The grass is always 'Greenery'
9 Jul, 2010 LM Direct!
When Chad Stilley took a summer job in the lawn care business, he never anticipated that a career would eventually flourish. Stilley began the job to pass the time as he tried to decide where his next steps would lead him. But in Charleston, SC, the sun shines way more than the rain falls — and Stilley has found his true passion outside working on golf course greens. Now an area supervisor at The Greenery in Charleston, SC, Stilley celebrates 14 years in the lawn care industry, and says he doesn’t see himself leaving the business anytime soon.
Since 1973, The Greenery has been enhancing the natural beauty of southern coastal South Carolina, with comprehensive services that focus on projects and properties requiring special attention to detail. With approximately 250 employees, The Greenery distinguishes itself from other lawn care companies in one main way: customer response.
Competitive advantage
“Most complaints that you hear from contractors today are often from the lack of communication, the inability to follow through with callbacks, and not getting things taken care of in a timely manner,” Stilley explains. “Our job is to do away with that. If something is needed, it’s taken care of in a very prompt and timely manner to keep people as happy as possible.”
In addition to managing four crews, Stilley makes individual site visits to personally address issues on properties and to speak with clients so their needs are met. The Greenery provides extended resources and training for its technicians, proving the point that years of experience and comprehensive training are what make the grade in the lawn care business.
Stilley’s high expectations of his workers and demand for results separate his company from those that may lack the resources to invest in extensive training.
Weed control when it's hot
Unfortunately, communication and training are not the only issues to address. Because of its coastal location, home lawns in the area face significant fungal issues, resulting in large patch, brown patch and gray leaf spots. Stilley notes his true concern, however, is the problematic weeds that his properties encounter. These weeds, which include doveweed, dollarweed, Florida betony and Virginia buttonweed, germinate and gain their steam after pre-emergent herbicide applications have worn off from the spring. This is when Stilley, like many other lawn care operators in the Southeast, faces a rough period of time because as the temperature rises, the arsenal of products he can use decreases.
This creates an urgency for a product that is safe year round, and, luckily, Stilley has found a solution.
After a recommendation from a former colleague, Stilley decided to try Celsius WG herbicide from Bayer Environmental Science. “I did a preliminary trial with the product last year,” he explains. “I was very impressed using it in the middle of summer.”
The post-emergent herbicide delivers year-round weed control on warm-season turf varieties. “To have a product that I could use while the temperatures were up offered me an extension of my spray window, which is exciting,” he says.
With a maximum use rate of 4.9 oz. of product per acre, lawn care operators can use 25 percent to 75 percent less active ingredient than most other post-emergent herbicides. In addition to performance and turf safety, the low use rate gives them a positive environmental stewardship message to share with home owners.
Stilley has used the herbicide in several high-end residential communities, roadsides and hospital grounds. Although he has yet to experience a full season with the product, Stilley plans to use it on all of his lawns, as well as any weed treatment that he will do this summer.
“It is a low-odor product that really mixes well," he says. "I didn’t notice any settling out of the product, which is often a problem when transitioning from one property to the next.”
Although he has noticed a behind-the-scenes difference from the product, Stilley anticipates the true reaction will come in the months ahead when customers no longer see those summer weeds pop up as they have in previous seasons.
Looking ahead
After 14 years, Stilley is still focusing on perfecting his business and mastering the lawn care trade. “Our industry is a reactionary industry. The one thing that I’ve tried to implement is to be more proactive than reactive,” he explains. “I think you keep the customers happier that way.”
Needless to say, as Stilley continues to build on his success, his summer job has surely stood the test of time.
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