Landscape Management, September 2013

About 80 percent of Fairhavens customers are commercial properties The remaining sites are residential properties THE SCREENING PROCESS The employees who work on these properties come from various backgrounds Some Fairhaven Lawn Care workers are former factory employees who were laid off during the recession Other crew members are younger employees with limited job skills Many Lutheran Social Services clients struggle with drug and mental health problems as well The company interviews all applicants from the Lutheran Social Services homeless shelter The process serves the dual purpose of teaching the program clients interviewing skills while assessing their qualifications Clients who pass the initial interview earn a follow up meeting Once they receive a job offer Fairhaven conducts a final interview and then performs a background check and drug testing Rapp says We run it as an official business and part of the rationale behind that is we want employees to hopefully in six months or so leave and go to a better job and we want to teach them the skills Fairhaven Lawn Care is a for profit landscape maintenance business under the umbrella of a nonprofit agency Lutheran Social Services continues to work with clients who dont get the job so they can improve interviewing skills resumes or other job search skills for future employment AN EARLY START Employees who make the cut will start working for Fairhaven as early as late February or the beginning of March Unlike traditional landscape contractors in its area that typically begin working For over 40 years Air O Lator has been making eco friendly high performance products As a 3 in 1 device Aquarian aerators improve water health and quality while providing the aesthetic beauty of a fountain and deicing capabilities during winter Backed by outstanding customer service Air O Lator aerators are easy to install and maintain LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET SEPTEMBER 2013 34 in April Fairhaven starts earlier to ease new employees into the rigorous work environment The new hires may work 10 to 20 hours the first few months before progressing to a full 40 to 50 hour workweek During the training process workers learn how to operate zero turn mowers trimmers edgers and equipment They also learn how to trim shrubs and identify perennials and annuals At the same time the company teaches employees many basic life skills such as managing their finances after theyre paid Fairhaven employees may work for the company for up to a year before theyre expected to find work elsewhere About 10 to 15 former Fairhaven employees have moved on to larger landscape companies Two ex employees returned to school to earn turf management degrees Fairhaven even has referred employees to competing landscape contractors Rapp says Other employees have taken jobs at large retail outlets such as Home Depot and Lowes or supervisory positions at restaurants such as Subway As for the companys overall success Rapp says Fairhaven has made just enough to recoup its capital investments In the next two years he expects to be more profitable But the companys goal is to serve a greater purpose that looks far beyond profitability Rapp notes Being a social enterprise our goal is to employ as many of our clients as we can Rapp says We dont want to lose money but were not in it to be a huge booming business If we can employ our clients and teach them the skills they need and move them on thats our ultimate social goal Katz is a freelance writer based in Cleveland PHOTO FAIRHAVEN LAWN CARE MARKETWATCH continued from page 31 www airolator com 800 821 3177