Author: Dillon Stewart

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Dillon Stewart

Dillon Stewart graduated from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, earning a Bachelor of Science in Online Journalism with specializations in business and political science. Stewart is a former associate editor of LM.

Project EverGreen completes New Jersey, East Harlem renovations

Project EverGreen cut the ribbon on its most recent projects, Hazlet (N.J.) Youth Athletic League’s (HYAL) William B. Paterson Field and the Neighbors of Vega Baja community garden in East Harlem, New York. “With more than half of the population living in urban areas, it’s critical that neighborhood parks and community gardens are available for the […]

Companies in the News: Lawn Butler named best of Utah; more from Deere, Case, Akehurst

Best of State, a Utah organization that recognizes the top businesses and people in the state, selected Lawn Butler as the Best Business Service Provider in Utah. It was the first time a landscape contractor won the award. Lawn Butler, which is currently growing organically at a rate of 320 percent per year, also brought home three more […]

Photo: Gothic Landscape

Origin stories: Gothic Landscape | The family man

Jon Georgio CEO, Gothic Landscape No. 12 Since 1984, Jon Georgio and his brothers have taken the company their mother and father started from $500,000 to $130 million in annual revenue. Through it all, they’ve retained a mom-and-pop vibe while providing jobs to more than a thousand people and operating in four states. This is […]

Photo: Perficut

Origin stories: Perficut | The kid with a mower

Kory Ballard CEO, Perficut No. 124 This might be the most common trope in the landscape industry. A teenager with a mower cuts some lawns for extra money and ends up falling in love with the industry. What’s rare, however, is when that teenager builds a company like Perficut, a full-service, mostly commercial company pulling […]

People on the Move: Giraldo named EY Entrepreneur of the Year, AmericanHort honors Raimondi; new hires, promotions for Aspire, OPEI, DHG, Bayer

Clean Scapes CEO Ivan Giraldo received the 2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the service category in Central Texas. Presented by Ernst and Young, the award recognizes entrepreneurs who have built a market-leading business that has contributed to the industry, job market and community. As a winner in Central Texas, Giraldo is now eligible […]

LM150: Business book club

A great business book can serve as the philosophy by which a business owner molds his or her company. Most company executives read many business books, but only a few tomes stick with them—and that’s probably for the best. “Many owners make the mistake of zigzagging their style and direction every time they read a […]

LM150: How we got started

Origin stories from a few LM150 firms. As told to Dillon Stewart Think back to your humble beginnings. The starry-eyed days where you had nothing but a mower and a dream. There are many reasons the leaders from LM150 list companies may be different from the average landscape company—scale, scope and sometimes just pure luck. […]

Origin stories: Landscape Workshop | The industry outsider

J.T. Price CEO, Landscape Workshop No. 55 Landscape Workshop is not J.T. Price’s invention. Joey Dobbs started the mostly commercial maintenance company in 1984. By 1995, it had quickly grown into a top company in the industry. Three years after McKinney Capital acquired it in 2011, the company tapped Price, a McKinney employee who had […]

Photo: Coast Landscape Management

Origin stories: Coast Landscape Management | The girl in the boys’ club

Kelly Solomon CEO, Coast Landscape Management No. 128 Kelly Solomon got her start as a salesperson at TruGreen after it bought LandCare USA, which had acquired Lebo Newman’s company. In 2000, Solomon left to start Up Valley Landscape, which bought Coast Landscape Management in 2005 and began operation under that name. Later that year, Newman […]

Origin stories: Signature Landscapes | The unemployed plant lover

Lebo Newman CEO, Signature Landscapes No. 122 Long before Lebo Newman was the CEO of Signature Landscapes, a $14.7 million firm company in Reno, Nev., he was standing in an unemployment line. His only landscape experience was caring for his prized jade plant. Five years after collecting his last unemployment check, he became the partner […]

Senske acquires Washington-based Turf’s Up!

Senske Lawn & Tree Care acquired the assets of Turf’s Up!, a lawn and tree care provider based in Lake Stevens, Wash. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Senske’s reputation precedes itself as an outstanding company that prides itself in professionalism and the work that it does,” said Turf Up! Manager and Owner Dave Zimmerman.“Both […]

LM150 through the years

The LM150, which will be released online June 12, is our list of the top revenue-generating firms in the landscape industry. But it isn’t all about numbers and dollar signs. The features that accompany the list are designed to present the ideas and best practices that propelled the top 150 landscape companies to where they are today. While […]

Kawasaki moves R&D to Grand Rapids

The Engines Division of Kawasaki Motors Corp. has moved its research and development wing (R&D) to the division’s headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich., where it just completed a multimillion dollar renovation of its facility. Since 1995, R&D has been located in Marysville, Mo., where the majority of its engines are manufactured. The company celebrated its “grand reopening” May 18 with a […]

People on the Move: Massey exec named CEO of the Year; LandCare promotes five; Kawasaki hires R&D personnel; NALP hires technical education director

Massey Services Chairman and CEO Harvey L. Massey was named one of 22 CEOs of the Year by Orlando Business Journal. The honorees include high-level executives at well-known or emerging companies across Central Florida who succeed in the workplace and give back to their communities. In November, the Orlando Business Journal also named Massey its Corporate Philanthropist of the year. Massey serves in […]

MTD Products acquires maker of Robomow, eyes North American markets

A subsidiary of MTD Products is merging with F. Robotics Acquisitions, makers of the robotic residential lawn mower Robomow. Financial details of the transaction, which is set to close in early July pending government and other approvals, were not disclosed. “Both MTD and Robomow see tremendous opportunities to grow our brands through this merger of our […]

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