Landscape Management, November 2017
What you can learn from a landscape company that survived the year both of its owners were deployed By Marisa PalMieri Photos tony Ventouris Double duty Oh boy what do we do now Larkin Scott III recalls having this thought in the summer of 2015 when he found out that hed be deployed for the third time in his role as a Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia National Guard His worries were those of any soldier being deployed to a place like Iraq After all he would be away from his family for a year and even miss the birth of his second child But his concerns carried an additional weight He knew his brother and business partner Luke Scott a fellow member of the National Guard also would be deployed at the same time albeit with a different unit The pair co own LG Scott Landscaping Tree Service in Providence Forge Va They bought the company from their father Larkin Scott II in 2008 Members of the Reserves and National Guard can be called up at any time so the family always knew this situation was a possibility but they still didnt expect it For a while Luke was in a unit that didnt need to deploy and I had already done two deployments so it didnt seem like it would ever happen Larkin Scott III says But it did They could have requested not to deploy but they thought it might hurt their Guard careers Besides they joined the service knowing they may have to serve overseas We wanted to do our duty so we said Lets figure this out says Larkin Scott III Luke Scott who serves as an infantry scout squad leader deployed in May 2016 to Qatar and Larkin Scott III departed a month later to Iraq They left the business in the hands of their mom Dale Scott who had served as office manager since the company was founded in 1997 They also promoted a key employee to general manager They created a comprehensive operations manual and spent a few months working on a plan for the business to run while they were gone Before they left the brothers thought they were well prepared but they learned they could have done a better job setting up the company for success during their time away The company survived but profitability faltered They returned earlier this year happy to be home safely grateful for their familys help and motivated to build and grow a profitable business thats less reliant on its owners Business Breakdown Company LG Scott Landscaping Tree Service Headquarters Providence Forge Va Founded 1997 by Larkin Scott II purchased by Luke Scott and Larkin Scott III in 2008 revenue 575000 2016 665000 projected 2017 employees 7 serviCe mix 40 design build installation 35 mowing landscape maintenance 12 turf ornamental care 10 tree service 3 other Client mix 95 residential 4 commercial 1 percent government NoVember 2017 landsCapemanaGement net 37
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