Landscape Management, December 2015

Jundt frst considered the idea of franchising on his own but decided that Conserva Irrigation could make more of an impact by using the teams and systems Outdoor Living Brands already had in place Conserva Irrigation is now an official component of Outdoor Living Brands and shares systems such as marketing branding and accounting Conserva Irrigation currently has pilot sites in Dayton Ohio Chagrin Falls Ohio Glen Ellyn Ill Merrimack N H and Long Island N Y Jundt plans to add fve additional pilot locations by spring 2016 to perfect the business model collect more data and further identify regional differences before opening fully functioning franchises by the end of next year The goal is to reach 400 locations nationwide within 10 years Jundt says the ideal Conserva Irrigation franchisees are contractors who dont want to reinvent the wheel but who want to be part of recreating the way we use water Another target is business leaders outside of the irrigation space who can identify smart business opportunities and attract good technicians Prospective franchisees can expect a frst year investment of 50000 to 100000 EvaluatE first A unique aspect of Conserva Irrigation and the process that helps the company save water Jundt says is its System Effciency Score SES Its a 12 part irrigation system audit that determines how well an irrigation system functions The evaluation is part of the free inspection that takes place during the frst meeting with the client Through the SES clients get a score based on a 100 point scale each client is encouraged to have an effciency score of 75 or higher Conserva technicians educate clients on the reasons behind the score they receive and Jundt says most scores motivate their clients to upgrade or repair their systems Clients receive at least one SES evaluation per year We wanted to establish a consistent approach so its the same message no matter who sits down with a client Jundt says We want the homeowners interest to be piqued about why their system is failing and we want them to ask what they can do to improve it The SES ultimately demonstrates to the client our professionalism our innovation and that we are environmentally responsible he adds CommErCial approaCh The companys tiered audit process is similar to the SES but is geared toward commercial clients who are more concerned with cost savings Jundt developed an algorithm that uses property data to create a baseline for ideal water usage based on a normal weather year Tier one educates the client about how much water theyve been using compared to how much water they should be using Tier two is an on site system evaluation to identify the problems Tier three is really getting picky Jundt says and is a very specifc zone byzone inspection In the residential market the client wants a green landscape they want someone trustworthy to show up and then they want to be water conscious Jundt says In the commercial market its the opposite they are all about bottom line savings The commercial sector has LEED certifcation and other conservation opportunities but no one has grabbed the tail of the beast when it comes to water savings he adds This is how we are attracting national chains train to gain Employee training is also an important aspect of Conservas business model Using Irrigation Association IA programs and course work Jundt is developing what he calls Conserva University an operations manual of standard feld protocols which will provide information about problems a technician may encounter The curriculum will include topics like how to diagnose a wiring issue and reference guides on irrigation controllers he says Conserva Irrigation techs who will be required to obtain IA certification also will have tablets equipped with information they can access from the field and every location will conduct weekly training on problems relevant to the region and season Were going to homegrow the next generation of irrigation techs Jundt says With no shortage of goals Jundt will be busy making his vision a reality And his enthusiasm for change and for introducing a better way to water will keep him going for the long term I felt that there were two ways to affect change in regard to the use of landscape irrigation water We could picket on the Capitol steps and try to make change with legislation or we could create a company that would ultimately change how we water the world Jundt says Im always impacted by the quote If you always do what youve always done youll always get what youve always got Its a very simple statement but its important If we had created a company that was just like every other company we would just get the same result Schappacher is a freelance writer based in Charlotte N C Russ Jundt December 2015 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET 41 top tech New technology inspired Russ Jundt to return to irrigation