George and Gary Pacheco are celebrating their 30th and most challenging year in business. Based in Hayward, CA, Pacheco Brothers Gardening has been adjusting to extreme changes in the weather — and the economy. President and CEO George Pacheco Jr. shares how their organization is dealing with these troubled times. TOP TRENDS » The move to maintenance. Everybody in landscape... read more
In current market conditions, where low prices dominate the landscape, contractors must look for more meaningful ways to cut costs — often just so they can profit at lower price points. The most-common way to accomplish this involves saving labor by cutting hours. While this can help in many cases, how much can you cut before you jeopardize the quality... read more
This past December, Eric Hansen drove to Livonia, MI, to receive the keys to a new, propane-fueled Ford F-350 from Jack Roush of Roush Performance. Over the past several years, Hansen has been converting his fleet of landscape maintenance equipment to propane power, which he believes offers better value for his energy dollars — while delivering more environmentally responsible service... read more
The phone doesn’t ring as much anymore. Does this mean there’s no demand for your services? No, of course not. But it does mean that the days of simply answering the phone to sell work are over. There’s no way around it: You need to invest in a sales organization. A sales organization is built around an investment in staffing... read more
Industry insiders say its ‘grow or go’ time for slouches and grouches — employees who under perform or have bad attitudes. They called him “toothless Frank.” He didn’t smile much — for obvious reasons. He was a perennial under performer with a national lawn care company. He didn’t seem to care what management wanted him to do. But one day,... read more
Green, sustainable — or whatever you call it — is here. It offers us limitless opportunity. Few industries stand to gain as much from the growing consciousness among the public that we must conserve our resources and protect our environment as we do. But with this incredible opportunity comes responsibility. Take this responsibility seriously. It’s the future of our businesses... read more
