Our Level Up series shares the strategies that help landscape and lawn care companies get to the next level.
Peak Landscape, based in Hillsboro, Oregon, has the ability to take older landscapes that have seen better days and revitalize them into a sustainable, beautiful space that their customers can appreciate.
Mark Pyrah, president of Peak Landscape, started the company with Jason Ostlie and Peter May in 2005.
Pyrah started mowing lawns and taking care of a local park with his father when he was 10 years old. Then from 14 to 18, he worked at a private golf course. Despite his background in the landscape and golf industry, Pyrah chose to major in pre-pharmacy at Brigham Young University – Idaho because that is what his aptitude test told him he would be good at.
“The classes in this major were very hard and I quickly realized that this may not be what I was made out to do,” Pyrah says. “I finished my freshman year and returned back to the golf course for another summer.”
After serving a two-year mission for his church in Alabama, Pyrah had the opportunity to mature and think on his future. When he returned to school, he changed his major to landscape management and graduated in 2001. After working for several other companies, Pyrah launched Peak Landscape.
“I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and it runs in my family,” Pyrah says. “I have tried several other ‘businesses’ throughout my life, but landscape is my passion and it provides a great avenue to achieve my core value of helping others.”
Since starting the company with Ostlie and May, the company has grown to an annual revenue of $14 million. Pyrah says their goal is to reach $20 million and is excited for the path they are on to get there.
“We measure success at the individual level,” Pyrah says. “Success is when we achieve the goals that our team has set for themselves, when each person is successful in accomplishing the work before them. We all lift in our own space, and that makes us successful overall.”
Growing The Business
In the beginning, Peak Landscape started out in commercial construction. Two to three years later, they added on maintenance, which was part of their plan. Pyrah says they added snow and ice services and tree services in 2008.
Now the company services commercial properties throughout Portland and Seattle, offering maintenance and enhancement services under one umbrella. They also provide residential tree care work through their tree division – Peak Tree Specialists.
They added on exterior container installation and maintenance services in 2010. Pyrah says about 10% of their clients use this service.
Peak Landscape has three locations and had a period of rapid growth from 2006 to 2008.
“We had pretty extreme growth in our first few years, going from nothing to almost $4 million in revenue in our 2nd year,” Pyrah says. “However, for the most part, our growth has been steady, with us doubling in size in the last five years.”
Keys to Success
Pyrah says their people, quality and customer service are what drive their success as a company.
Peak Landscape is committed to establishing long-lasting relationships with their clients. Pyrah says they build these by starting with trust.
“It is vital that whoever we meet, and whatever service we eventually provide, that trust runs through each interaction,” Pyrah says. “That trust is built through technical experience, quality workmanship, and great customer service. Each project builds trust if done correctly, and each problem solved helps to fortify our standing in the eyes of our customers.”
Pyrah says their NALP membership has also impacted their growth over the past few years.
“ELEVATE has been instrumental in helping us connect with others that are larger than us, or smaller than us, and ask questions about the challenges they face, and gain insights on how to move forward,” Pyrah says.
Recruiting and Retention
Pyrah says one of their biggest challenges over the years has been finding the right people at the right time.
The company has 155 employees on staff. He says their main form of recruitment is through their employee referral program. They also utilize recruitment sites like Indeed. One of the company’s notable benefits is tuition reimbursement, which they have offered since starting the company.
Pyrah says another challenge they’ve faced is training and promoting those already on their team. He says the NALP publications around becoming a landscape manager have been useful.
They retain their employees the same way they retain their clients, through trust and treating them the way they would want to be treated. Pyrah says they are fair, kind, honest and work hard together.
“We focus on developing personal relationships from top to bottom and by building processes that help ensure the verbal patterns of the past that have made us who we are, are written down and taught to those joining us along the way on our growth,” Pyrah says.
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