INDUSTRY ISSUES


ing additional growth opportunities for their existing employees.


“Now that we’re three years into it, in addition to recruiting and retention, we’re seeing sustainability gains with the Automowers through a reduction of gas-powered mowers as well as overall healthier lawns that require less water and supplemental nutrients,” Dooley says.


HOW THEY HELP


Since adding Husqvarna’s Automowers to their operations, Dooley says they have attracted new employees and customers and they are continuing to expand their efforts in growing sustainability. “Robotic mowers definitely deserve to be a part of the labor shortage conversation, to be seen as one part of a lot of solutions to help tackle the problem,” Dooley says.


Barnes says this is the main reason


Yellowstone is looking into robotic mowers. They hope to find relief from the worsening labor shortage. “If this technology can help us be more efficient and help fill some of the positions that we can’t find workers


to fill today, it’ll be a success,” Barnes says. Leahy says aside from being a possible additional service, robotic mowers appealed to their business as they eliminate a lot of elements people don’t like such as dust, noise and emissions. “This is the closest thing we actually got interested in adding as a new service that would appeal to a huge part of our market,” Leahy says. “And it helps eliminate one of the biggest problems, which is people don’t mow correctly. It’s also a green service. A part of our vision is to be environmen- tally sustainable. Every year we try to find something we can change or do that’s more environmentally friendly than what we were doing.”


LESSONS LEARNED SO FAR Blades of Green has been researching robotic mowers for a while but they started demoing them last fall. They currently have four robotic mowers that are all different models to see how they perform. They are testing all the things that can go wrong with a robotic mower and documenting it as well as


learning about the software and all the different settings. Leahy says they’re really trying to break the machines to find out all the problems their customers might encounter.


“It’s like adding a pet to a family if you’re going to have it there at your own house to test,” Leahy says. “You got to be ready to go out when they get stuck and take care of them like puppies almost. So, there’s actually a lot more time in the learning part than you think.”


His major takeaway so far from their testing is the importance of proper installation. “These are the three big pieces of advice: get it installed right, make sure you install it right and make sure you learn how to install them correctly,” Leahy says. Yellowstone started looking into ro-


botic mowers in 2018 but only started demoing them on some properties in 2020. “The best advice we can offer is to set realistic expectations for yourself, your clients, and your team,” Barnes says. “If you go into this expecting some sort of sci-fi fantasy scenario, you’ll be really disappointed. Start with realistic goals, and make sure your whole team understands why you’re doing it and is on board with the test- ing before you start.” When Plants Creative demoed the


robotic mowers, they placed one at their shop and selected a handful of customers who would support the trial and error phase.


“Start with a handful of mowers on low-risk properties where you can work out the kinks,” Dooley says. “Talk with your team about the pros and cons of robotic mowers, and educate custom- ers on the benefits, to increase buy-in. Network with others in the green industry who are using robotic mowers to share wins and losses, and to learn from one another.”


POSSIBLE PRICING MODELS Plants Creative’s current business model is to do one-time installations or install them as part of their maintenance contract. Dooley says she’d like to offer service plans for the one-time installation but they’re not there yet.


32 The Landscape Pr Pro es ionalssiona on Professional //July/August 2021 /A Augu


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