LCOs rally around fire-damaged lawn care biz

Screenshot: LM Staff

When Joe Pozzi, owner of Ground Control Professional Landscape Management and firefighter in Mt. Morris Township, Mich., woke up to an alarm to respond to a fire, he never expected to be called to fight a fire at his own business.

After having to close his business for more than a month due to COVID-19, the destruction of the building and the vehicles and equipment inside was devastating.

However, with the help of a GoFundMe page, shared on June 12 by Vinnie Ambrose in the Professional Lawn Care Applicators Facebook group, the prospect of rebuilding may be a little less daunting.

“In the group, a lot of people go there and give advice, and Joe is pretty active in the group,” says Ambrose, who is the owner of Ambrose Turf & Pest Management in Lakeland, Fla. “It’s not uncommon for people in that group to share stuff like that.”

As of press time, the GoFundMe had surpassed its $6,000 goal for a total of $6,500.

“Not only did he lose income and revenue from COVID-19, but he also took a total loss on all of that stuff, so it just seemed like the right thing to do (to share the post),” Ambrose says. “I’m a veteran myself, so things with first responders really tug at my heart. I was really pleased with how many people in the group stepped up and donated.”