During this season of gratitude, many landscape company owners are thankful for their company culture.
This element of the business is essential for long-term success and crucial for recruiting and retaining your employees.
Gilly Artigues, president of Pleasant Places, Inc., based in Charleston, South Carolina, says you can’t have long-term retention at companies where it’s a toxic place to work. He says 90% of their managers stay with the company for more than 10 years.
Artigues says they have a culture of saying yes and finding solutions for their customers.
“I think that encapsulates our recipe for success here,” Artigues says. “We are always very willing to help. We always want to be our customers’ go-to guy. We want to be their solution.”
What Makes Culture Strong
Kevin McHale, principal of McHale Landscape Design, Inc., based in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, says their culture is employee-centric, and they have 32 staff members who have been with the company for more than 20 years.
“Our goal is to continue to empower and provide opportunities to our employees so they can grow professionally and financially,” McHale says
Pleasant Places has recently implemented new employee investment programs and is ensuring these are scalable. They also invest in fun activities like taking team members to local sporting events.
Les Lightfoot, founder of LEI Grounds Groomers, based in Houston, Texas, says as a family-operated business, they’ve always put a strong emphasis on maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
“Balancing the demands of running a business with the importance of family time is a challenge, but it is something we are constantly striving to improve,” Lightfoot says.
Lightfoot says they consider everyone in their company part of their extended family. This helps create a sense of belonging and mutual support.
“We aim to create an environment where everyone feels valued, connected, and part of something bigger,” Lightfoot says. “Whether through the work we do or the support we provide each other, we are committed to growing together as one company family.”
Andrew Ziehler, owner and CEO of Ziehler Lawn Care, based in Centerville, Ohio, says their culture is the best it has ever been since the company started. His company earned several Best Places to Work awards this year, which are based on direct feedback from the entire business.
“What makes it special is seeing how leaders and individual team members are driving the culture forward, which in turn is really creating value for both our team and customers,” Ziehler says.
Tyler Stocking, director of business strategy and impact for Gachina Landscape Management, based in Menlo Park, California, notes that companies can go through ups and downs with culture. Gachina has worked hard on creating their company vision, mission and core values two years ago.
“We’re seeing a transformation of our teams in the way we think, how we operate and how we talk with our clients,” Stocking says. “I’m proud of the interaction our teams have with our crews and clients.”
Reviewing Your Company Culture
Whether you’re deliberately putting effort into crafting a company culture or not, each organization has one. If you’re uncertain of the quality of your culture or are looking for areas to improve, you can ask yourself some of these questions.
- What is our employee retention rate?
- Do we invest in our employees’ development?
- Do we foster a sense of belonging?
- Do we support a healthy work-life balance?
- Do our employees feel valued and recognized?
- Do we hire and fire people based on our company values?
- How do we celebrate success?
- How do we resolve conflict?
- Are our company values and mission understood?
