Landscape Companies and COVID
Across the nation, landscaping businesses have been forced to pivot to meet the unexpected repercussions of COVID-19. While some companies have seen sales rise and reaped the benefits of growth, others are operating from a place of fear and moving forward with extreme caution.
Here’s what we’ve found when looking at how other landscape businesses are operating during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Rapoza Landscape of East Falmouth, Massachusetts
Paul Rapoza, the President and Founder of Rapoza Landscape, reports changes in business due to being in a second-home market. Most of their customers come to East Falmouth to visit their vacation homes, and Paul says they have “never seen this many of our clients at their Cape homes this time of year.” With people fleeing from cities, and flooding their local market, they’ve had enough business to stay 100% operational.
With everything seeming to run along as business as usual for this landscaping company, Rapoza is implementing social distancing policies set in place by CDC guidelines. There’s no one allowed inside the office, morning meetings have been placed on hold, and sales teams are practicing social distancing. By quoted jobs from a distance, Rapoza has kept his sales team working, and his landscaping crews employed as well.
Constantine Property Management of Loudonville, New York
Ryan Panarese, the landscape and snow manager of Constantine Property Management, says he’s waiting on clarification from state officials to restore their business, and they’re currently only performing maintenance. New York deemed them an essential business, but placed limitations on what they can provide, as of now being only maintenance and weed control in New York. Panarese reports, none of his customers have canceled a job, and that all the customers he’s talked to are still working, just from home now.
J. Barker Landscaping Company of Bedford, Ohio
Brandon Barker, the commercial operations manager of J. Barker Landscaping, says they are still operational, but in a limited capacity. At the beginning of pandemic lockdowns, Barker reports he saw a few cancellations from customers, but he says most of them have returned. Customers don’t seem to mind them working on landscaping projects since they stay outdoors and practice safe social distancing.
GrassRoots Tree and Turf Care of Acworth, Georgia
Josh Wise, the owner of GrassRoots Tree and Turf Care, has had a rollercoaster of sales during COVID-19, with five customers calling to cancel their service due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. On the flip side of that, sales are up this year versus the same time last year. This time last year, Josh had 550 new accounts, and now he has 900 new accounts this year.
So, what is Josh’s explanation for this boost in sales? “A lot of people had trip plans… and they’re getting all these refunds, they’re saying, ‘honey, let’s do something with our lawn and landscape.” That’s not to say he isn’t taking the situation seriously, practicing new safety measures, and he even has an employee with a weak immune system sitting out the pandemic at home until things return to normal.
Do not hesitate to call Lucky Landscaping at 561-779-4127 and we will gladly make an appointment to discuss your garden needs and give you a quotation for the work.