maintenance contracts, so the Plano, Texas-based company decided to name and market it as its own service. Doing so has been a differentiator for the firm. […]

Case study: Growing day

Shutting down for a day to help improve employees’ lives is pricey but worth it for one firm. Not too many business owners would help employees pursue a dream outside of their landscape career, but Todd Pugh isn’t like most owners. In fact, some might even call him crazy for shutting down business for a […]

Working the land

Large property management provides a robust revenue stream for this New York contractor. After graduating from Syracuse University with a background in natural resource management and forestry, Kyle Byrne wasn’t so sure what to do with the “rest of his life.” While he started out as an arborist, he quickly recognized a hole in the […]

Get with the program

Turf and ornamental care professionals share their thoughts on the pros and cons of participating in early order programs offered by chemical and fertilizer manufacturers and distributors. If it’s true the early bird gets the worm, maybe the turf and ornamental care manufacturers and distributors are on to something with their early order programs. These […]

Prepare for takeoff

A grass seed product that produces turf requiring little to no maintenance is probably not a good fit for a landscape maintenance company that makes its bread and butter from mowing. But for landscape or lawn care companies that service municipalities, airfields or other areas seeking to reduce mowing and deter wildlife, there’s a product […]

Case study: Delegation dilemma

The problem: Seth Kehne, owner of Lawn Butler in East Tennessee, started his company in 1999 in his senior year of high school. He watched it grow slowly and steadily over time; looking back, he compares the growth to the boiling frog metaphor. Translation: It crept up on him. One day it was a small […]

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