Our Level Up series shares the strategies that help landscape and lawn care companies get to the next level.
Founded in 2016, Grow and Company, based in Houston, Texas, serves a high-end residential clientele and their work is very custom to each property and customer.
Since the landscape company started, they have added a full-service irrigation department. They are currently in the process of adding a plant health care department. Their most popular service is their garden management department, which is by design. Kyle Cahill, founder of Grow and Company, says his main focus for the company right now is to establish a foundation for a very well-run company.
“With our foundational goals in place, once accomplished, we will be able to properly handle the growth that we want to achieve,” he says.
History
Cahill found his passion for landscaping early on as he spent his weekends working in the yard and tending to his garden growing up.
The summer after his sophomore year, he was planning to work for his stepfather, who owns a construction company, and get paid minimum wage.
“I had a connection who worked at a landscape company who said they were looking for crew members, so I filled out an application and was offered a job working on an irrigation crew for $10 an hour,” Cahill says. “I took that job and never looked back!”
Cahill went back the following summer and worked on an installation crew and then with a retail nursery the next summer. He majored in horticulture at Texas A&M University.
He spent eight years working at a company where they saw significant growth and expansion year after year where he gained the experience needed to start Grow and Company.
Cahill says when he first started the company, NALP’s resources such as company handbooks, contracts and job descriptions were a huge help.
“Through the NALP Trailblazer program, I have been fortunate enough to work with Chase Mullin of Mullin Landscape in New Orleans,” he says. “He is an incredible leader and has built one of the most well-run landscape companies I have seen. I look forward to continuing to learn from him which will certainly benefit Grow and Company’s future.”
Keys to Success
The company’s most significant growth came in 2018 through the acquisition of another high-end residential landscape company in the market. They made another acquisition in 2019 as well. Cahill says that while their growth hasn’t stopped, they are intentionally focused on growth to make sure it’s good for them and their clients.
As the company has grown, Cahill says establishing their systems and processes has been a challenge.
“We all wear so many hats, that taking the time to set those systems and processes up is difficult, and we don’t always get it right the first time!” he says.
Aside from their recent acquisitions, Cahill credits their success to having an exceptional team in place to achieve their goals and live their mission and core values. Grow and Company has 35 full-time employees and most of their recruiting is through word of mouth, industry involvement and investing in their current employees who are always finding ways to attract more Grow and Company type-employees.
“To retain employees, we run a company based on integrity, which I believe builds loyalty,” Cahill says. “We know that our employees are investing their most precious resource, time, in us so we want to be sure that we are investing in them.”
Cahill says that he and the leaders within Grow and Company are responsible for championing their company culture with positivity. While it’s not easy, he says they have a tight-knit team that supports one another.
“Lastly, the support of my family has been an incredible driving force for me that allows me to lean forward and take Grow and Company to new heights every day.”
Steward of the Earth
Being a steward of the earth is built into Grow and Company’s mission statement, vision and core values. Their mission is to be a sustainably conscientious team that holds itself to high-quality standards and their vision is to be a leader in the movement towards a more conscientious approach to landscaping and become the authority in the Houston area on sustainable landscape design & practices.
“We are an organic preferred company,” Cahill says. “I have always looked at it like going to the doctor. If you have an illness, sometimes the best cure is to get an antibiotic and knock it out. Then use diet and exercise to keep yourself healthy.”
He says if there is an issue that needs an inorganic remedy, they reflect on the impact it will have on the entire landscape and the ecosystem that surrounds it.
“If necessary, we will use a licensed applicator and have it done properly,” he says. “Then, make sure that we are properly managing the irrigation, horticultural techniques, etc. to ensure the landscape stays healthy.”
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