Our Level Up series shares the strategies that help landscape and lawn care companies get to the next level.
Timberline Landscaping, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has an annual revenue of $30 million and is always in a growth mindset.
Josh Pool, COO of Timberline Landscaping, says they never want to settle and become stagnant.
“At Timberline Landscaping, we define success as consistently delivering exceptional quality and service that results in complete customer satisfaction and enthusiastic referrals,” Pool says. “Our team is highly trained and well-equipped to meet the high standards our clients expect and value. We prioritize safety and operational excellence while maintaining the profitability essential for sustainable growth.”
The company was founded in 1982 by Tim Emick. He got into landscaping when his brother-in-law asked him to come and help him do the final grading of new home builds, which led to him doing the entire landscape, which he really enjoyed. He partnered with his brother-in-law for nine years and ended up buying him out.
Growth and Service Offerings
Timberline Landscaping takes being a one-stop shop to the next level, as they offer so many services that encompass landscape-related work.
“I always say, we won’t pick up your dog poop or clean your gutters, otherwise we probably do it,” Pool says.
The company is 75/25 commercial to residential on their revenue lines and they offer everything from installation and maintenance to irrigation and holiday lighting. Pool says they added Christmas lighting in 2001 as a franchise for The Décor Group. This alone makes up around 5% of their revenue. They also added boutique gardening and arbor services recently.
“All of our customers are our base,” Pool says. “We focus on all industries and merely ensure the customer fits within our strategic plan and values.”
In 2009, the company peaked when the housing market was exploding before it crashed. Emick and CEO Judd Bryarly worked to rebuild and experienced large gains from 2018 to now.
“Most of the current years we have been averaging close to 20% growth in revenue,” Pool says.
The company also formed TimberlineOne in 2021 to serve as an umbrella company for their sister companies, Timberline Trailcraft, Timberline Rock N’ Roll and Timberline Building Systems. Pool says this helped them with branding and clarity.
“Sometimes it is hard for customers to look to a landscaper for trail work or to buy materials from or build their buildings,” Pool says.
Keys to Success
Pool says one of their keys to success has been the formation of their parent company and executive suite that allows them to delegate to the best people for the task at hand.
He says they also have a loyal customer base and a team dedicated to the best customer service and client experience.
Additionally, Pool says acquiring companies with services they used to subcontract out has contributed to the company’s growth. For instance, in 2024, the company acquired Front Range Arborists, a local expert in tree care.
He says that as an NALP member, they made it a priority early on to train and certify their employees.
“This earned us the honor of the most certified employees by any one company as well as being the first certified company,” Pool says.
Recruiting and Retention
Timberline has 250 employees and also utilizes around 110 H-2B visas. In 2020, they didn’t receive a favorable draw in the H-2B lottery.
“That year we hired over 400 people to stay staffed at a capacity of 125,” Pool says. “That was a very tough year with our entire team burned out and our revenue dipped by over 10%.”
Their biggest challenge has been dealing with the volume of work and not burning out their team members, especially the years they don’t receive their H-2B workers.
Pool says they’ve discussed decreasing their reliance on the visa program but with the challenging job market they are still trying new strategies to attract local talent.
“We have a full-time recruiter who manages our local workforce recruitment efforts through job fairs, active postings, and reaching out to people who may be looking for a change,” Pool says.
Timberline is able to retain their employees and maintain their culture as they grow by staying focused on taking care of their employees so they can focus on taking care of the customer.
“We do a lot of events, provide meals for top crews, pass out cold drinks and snacks, and celebrate the wins,” Pool says.
He says they also have a great benefits package and have some of the highest wages in the industry for their region.
“We also have a robust culture and events committee who use several different avenues to engage employees, which helps with their satisfaction of work life,” Pool says. “We also have a desire for employees to grow and provide training both in-house and through other avenues such as ALCC and NALP.”
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