How are you positioning your company to succeed this year?
Landscape Professionals
Richard Bare
Arbor-Nomics Turf
Norcross, Ga.
“We are positioning our company for 10 & 10: 10 percent growth and 10 percent profit. When we are growing, good things are happening for everyone: improved communication, improved systems and improved employees. When people are goal-motivated, they forget their troubles.”
Paul Fraynd
Sun Valley Landscaping
Omaha, Neb.
“Communicate, communicate, communicate. We are aiming to show a lot of empathy and be a good ‘crisis-worthy’ partner for both our staff and our clients. This means being there for them, asking how their families are and just bringing the human ‘touch’ we have built our core values on over the last 25 years. We want to position ourselves as a trusted partner for the long term, here in the hard times and here when things get better.”
Luke Henry
ProScape Lawn & Landscaping Services
Marion, Ohio
“We are communicating frequently and transparently to our staff and clients … about changes we have to make to our various plans and policies and explaining why. We are showing appreciation and empathy. Our primary focus is on building, strengthening and maintaining a strong team, because without it, we have nothing.”
Bryan Stolz
Winterberry Landscape & Garden Center
Southington, Conn.
“To strengthen our company culture in these uncertain times, we have reorganized our priorities. Our No. 1 goal every day is making sure our team members and our clients are kept safe and healthy. This has resulted in a major overhaul of our processes and procedures. It has been costly, but our investment in wellness shows our team members how much we care for them better than any parties we’ve had in the past ever could. Second, as a management team we talk on a weekly basis about the number of paychecks we’ve cut that week. We know how lucky we are to be open and operating right now, and we take very seriously the responsibility to our people and our community to make that good fortune meaningful. Each paycheck is food on a family’s table, and we take great pride in every paycheck that goes out the door. In a distant third comes profitability. We haven’t forgotten about the financial side of running a business by any means, but we have made sure everyone knows that profit is not our most important driver.”
Greg Winchel
Winchel Irrigation
Grandville, Mich.
“We had weekly Zoom meeting to keep everyone connected and informed during the shutdown. We were proactive with creating a COVID-19 safety plan and COVID-19 health checklist. Every employee is equipped with a face mask, two types of rubber gloves and hand sanitizer. We are reminding staff daily about safety precautions and cleaning and sanitizing of trucks and equipment. We will succeed this season because we have a great team that will not give up. We are focused and united as a team.”
Industry Consultants
Marty Grunder
The Grow Group
Dayton, Ohio
“We are remaining calm, being honest and sharing our vision for the future. People like to work with people they know, like and trust. Remaining calm, being honest and sharing a vision for the future all speak to that type of a culture. At Grunder Landscaping Co., it’s all about prioritizing and executing. Right now, we are back to work and have to get that work done.”
Jeffrey Scott
Jeffrey Scott Consulting
New Orleans, La.
“By increasing and improving communication from the top down. In this world of negative news headlines, be a better ‘radio station’ for your employees, constantly sharing updates, facts, challenges, positivity and new goals. Maintain and increase meetings and report to your employees with excerpts from your weekly leaders’ huddles.”
