Focusing on employees, costs and the extent of service the company can self-perform helped Urban Habitat experience a 69-percent revenue increase from 2022 to 2023. This put the company at No. 133 on the 2024 LM150 list and in the ninth spot for year-over-year growth.
Headquartered in Palm Desert, Calif., Urban Habitat offers commercial landscape design/build and maintenance services. It has a second branch office in Rancho Cucamonga, allowing the team to provide landscape-related development projects throughout Southern California, says Brett Brennan, CEO of Urban Habitat.
A well-rounded system
As a full-service landscape general contractor, Brennan says the company offers a blend of services that sets it apart in the industry. Urban Habitat self-performs more than half of its project builds, including mass grading, wet/dry utilities, masonry and landscape, he adds.
“Our work includes self-installations of all landscape-related structures and ancillary work,” Brennan says, noting the company’s projects have included large community parks, event centers, sports parks and arenas. “We offer a turnkey project approach, including maintenance.”
The company’s ability to perform work on time and on budget has allowed it to build a reputation as the go-to landscape designer and contractor for large, complex and sustainable projects, he says. About 98 percent of its annual projects are from city and government contracts.
“Our clients know that we pay attention not just to project costs but also to client ROI by using the most current and effective water-saving technologies and methods, soil blends and appropriate plantings,” Brennan says.
Brennan says those practices help ensure the project’s survivability; plus, using sustainable and renewable materials complies with existing and future environmental regulations.
“Our projects are built to maximize the ease of maintenance while minimizing the expense,” he says.
The trusted team
Urban Habitat’s management team has more than 150 years of combined experience in landscape design and construction, which allows them to work seamlessly on job sites to increase on-time job completion
and reduce downtime.
“We recognize the value of every employee and treat them with respect and give them a clear path for advancement based solely on performance,” Brennan says. “This is true of each division — design, construction and maintenance — which operate together to achieve the common goal of earning the client’s complete satisfaction.”
Urban Habitat team members have experience in civil and commercial builds, and the firm looks to add employees based on their competency, experience and education, he says, noting that many team members have graduate degrees in their fields.
“Ensure you have the right people that take ownership and care about your success,” Brennan says. “But in turn, make sure you are investing in your employees.”
Brennan advises other professionals to persevere during both the easy and challenging periods and remember that hard work and consistency eventually pay off. Staying competitive with costs is another crucial part of staying at the top and being awarded contracts, he adds.
“This does not mean compromising quality or lowering standards to be the low bidder but instead capitalizing on our ability to work more efficiently, be more organized, use tools and techniques that improve our labor optimization and lower the time needed to perform the required tasks,” he says. “Innovation beats those who stagnate, and we are proof of that.”
Planning for the future
Looking ahead, Brennan says Urban Habitat will maintain and improve the quality of its work, adapt to its clients’ changing needs and research the best technologies and methods to remain a leader in the industry. The company will also invest in areas where it performs well in the industry.
“You get what you give in any business, and we contribute to the greater good by building and maintaining the best landscape areas and ensuring our employees are rewarded and take pride in themselves and their team,” Brennan says.
