This year may well be a breakout. Economic indicators show a faster growth rate for business, credit markets are loosening up and data point to an increase in labor market momentum. With construction spending on the rise, more robust growth in landscape maintenance services is sure to follow. For landscape contractors, an increased demand in opportunities and account activity will... read more
Planning is crucial to profitable business growth, but few companies ever realize their plan’s full potential. Here are four ways to execute and stay on track. 1. Reach out to employees. Use a facilitator to help the process remain open and objective. A facilitator gives the employees protection to offer up their very valuable opinions without having to give them... read more
In five words or less, describe the current state of the landscape and lawn care market. Landscape Professionals Richard Bare Arbor-Nomics Turf, Norcross, Ga. “Coming back with a vengeance!” Bill Bemus Bemus Landscape, San Clemente, Calif. “Time to raise prices.” Chris Joyce Joyce Landscaping, Cape Cod, Mass. “Extremely busy with exciting growth.” Adam Linnemann Linnemann Lawn Care & Landscaping, Waterloo,... read more
Big change has been brewing in our industry for more than a decade. It started when consulting firm McKinsey & Co. began examining ValleyCrest in the late 1990s. It proved itself with a private equity firm merging ValleyCrest and Brickman in the $2 billion megadeal earlier this year. The upside potential of the green industry is no longer a secret.... read more
Labor is, as we all know, the single largest cost on a maintenance company’s financial statement. With that in mind, it’s imperative to implement good management strategies for reducing labor. There are two labor transition cycles for a warm-season company and three for a cool-season company. To keep it simple, a warm-season company’s two seasons of transition are spring... read more
A healthy company is a productive place where staff members feel valued and empowered. This is possible because there’s a cohesive leadership team who behaves in a functional way. Leaders are aligned around the company’s mission and know what they need to do to make the business perform. After a career of working for a mix of landscape companies, I’ve noticed... read more
