3 min read

Inside LandCare

Picture of SYNKD Writer SYNKD Writer : Sep 29, 2022 11:18:12 PM

South

Cultivating Culture & Business Growth at LandCare

Post-COVID, companies are scrambling to hire, and employees often have the upper hand because people want more than just a job. They want a career in a company that values its employees and offers advancement. Competitive pay and a benefits package help, too.

The landscaping industry has always struggled with finding and retaining employees. Long before the pandemic changed people’s mindsets and “the great resignation” swept across the country, people like Mark Hopkins, executive vice president of the central division of LandCare, have been working to build a company culture that makes people want to stay.

LandCare

The company was originally established decades ago through a series of mergers and acquisitions; however, in 2019 the company’s leaders were able to purchase the business from its private equity ownership. This purchase placed the company’s branch managers, vice presidents and executives as the majority owners of the business.

The company decided the best way forward was to focus on retaining talent that will build sustainable portfolios and foster employee culture. And they have done just that.

Mark Hopkins knows its success is dependent on its employees. Each person is the face of the company—from executives to field team members. In a company with over 60 branches across 20 states and 4,000 employees, culture can be hard to cultivate, but he believes it should start the day a potential employee applies for a position.

LandCare’s core values are echoed in the environment they create for employees. They offer comprehensive benefits like health care, PTO, holiday pay and a 401k plan to all employees from managers to, as Mark says, “the guys pulling weeds.”

LandCare has even created several employee assistance programs, TERF and LEAF. The TERF fund provides grants for employees that are facing hardships, and LEAF is designed to create scholarships for LandCare employees with first-time college hopefuls within their households.

Safety is always a priority in landscaping, and LandCare ensures its employees are reminded daily about hazard prevention. It is even in their core values: “Work hard, smart and safe. Every day.”

Equipment is checked daily before it goes out to a job. Any incidents within a branch are discussed with the whole team. Each branch has a safety audit twice a year and is given a score, which is used to evaluate its performance evaluations.

"Safety is discussed every day,
every week & every month."

Each branch of LandCare also offers ongoing training for all positions. The process is standardized at the corporate level so that every employee receives the same information and understands LandCare’s vision. When employees know what is expected of them, it is easier for them to step up to the challenge.

Landcare Employee Cleaning the Truck

Prioritizing training and talent development gives LandCare a unique advantage because new hires do not necessarily need a background in landscaping. They have the tools and leadership needed to bring in someone from another service industry and train them for a career in landscaping.

“We have to get away from the mindset that we can only hire folks from the industry,” says Mark.

"We have to be able to hire for attitude
& for aptitude and then train for skill."

Mark Hopkins notes that all landscaping companies are essentially working with the same commodities, like equipment and plant materials, but the real asset is the talent of the people who work there. Once a team is established, that pool of workers can advance to supervisory roles.

“It’s all about bringing in the right people, taking care of them and training them because that’s the big differentiator in any company—their people,” he explains.

Training is not the only standardized protocol the company has implemented. Each independent LandCare branch has the same business structure with a management hierarchy to ensure success, and all branches work from a central operating system.

LandCare focuses mostly on commercial landscape maintenance, but they can also provide design, installation and irrigation. Most of their work is done in the commercial office, industrial, hospitality, health care and HOA market segments, so crews need to make a positive impression every time.

LandCare Employee Planting

The uniformity and consistency are what make them successful, according to Mark. When each office has the same operational goals, clients can expect a consistent level of service in any of their markets.

“The (branches) are all operated as identical units,” adds Mark. “If you think about McDonald’s, you know the fries are the same whether you are in New York or down in Macon, Georgia.”

LandCare wants clients to trust their brand as much as their favorite chain, so they instill core values that inspire, challenge and motivate their employees to work toward that goal.

LandCare Employee weeding