Urban Farmer found the work it wanted and chased it until it was theirs. Getting to this point was a lot of hard work, but Urban Farmer, a Thornton, CO-based full-service landscape, irrigation, reclamation and maintenance firm, is tracking 4.5% growth for the year. How did they do it? One word, says Sean Lynam, business development manager: “Persistence.” “It came... read more
Operating from the garage of their home in the San Fernando Valley, Richard and Charlene Angelo launched Stay Green, Inc. in 1970 with a truck, a handful of residential customers and a vision. Richard’s sense of professionalism drove customer satisfaction, and the business grew quickly through referrals. Today, the company has more than 200 employees working in three divisions —... read more
Marsha Newberry, owner of Signature Contracting Services, LLC in Grand Prairie, TX, says she can’t pinpoint just one reason why the company has been so successful this year. “It’s the whole picture,” she says. “There are a multitude of reasons.” The top two are diversification and customer loyalty. While she’s heard other companies tell prospective clients they “don’t do that... read more
Larry Ryan, president of Ryan Lawn & Tree in Overland, KS, believes the quality of his company’s growth has come from the quality of the people he hires — and that’s an area where the economy has actually helped his business. “A lot of the people who would normally go into the golf course industry are coming to us,” he... read more
Ben Collinsworth, CEO of Native Land Design in Cedar Park, TX, says his key to success this year was simple — he didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. “While many others in our market and industry are trying to add revenue in a bad economy, we have tried to get better operationally in our business and give our current customers... read more
Steven Jomides never had the opportunity to fully repay the $15,000 his father loaned him in 1988 to found Lawns By Yorkshire. “I made one or two small payments to Dad in ’88, but later that year he died of lung cancer at age 56,” shares Jomides, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, as he fights back tears. “Mom... read more
