Landscape Management, January 2012

FINDING THE RIGHT PIECE OF THE SERVICE OFFERING PUZZLE CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS TURN A PROFIT JANUARY 2012 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET S21 ILLUSTRATION BY ISTOCK INTERNATIONAL INC employees to maintain its success We talk a lot about great crews great branches a great company says Hjelle A lot of it is treating them the way you would want to be treated THE GREENERY The establishment of an Employee Share Ownership Program ESOP has made a difference for The Greenery in Hilton Head SC Led by Lee Edwards The Greenery covers coastal South Carolina and Georgia doing mostly residential work in Hilton Head and commercial in its other markets services are 70 maintenance 30 installation It took time for employees to embrace the concept of having ownership in the company but once they started seeing the value of their shares rising on their annual stock certificates they started to realize the role they created in the company success Edwards notes A lot of people think businesses are created to make jobs says Edwards Thats not the case Companies are created to make money for the owner Were no different Were trying to be a profitable company But in this case everyone who works here who is vested starts to see the profits going back to them and they develop an ownership mentality The companys mission statement is to be the highest quality landscaper in the markets it serves not to be the cheapest most expensive or the biggest Edwards says The Greenery team has maintained its philosophy throughout the recession and has worked with clients who have taken a hit by the economy through decreasing hotel bookings empty office space or foreclosures That creates a tendency for property owners to seek the lowest bid for landscape services Edwards tells those clients his company has been with them in good times and will continue to partner with them in bad times Weve told them We know the income is not what it used to be so lets tailor a program for this property that will make it look the best it can for what you can afford he says adding that as times improve for those clients the previous service level is reinstated Still there are some who will go elsewhere We lost a little business like that Edwards says We had an awful 2008 and 2009 but we grew in 2010 and 2011 The Greenery also has acquired smaller competitors to expand its market share and has pursued municipal work in an effort to diversify It used to be there was always lots of new construction happening and as soon as we built an entrance or an amenities center in a new community wed roll into the maintenance Edwards says Those days are over Weve had to find new ways to bring in new clients and thats going out and knocking on a lot more doors than we used to Keeping an eye on the health of the business has meant tracking labor costs and other expenses on a daily basis Edwards says Hes asked vendors for early pay discounts reducing the MOD rate on the Workers Compensation and canceling services that are nice but not necessary such as coffee services Whats enabled us to grow in this economy is the employee ownership Edwards says I cant stress that enough When clients see our employees on their job working with pride showing up looking sharp and doing a conscientious job people notice it AMERICAN LANDSCAPE SYSTEMS American Landscape Systems began in 1985 doing residential work Today the companys sole focus is on the commercial market with services in landscape and irrigation installation maintenance and hardscape in the Dallas Fort