Early success doesn’t ensure continued growth. That’s one of the lessons Rick and Randy Girard learned the first time around. Rick Girard founded Girard’s Landscaping and General Maintenance in the early 1990s and quickly grew it to 30 full-time employees with monthly revenues of about $85,000. His brother Randy and father Leo also were involved in the company. But Rick... read more
The huge dead limb shifted and crashed, without warning, to the dried leaf litter covering the soft earth on the other side of the towering oak. It happened in the blink of an eye. Almost simultaneously, we heard a grunt, as if somebody had been struck with something heavy. It was followed by a groan and then a hoarse, frightened... read more
Despite housing and economic challenges, survey shows there could be hope for design/build/installation contractors. Nearly 50% of landscape professionals say 2010 sales are already up compared to last year. And 20% of them expect 10% higher sales; another 11% expect 15% higher sales. The other twist to this plot: The majority of survey respondents were landscape design/build/installation contractors and landscape... read more
Consumer confidence concerning economic recovery is improving, and their finances are on the mend, according to a new survey of consumer spending and trends from Deloitte. More than half (55%) of consumers think the economy has started to recover from the recession and nearly two-thirds (64%) say their household financial situation is the same or better than one year ago.... read more
