In April, residents of select central Kentucky neighborhoods were surprised to find in their driveways Velcro wallets with what appeared to be large sums of money inside. Each wallet was in fact a promotion from A Plus Lawn and Landscape in Lawrenceburg, Ky., including a business card for owner John Rennels, which appeared to be a Kentucky driver’s license. It... read more
Envision a lawn that needs to be mowed only a couple times a year. Your customers are likely ecstatic about the reduction of landscaping costs and so much so you make up the slump in revenue from new work, per their referrals. Sound too good to be true? It is. But this was the overrated notion for ecological lawns, aka... read more
The decision nearly 20 years ago to provide landscape maintenance at cost for a high-profile but financially struggling property with historical significance has turned into a unique opportunity for Jim Lawrence, owner of Providence Landscape in Charlotte, N.C. Today the $8 million landscape maintenance and design/build company is a partner in the effort to redesign the gardens at The Duke... read more
Steven Schinhofen speaks with the business acumen of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. His company, Harvest Landscape Enterprises, is actually located about 400 miles down the coast in Anaheim, Calif., and the business is a far cry from the high-tech world of microprocessors. Still, the 34-year-old business-school graduate says his maintenance and design firm is beating traditional “mow-and-blow” competitors by applying... read more
I’ve been asked several times by people inside and outside the Green Industry about the differences between a controller and CFO. After having many of these conversations, I’ve come to realize most people think they’re the same thing—except maybe a CFO is a supercharged version of the controller. They think the next step along the career path of any controller... read more
Daryle Johnson CEO of All American Turf Beauty in Van Meter, Iowa Service: U.S. Army, 1954-1956 “I was 18. I’d worked one summer, gone two quarters to college, ran out of money and volunteered for the service. I spent 16 months in Korea. I got out when I was 20. They wouldn’t let me buy a beer when I got... read more
