Success for Timberline Landscaping, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, isn’t their revenue growth, but the growth of their people.
Founded in 1982, the company currently has 362 employees across two locations. Timberline Landscaping is one of four businesses operating under their parent company, TimberlineOne, along with sister companies Timberline TrailCraft, Timberline Rock N’ Roll and Timberline Building Systems.
Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about Timberline Landscape’s unique business model and their approach to employee retention during the NALP Field Trip, presented in partnership with the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, on June 17-18.
Diverse Business Lines
At the request of their customers, Timberline has added various service lines over the years. Their service offerings now include residential and commercial construction, residential and commercial maintenance, snow removal, plant health care, irrigation, lawn care, gardening, Christmas décor, outdoor lighting, tree care, trail construction, composting, general contracting and more.
In cases where a new service fits Timberline’s overall vision, but a client wouldn’t hire a ‘landscaper’ to do the job, this is when they would create a new company like Timberline TrailCraft or Timberline Building Systems. The sister companies also create a degree of separation as Timberline Rock N’ Roll serves other landscape contractors who compete against Timberline Landscaping.
Photo: Jill Odom/NALP
Timberline Landscaping makes up 67.6% of TimberlineOne’s revenue, with commercial maintenance being their top revenue generator at 26.7%, followed closely by commercial construction at 23.1% and residential construction at 20.9%.
Timberline Rock N’ Roll brings in another 17.4% in revenue, while Timberline Building Systems contributes 8.8%, and Timberline TrailCraft provides 6.2% of revenue.
Each of the different businesses helps feed into the other brands and provides more year-round work, so Timberline can retain more of their team. The company chooses to focus on offering services that provide high-margin work.
Another benefit of offering so many different service lines in-house is better quality control. For instance on certain large projects, Timberline Building Systems has served as the general contractor and hired the other business units, mitigating many of the common headaches when working with an outside GC.
Culture of Collaboration
Despite Timberline having 11 different business units, the company shares a C-suite, cohesive vision and company values. TimberlineOne also provides all the support systems for the different business units, including HR, IT, safety, accounting and marketing.
Timberline practices financial transparency so everyone on the team knows where the company stands and how their actions impact the bottom line. Tied to this is their GRIT bonus, which is based on TimberlineOne’s performance rather than just one of the sister companies.
Tim Emick, owner and chairman of Timberline, explains that this helps their employees understand that they win and lose as a team and if one business unit is struggling, they all need to come together and help.
One way the team frequently collaborates is through the sharing of equipment. Certain business units will own specialty equipment that other business units can rent from them as needed.
Cameron Emick, business unit leader for Timberline Building Systems, notes that their staff of 11 has a larger pool of equipment to work with because they can borrow from Timberline Rock N’ Roll. Another popular piece of equipment is the tiltrotator attachment for the excavator, which is favored for utility work and helping install boulders during trail construction.
Staying Innovative
One of Timberline’s core values is innovation. They are always open to change and finding a better way to do things, which is why they have partnered with multiple consultants over the years.
They have implemented a robust suite of software, including Aspire, Fleetio, Motive, Fuel Cloud, and Mooncamp, all to help them run the business better. Timberline has also formed an AI committee to learn how it can be utilized in their operations.
In the past, one of the ways Timberline developed innovative ideas was by hosting Shark Tank events, where employees would work together to present a solution to a specific topic, such as improving culture or identifying areas for growth. From these sessions, Timberline launched their tree care division and Building Systems as well as English classes for their Spanish-speaking employees.
Taking on high-risk, high-reward projects has been another way the company has pushed themselves to think outside the box. This has resulted in them using everything from conveyor belts for green roof installations to hiring a helicopter to help restore the legendary Manitou Incline.
Hugo Benitez, a superintendent with Timberline Landscaping, says this particular project was both physically and mentally challenging for the team. They even had residential maintenance crew members volunteer their time on the weekends to help work on the Incline because they all knew they needed to get the job done on time.
“We didn’t just build a trail; we built a legacy for our company and our families,” Benitez says. “We feel proud of what we accomplished.”
Growing Their People
Timberline seeks out individuals who display grit like Benitez and works hard to retain them. Of their employees, 14 have been with the business for 20+ years, while another 30 have been with the company for 10 to 20 years, and an additional 57 have a tenure of five to 10 years.
This strong employee retention is the result of a multitude of factors, including Timberline’s company culture and their investment in team members’ professional growth.
Timberline has a culture committee that helps them keep a pulse on what small changes they can make to improve employees’ quality of life. They also help organize a number of events, like their Christmas party and chili cookoff. However, culture is not solely the committee’s responsibility, but everyone in the company.
Surveys are used frequently to learn what benefits matter, and in response, they have added more PTO.
Providing career pathways is another reason many team members stay with Timberline for numerous years. They frequently ask team members what they want to do next rather than forcing them to follow one set career ladder. With their Timberline University training system, employees can access a wealth of knowledge to help them in their current role and prepare for the next position they wish to pursue.
Timberline University is mobile-friendly and available in English and Spanish. It helps ensure the company’s overall expertise is captured and shared consistently throughout the business units.
Timberline’s diverse business offerings and opportunities for advancement allow company and employee growth to go hand in hand.
“Everything we do comes back to our people,” says Jae Bealena, director of marketing for Timberline.
Thank you to our partners, Heritage Landscape Supply Group, Vermeer, Bobyard and The Herring Group, for helping support this event.
