[SuperS]

What is the best strategy in getting a Mom and Pop landscape company to grow into a Corporation? They have various products and are having problems establishing the proper sales channels.

I would appreciate some feedback on what resources I can utilize in order to make this successful company more known to the residential and commercial sector.

Background Info:

-Located in Northern California, 130 employees (including 15 in Corporate)
-35 years company
-Top 100 in Landscape Magazine 2002
-Diamond Certified
-Have four departments including: maintenance, landscaping, recycling, and irrigation.
Many high-end customers and projects including SF Giants Stadium, Oakland Hegenberger, Universities
-In 2002, they were at $8million targeting $10million by 2003 but it's taken them til 2008 to reach $10mil. They did turn away from construction high volume work to more higher quality, higher marginal profits and detailed projects.

What would you recommend is the best way I can market this company and who would my target prospects be? How can I successfully reach out to my customers and what information would they value? I'm interested to hear suggestions on creative ways you'd like to reach out to the public or commercial industry about this company?

I appreciate your feed back and comments! This is a company that will be a creative one to build!

[Daniel Hanson]

I'm way confused here. The background info that you have gives definitely does not describe a mom and pop operation. If they have made it to $10mil a year then you shouldn't have to be asking these questions. Some clarification would be great!

[dan deutekom]

Originally Posted by SuperS

, 130 employees (including 15 in Corporate)
-35 years company
-Top 100 in Landscape Magazine 2002
-Diamond Certified
-Have four departments including: maintenance, landscaping, recycling, and irrigation.

Mom and Pop? I would love to see your definition of the local kid with Dad's lawnmower.

[Stonehenge]

If they want to get bigger, and have maxed out the local high-end work and want to stay high end, it would seem that they would need to expand into other markets doing the same high-end work. If they want to capture more of the local Cali market, then maybe company acquisition would be better and faster. Landscape Architecture had an article a year or so ago about a company that was having success gobbling up other companies, assimilating their strengths.

But yeah - 130 employees doesn't sound mom-n-pop to me.

[tfld]

This is a joke, right?

DD- I think you're talking about Valley Crest. They've also expanded into new territory by acquiring and setting up "studios" around the country for award-winning landscape architects to take commissions from around the globe. I believe, by setting up these relatively tiny design studios, they've attracted work successfully from a much larger market.

[AZTLANLC]

I honestly have no idea how to help you but can you ask mom and pop how they did it to get to that level and share that with us.

[Daniel Hanson]

Originally Posted by tfld

This is a joke, right?

DD- I think you're talking about Valley Crest.

He isn't talking about Valley Crest. Valley Crest has a hell of a lot more than 135 employees and does way more than $10 mil a year in sales.

Valley Crest is easy to beat. In some areas they do crap work. We just took over 115 acres of maintenance away from them in the last 6 months. The jobs were in HORRIBLE condition.