search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
companies have since been deemed “essential,” and most have forged ahead, it’s certainly no longer “business as usual.” There have been many changes, but lawn and landscape business owners remain cautiously optimistic.


AS


Of course, there’s no denying that many businesses have taken a hit. Jeff Rossen, owner of Rossen Landscape in Great Falls, Virginia, says that it’s definitely caused a sales slump. Though it’s too soon to tell how much it will impact the bottom line, the silence of the phones speaks volumes. “At this time of the year, the phone is normally ringing off the hook and we’re being flooded with emails about poten- tial projects,” Rossen admits. “It’s very noticeable that this year is different. However, we have a good maintenance base and that’s going strong — and we did manage to sell a couple of big jobs despite everything that’s going on. So, we remain optimistic right now.” In Northern New Jersey, business has been hit hard given the proximity to New York, the the “epicenter” of the virus in the United States. But Scott Fullerton, owner of Fullerton Grounds Maintenance (FGM), headquartered


in Kenvil, New Jersey, says he can remember when it first started, nobody was taking it very seriously. “We realized that our crews were pretty oblivious to the seriousness of what was happening,” recalls Fullerton. “So, we had to educate them first. We closed the company down for a short period and we focused on educating crews on safety measures. We also got all of our administrators set up at home and we went 100 percent virtual from the office standpoint. Then, we opened and proceeded forward since we are considered an essential business.” In terms of the financial impact,


Fullerton says that it’s certainly been difficult that this pandemic has come on the heels of the worst snow season the company has experienced in its 26-year history. However, he remains optimistic about the fact that they hav- en’t lost a significant number of clients. “Most of our commercial clients are


telling us they want to keep their prop- erties looking great when their people do come back to work,” Fullerton says. “I think people are pretty optimistic overall. And in terms of the residential market, I think a lot of homeowners are nesting. They are obviously home now, and they want their homes to look nice. We’ve had some mowing cancellations with people telling us they can handle that service themselves now — but that was never a big percentage of our business. In some parts of North Jer- sey, we’re seeing big surges in permits for home landscaping projects like pati- os and decks — and I think it’s because people are preparing for potentially being home a lot more this summer.” Also, in Northern New Jersey, Mark Borst, owner and president of Borst Landscape and Design says that they were also hit hard by a virtually snow-free season this year. When the


Continued on page 22 


CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWNS WENT INTO EFFECT and thousands of non-essential businesses were shuttered in March, many lawn and landscape business owners scrambled to figure out what that would mean for them. While industry


“We realized that our crews were pretty oblivious to the seriousness of what was happening. So, we had to educate them first. We closed the company down for a short period and we focused on educating crews on safety measures. We also got all of our administrators set up at home and we went 100 percent virtual from the office standpoint. Then, we opened and proceeded forward since we are considered an essential business.”


– Scott Fullerton, owner of Fullerton Grounds Maintenance (FGM)


National Association of Landscape Professionals 21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36