Andrew Ziehler, Meet
2021 Young Entrepreneur of the Year By Jill Odom
LIKE STEVE JOBS AND BILL GATES BEFORE HIM, FELLOW entrepreneur Andrew Ziehler also started his business in a garage. While he didn’t go on to the tech industry, Ziehler has made notable achievements in the landscape and lawn care industry, so much so that he has been selected as this year’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award recipient.
“I’m very grateful to have earned this
award,” Ziehler says. “I have received so much from this industry and hope that I have and can continue to inspire and give back to others as so many have given to me.”
Growing up, Ziehler’s grandfather owned an asphalt paving company and later a homebuilding company. Ziehler was often around his grandfather and father running the business. “I think from an early age I was
exposed to what it was like to be an entrepreneur, what the sacrifices were and then also what some of the bene- fits were of taking that path,” he says. In high school, Ziehler started doing landscaping with a friend after football practice. As a senior, the owner of a commercial mowing company talked to
40 The Landscape Professional //November/December 2021
Ziehler about going out on his own and being a subcontractor for him. At the age of 18, he started Ziehler Land- scaping, LLC. He used a wheelbarrow and a broom to clean up since he couldn’t afford a blower. “After high school, the plan was simple…pay for college and sell the equipment and contracts to put a down payment on a house,” Ziehler says. “Instead, I fell in love with building teams and creating fantastic customer experiences which kept me motivated to make this industry my career.” During college, he was tested on how dedicated he was to school when a snowstorm hit and Ziehler had to choose if he wanted to let all of his clients down or take an exam that day. “I had one of my college professors
tell me that if I didn’t take the exam, that was going to be the day of the snowstorm, that I would not pass the class and there was no way of making it up,” Ziehler says. “He didn’t care that I had a business and had to do these other things. I should be dedicated to school at my age.”
Ziehler went ahead and took care of his customers and this served as a big turning point for him. He did not stay in school much longer after that. Another major turning point for Ziehler was in 2015 when he decided to shift from being a lawn maintenance company to a lawn care company. “I was always curious why landscape companies would sub their fertilizer work to lawn fertilization companies,” Ziehler says. “Through the NALP Trailblazer program, networking and learning at conferences and the local entrepreneur center, I learned so much more about focusing on being great at one thing and about the lawn care business model, and we felt it would
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 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
