Backstory: Troy Clogg

Photo: Troy Clogg

Troy Clogg

Owner and Sales Consultant
Troy Clogg Landscape Associates
Wixom, Mich.

Education

North Farmington High School
Farmington Hills, Mich.
Class of 1981

Lawrence Technological University
Architecture
Southfield, Mich.
1981-1983

Ferris State University
Business
Big Rapids, Mich.
1983-1984

Work Experience

1978-1980
Mr. Fables, The Nugget, Pizza Hut
Busboy
Grand Rapids, Mich.

“From these jobs, I learned about getting along with people and having a service-minded mentality—the better you take care of people, the more successful you feel.”

1980-1988
Troy Clogg Lawn & Snow Service
Owner and President
Grand Rapids, Mich.

“The harder I worked, the more money I could make, which led me to my first stages of freedom—buying my first houses, buying the shop, actually taking control of my own life.”

1988-1998
Troy Clogg, Inc.
Owner and Sales
Grand Rapids, Mich.

1998-present
Troy Clogg Landscape Associates
Owner and Sales Consultant
Wixom, Mich.

“I spend most of my time creating additional leaders. I’m at the stage of the business where I’m trying to replace myself. My full-time job is building and educating the bench and also trying to educate the marketplace about the value of landscaping labor, so people understand how much the service should cost.”

Did you know?

Photo: Troy Clogg

On a family vacation in May 2015 in Galway, Ireland. From left: Ryan, Jack, Troy, Linda, Kelsey and Dan.

Photo: Troy Clogg

Clogg is involved with Real Men Wear Pink, an organization that raises money for the American Cancer Society. “I’ve got pink on every day. We’ve also got our hot pink deicer— it’s a pink salt that we use, and the money raised goes to local families who have been affected by a breast cancer diagnosis.”

Photo: Troy Clogg

“Meeting with Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan (center, in the black suit) and other Michigan snow contractors talking about the need to pass the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act. This was just one of 60 meetings that day.”

Words of Wisdom

“We can either have control or trust, but we can’t have both. There is no secret sauce to any of these businesses. People who hide behind their control because they don’t trust—they limit themselves, and they limit their ability.”

“Be anticipatory, not reactive. You have to see into the future, make the best plan you can and be totally cool with failure or hearing ‘no.’”

“If you line things up that you really want to chase that you think belong in your life, then just peck away at it. And what you swing and miss at, you swing and miss at, but at least you tried it because it was important to you.”