More than 250 landscape and lawn care professionals from companies large and small gathered to attend the fifth annual NALP Field Trip, which was held at Ruppert Landscape’s headquarters in Laytonsville, Maryland.
Hosts Frank Mariani and Marty Grunder led a deep dive into what makes Ruppert so successful and how they do business. Some of the topics covered over the two days included Ruppert’s history, internal service, workforce needs and retention.
During the event, Ruppert was very open and honest about their past, current and future strategy, vision, mission, and structure. Attendees were able to tour Ruppert’s facilities and ask numerous questions. It was clear everyone was happy to be back in person and networking.
While Ruppert is a large company with a larger budget, landscape professionals of any size can follow their example in ways that work within their size and budget. For example, companies of any size can ensure their trucks, equipment and teams look professional. You can also train your team in skills and help them grow in their roles. Ruppert works hard not to overwhelm their new hires and the goal of their training is to create other leaders.
Ruppert is all about culture and their people. They take the time to communicate clearly so the whole team understands their vision.
Culture can get watered down as you grow, so it’s important to be intentional and solidify it well. Decentralization (such as Ruppert’s branch structure) can help the company feel small and personal.
“I feel better equipped with knowledge of Ruppert’s successful strategies and an understanding of how to consistently stay the course for organic growth within our company,” says Kohler Brafford with White Pearl Management.
Another highlight of the event was the educational session on creating a unique value proposition (UVP) for your company. Your UVP is what distinguishes you from your competition. Do you know what you do or offer that is better than other landscaping companies in your market?
Having a UVP allows you to find your lane and go as far and as fast as you can while being able to keep an eye on who’s competing with you.
Ruppert’s UVP is that they provide better customer service and they are focused on the quality of work without losing sight of efficiency and costs. They are partners with their clients and can manage difficult and complicated projects, bringing their client’s vision to life.
Your UVP is tied to your ideal client. It’s important to know who you can deliver the most value to. Your ideal client should be a combination of the clients who are the most profitable, most enjoyable and most sustainable to work with.
Ruppert’s ideal client is commercial clients who value the level of customer service they provide, the quality of work they do and the efficiency they maintain. Ruppert built their company around their ideal client through the platform of their business, the processes they use, the people they hire and the profits they reinvest. Every successful business has a keen understanding of who they’re in business to serve.
“Ruppert Landscaping is an amazing company,” says Mark Platt with MMC Land Management. “Their leadership group from Craig on down couldn’t have been more welcoming and humble about the success they achieved. And as expected, Marty and Frank did a great hosting the NALP Field Trip.”
If you missed this year’s Field Trip, you can still learn tips about growing your company from Marty Grunder during his power session at LANDSCAPES 2021.
Click here to view more pictures from the event.
Thanks to our event partners: Aspire Software, Bartlett Tree Experts, Gravely, Rancho Mesa, Vanguard and Vermeer.
Stay tuned for future Field Trip dates.
