Landscape Management, October 2010

mom proud 2013 the 25th anniversary of the founding of Lawns By Yorkshire Seed of hope Little did Jomides or his parents know then but that 15000 starter loan would represent the seed of hope for a 25 year old only child about to lose both parents Looking back its very fi tting I named the business Lawns By Yorkshire Jomides notes My parents absolutely loved and for years bred Yorkshire terriers Im not a small dog guy but its never been just about me This business is as much Dads and Moms as it is mine and my associates Jomides is a self purported graduate of The Green School of Hard Knocks When I was 17 I made 3 per hour mowing lawns and picking weeds for a friend Jomides reminisces I spent most of my daily earnings on breakfast and lunch That was Lesson No 1 Control expenditures now rewards come later Three years later Jomides received a reward a 33 bump in pay when he went to work for another landscape contractor I earned 4 per hour but again it was very hard and humbling work Jomides notes Tasked with transporting crushed blue landscape stone up a steep hill I lasted only one week on that grueling job But I learned another critical business lesson that week The sizable gap between labor and material costs and project pricing the net really caught my eye and eventually my heart and my parents faith Jomides adds The seed to start my own landscape business was planted that week with that job loss Five years later with help from Dad and Mom I struck out on my own No small dog After attending his fathers funeral Jomides returned to work that afternoon And for the most part he hasnt looked back since I only have two regrets 1 That my parents never met my beautiful bride of 16 years Andrea and our children Zac and Noa and 2 That Dad and Mom never saw what became of their 15000 how their little Yorkshire has grown into a pretty big dog Lawns By Yorkshire has grown its annual revenue two hundredfold from about 40000 in sales in 1988 to a projected 8 million this year The companys operations meanwhile have expanded from one small home offi ce to its Westwood NJ headquarters plus three satellite locations The companys Green Team provides landscape and tree installation and maintenance lawn plant and shrub care integrated pest management design build services erosion control and irrigation and storm water management solutions The Green team accounts for half of the companys employee roster yet typically generates about two thirds of the business annual sales Lawns By Yorkshires White Team comprises about 250 associates providing snow and ice management services With an arsenal of 40 trucks 30 plows 75 snowblowers 15 salt spreaders and more than 40 skid steers with plow attachments the White Team is tethered to headquarters and one PHOTOS BY FRED MILLER Save up to 40 on list price with proven Rain Bird performance TALK TO YOUR SALES REP OR DISTRIBUTOR Rain Bird 1804 Sprays Save more than 35 over Hunter PROS 04 Sprays Rain Bird Hunter List 215 Price List Price 335 Rain Bird 1812 Sprays Save more than 20 over Hunter PROS 12 Sprays Hunter List Price 1475 Rain Bird List Price 1135 Rain Bird MPR and VAN Nozzles Save more than 25 over Hunter Fixed Arc and VAN Nozzles Rain Bird List Price 119 Hunter List Price 160 Rain Bird 5004 Rotors Save more than 40 over Hunter PGP ADV Rotors Rain Bird Hunter List Price List Price 1150 1995 Rain Bird JTV Valves Save nearly 30 over Hunter PGV 100G Valves Rain Bird Hunter 1950 List Price List Price 2775 Rain Bird ESP SMT Indoor Controller Save more than 10 over Hunter Pro C plus Solar Sync Rain Bird List Price 260 Hunter List Price 291 00 00 Based on 2010 U S Rain Bird and Hunter List Pricing effective September 1 2010 115 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET