Landscape Management, May 2018

Holland says hes also seeing more contractors using motorized equipment for walkways Every day theres something new to do something better he says PrEDiCT uSE CoSTS At some point a piece of equipment outlives its profitability and needs to be replaced Chris Speen owner of Twin Oaks Landscape in Ann Arbor Mich has implemented a process to track lifespan and purchasing costs Speens team offers design build maintenance drainage irrigation bed care fertilizer and snow removal services With an annual revenue of 24 million last year the company serves both commercial and residential properties The company uses snow blowers plows trucks skid steers salters and compact utility loaders for its snow removal services It adds new snow equipment every year replacing pieces when they begin to cost more to service than they are bringing in Speen uses ProfitLion landscape management software and data history to view and predict key factors that will lead the company to buy other equipment Speen is also director of sales for ProfitLion For example the company is able to see how long the equipment lasts using historical data and as a result how much the piece is costing per year That helps the team determine how to move forward with future purchases We cost out everything we have and figure out the charge rate on every piece of equipment he says If you dont have that data and just go out on a whim and buy it youre not going to know what to charge for it Data is extremely important to be able to predict When making a purchase he also considers the equipments price warranties and what others are saying about it Im looking for a brand name that backs the equipment Speen says The company also rents some of its snow removal equipment We do so many homeowner associations HOAs that its better for us to put the rental of the skid steer in the job as a direct cost Speen says LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET May 2018 SI4 Twin Oaks tries to rent the equipment from landscapers that dont offer snow removal services and arent using it during the winter months When thats not possible the company gets the equipment from rental houses Speen says he avoids leasing because he can only write off the payment and not the equipment itself on taxes MATCh EquiPMENT To SiTE For Steve Moore co owner of S A M Landscaping in Chardon Ohio purchasing decisions come down to whats going to work best for each property The 25 million company provides snow and ice management to a 90 percent commercial and 10 percent residential clientele The company provides snow removal for retail plazas banks restaurants doctors offices industrial properties HOAs supermarkets private roadways hospitals and government sites It also offers landscape maintenance design build landscape lighting irrigation corrective drainage enhancements and fertilization services During the winter S A M runs a crew of about 28 to 30 members and uses equipment and attachments including pickup trucks dump trucks snow plows skidsteers push boxes wheel loaders tractors and snow blowers All of the salt spreaders and dump bodies are made of stainless steel While the Chris Speen Steve Moore