Russell Landscape CEO Teddy Russell (left) shares his insights on leadership during a stop at his company’s Sugar Hill, Ga., headquarters. (Photo: LM staff)
Teddy Russell, CEO of Russell Landscape Group, No. 54 on the 2022 LM150 list, kicked off the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ field trip in Atlanta, Ga., like the Russell Landscape team does every morning before rollout — with stretches and jumping jacks.
Russell said these stretches serve two purposes. First, it helps the team prepare for the day. Second, it helps the Russell Landscape team scout for any team members hiding an injury.
Marty Grunder, CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping led a two-day deep dive into Russell Landscape’s operations, successes and lessons learned.
Marty Grunder, CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping, Bill Russell and Teddy Russell welcomed guests to a special reception on the first night of NALP’s field trip. (Photo: LM staff)
Referral only
Russell Landscape, headquartered outside of Atlanta in Sugar Hill, Ga., specializes in full-service commercial maintenance. The company’s annual revenue for 2022 is $62 million. The operation anticipates $70 million in revenue this year. What makes those numbers interesting is Russell Landscape’s success is built entirely on referrals.
“We’ve been trying to swallow the firehose from the organic referrals we experience,” Teddy Russell says.
Hugh Cooper, chief operating officer of Russell Landscape says the company budgets for about 10 percent growth each year in business development.
“We put that number down and then we end up doubling it each year.”
But, it wasn’t always like that for the business.
“You have to fail your way to success,” Russell says.
Russell Landscape grew from $3 million to $18 million from 2002 to 2008, but the Great Recession changed how the operation ran.
“We went to a point in 2008 where we had to adjust operations,” he says. “We had one service and we did not know how to tell our operations how to change.”
In 2013, Russell says the family had a fallout where cousins and other family members left the operation. Bill Russell promoted Teddy to the president of the operation. Teddy Russell made major operational changes to the business. But he says the operation quickly ran out of money. Russell Landscape had about $100,000 left in the bank, and Teddy says he told his father to take what was left and get out. But his father did the opposite.
“He told me ‘Take the money, believe in what you’re doing. You’re almost there,’” Teddy Russell says his father told him.
Since then, the operation hasn’t looked back. It expanded into Nashville, Tenn., Savannah, Ga., Tampa and Destin, Fla., and Charleston, S.C., largely based on the connections the operation makes. Russell says as the operation opens a new branch, the team looks for an anchor property and invests in the beginning in infrastructure and team members. He says he expects it to take about 4 to 5 years to recoup the investment in a new branch.
What makes Russell Landscape Russell Landscape
One of Russell Landscape CEO Teddy Russell’s sayings is found on signs throughout the company’s Sugar Hill, Ga., headquarters. (Photo: LM staff)
Teddy Russell says the company’s values revolve around faith and family, a heart of service, integrity and the pursuit of knowledge and excellence.
Russell says the leadership team noticed a need to provide additional training on using a weed eater. So, Russell took the starring role. That’s something Grunder says shouldn’t be overlooked.
“That says something,” Grunder says of Russell demonstrating weed eating for Russell Landscape employees. “What is one of the minute details that an entry-level employee does? It is so important the CEO is in the training video.”
The leadership team also created Russell Landscape University in 2020 to help team members of all levels learn new skills. William Dutton, general manager of Russell Landscape, estimates Russell Landscape University hosts more than 1,500 videos.
“We have to be intentional with what we do,” Dutton says.
Being a cheetah
Teddy Russell says he wants his operation to be like a cheetah.
“A cheetah goes fast but can pivot quickly,” he says.
Part of being a cheetah means having accurate and up-to-date reporting. The operation uses Asset Panda software to track its entire fleet and its facilities. Russell Landscape built its own software, called C.R.E.W. Russell says the operation went the custom route to create software that fit all its needs.
“We are very granular and we are very custom and we wanted to see it how we wanted to see it,” he says.
Russell says the global pandemic was a prime example of how his operation adapted as the early days of the pandemic impacted commercial properties.
“We didn’t miss a beat,” Russell says. “It’s one of my proudest moments as a company.”
Nelson Alvarado, fleet manager for Russell Landscape, walks NALP Field Trip attendees through the company’s fleet management system. at his company’s Sugar Hill, Ga., headquarters. (Photo: LM staff)
About the Author: Christina Herrick
Christina Herrick is the editor of Landscape Management magazine. Known for her immersive approach to travel from coast to coast in her previous stint as senior editor of American Fruit Grower Magazine, she uses social media (Twitter/Instagram @EditorHerrick) to share her experiences on the road with her audience. Herrick has a degree in journalism from Ohio Northern University. She can be reached at cherrick@northcoastmedia.net.Subscribe to Landscape Management
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