Jeff Buhler of Massey Services, based in Orlando, Florida, has been actively involved in NALP, serving on the board and as president, as well as the leader of a number of other non-profit organizations and associations throughout his career. For his selflessness as a leader, Buhler was named the 2024 Lifetime Leadership Award winner.
“I’m friends with some people who have won this award in the past, and I’m humbled and honored to be in this same category,” Buhler says. “I am grateful that our company, Massey Services, not only encourages the opportunity for us to be involved in our association but expects us to take a leadership role.”
Buhler was first recruited into the pest and lawn care industry by Chuck Steinmetz.
“Chuck owned Middleton Lawn and Pest Control at the time,” Buhler says. “While I was serving as vice president of operations, Massey Services acquired Middleton. At the time of the acquisition, Harvey Massey, who knew Chuck very well, asked me to join the Massey Services’ executive team and lead the lawn division.”
Buhler oversaw the GreenUP Landscape Division and then stepped into his current role of senior vice president of customer service.
His areas of responsibility have evolved over the years, but he continues to have a deep involvement in the lawn care and irrigation parts of the business, from operations in the past to now overseeing training, research, quality assurance and government affairs.
Buhler says one of their biggest challenges is also one of their biggest opportunities, and that is developing team members and establishing the company culture throughout their expanded geography.
For years, the company’s farthest edges of the business were Atlanta, Georiga, to the north and Naples, Florida, to the south. Now, the corners of the company extend from Virginia Beach to Harlingen, Texas.
Within Massey Services, Buhler has contributed significantly to the company’s success by leveraging innovative technologies and data-driven insights. His leadership has been critical as the company has launched MasseyU (the company’s online learning management tool), mobility solutions, unified communications, cyber-security initiatives and enterprise solutions like a CRM. Massey’s commitment to team members and customers on improved technology has helped streamline processes, improve customer interactions, and maximize operational efficiencies.
“Technology is a tool,” Buhler says. “Companies today have an opportunity to identify technology and technology platforms that can enhance business workflows, provide data and analytics and enhance functions that we’ve done manually in the past. The tool of technology can then allow us to do what we’re uniquely called to do, and that’s lead our teams effectively, develop our team members and execute our business objectives.”
One of Massey Services’ guiding philosophies is to be a contributing member of the community and the industry. Tony Massey, the company’s president and CEO, leads by example by serving on several non-profit boards of directors in addition to the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) board. Buhler credits both Massey’s commitment to giving back and the company’s mission for his involvement in the community and the industry.
“I believe it’s our responsibility as company leaders to invest into the growth and sustainability of our association and the industries,” Buhler says.
As NALP president and board member, Buhler says he was committed to honoring the past while forging new trails forward.
“A commitment to NALP is an act of both giving back to our industry while investing in your own growth and development through the education programs, networking and eventually creating lifelong friendships,” Buhler says. “I do think it’s a responsibility of leaders to give back, but then also understand it’s just not all giving. It’s also the receiving. People may not expect that initially, but in my role at NALP, I personally experienced my own growth and development and was able to bring that knowledge back to our company.”
Buhler believes the industry will continue to balance the business practices that have sustained their growth over the years. As customer needs and expectations change, he welcomes the continued advancement of product designs, materials and technology.
When asked where Buhler believes he will be in the next 10 years, he stated he sees himself continuing to support NALP by attending the 2034 ELEVATE conference, staying connected to the contacts he has already made through NALP, and meeting some amazing new friends in the industry.
“I’ll be reconnecting with old friends, and I’ll be supporting someone much more deserving than me to receive this Lifetime Achievement award,” Buhler says. “In addition to that, I’ll be doing the thing that I love to do most. That is investing and mentoring team members at Massey Services and helping them accomplish more than they ever thought possible.”
This article will be published in the November/December issue of the magazine. To read more stories from The Edge magazine, click here to subscribe to the digital edition.
