How ASI Landscape Management in Tampa, Florida,
Makes Partnerships A Priority
Each morning, school bells ring out to summon hundreds of young men to class at the Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida. Their footsteps tap across the campus grounds as they walk by historic buildings, handmade statues and strong bronze gates. The school campus is one of 50 Jesuit high schools in the United States. Each is rooted in Catholic tradition, dedicated not just to education, but helping students develop spiritual connections and seek a higher purpose in life.
Jesuit uses a high standard of excellence to maintain its legacy and expects its campus to reflect that. This is why the school’s leader, Rev. Richard Hermes, personally selected the group who maintains the grounds. ASI Landscape Management in Tampa is responsible for the sharp grass lawns, full garden beds and vibrant colors spotted all over Jesuit. Team members begin each week on campus, updating the landscaping long before anyone arrives. The polished grounds welcome students and staff members to school. In addition to horticultural services, the team manages irrigation and enhancement projects—anything it takes to support the long Jesuit tradition of excellence.
“Everything from the minute you pull in the gate for the school to their classrooms, football fields, weight rooms. Anything at the school is always top-notch. The school has been around since 1890 and it's a staple in our community,” says Joe Chiellini, the founder and CEO of Ameriscape Services Landscape Management.
Joe is a long-time Tampa resident who began landscaping as a part-time job. He worked with the Hillsborough County Fire Department for 30 years, reaching a captain ranking just before retiring a few years ago. On his days off, he maintained residential lawns with a business that he managed from his pickup bed. During the course of several decades, Joe and a business partner managed to grow ASI into a $15 million operation that now functions in four central Florida counties with roughly 200 employees. Joe also runs a subsidiary full tree service company, Ameri-Tree Inc., along with the Tampa Bay franchise for Weed-Man lawn service providers. Many organizations have celebrated the company’s work with industry honors and awards, including the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Joe is also a member of the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association, as well as many local community groups. He believes this is a reason the Jesuit school leadership picked ASI to manage the campus’s outdoor spaces.
“They like who we are and what we are,” says Joe. “We're homegrown. My kids are going to go to school there one day. It’s a Catholic institution. I'm Catholic. I think it is very unique that such a prestigious property would say, ‘We’ve used national companies and we’re done doing that.’”
Partnership is a core value for ASI, and that is embodied at Jesuit. Teams from both groups work together to decide how to care for the grounds. ASI project managers and members of Jesuit’s maintenance staff even evaluate this during weekly campus walkthroughs. Apart from standard care, ASI teams are often on campus to prepare for various events involving current or prospective students and their parents, or alumni. Dances, galas, games, performances—ASI is hard at work before each one. They also pay close attention to the campus chapel, which is one of the oldest campus features. Old trees, including a 40-foot-tall oak tree, have been landscaped with new plant materials. Several other updates and enhancements have been made to keep the historic site a place of spiritual connection and worship.
“It's really cool to be a part of a place and a landscape that is built for memories and growth,” says Joe.
While the campus is rooted in tradition, it isn’t stuck in the past. Joe plans on bringing new technology to campus to improve ASI’s efficiency and quality of care. Things like robotic mowers and battery-powered tools will be on campus in the coming months. Equipment trials recently started at another ASI property, the KPMG Headquarters in Orlando. Large commercial mowers are monitoring the company’s campus weekly, powered by on-site satellite charging stations. Joe invested in Scythe Robotics’ mowers as they were being developed several years ago. He says despite the uncertainties surrounding automated equipment, he wanted to be on the forefront of the innovation.
“You gotta be talking about it. Whether we like it or not, things are moving this way, and if you want to be talking to big clients, you need to start having conversations about this,” he says. “Take somebody like KPMG. They are all about this, jumping all in with two feet. They are flying in clients from all over the world visiting their property, and they want them to see tools that are quiet, efficient and attractive.”
Joe says it is a little too soon to tell the biggest difference between gas-powered and battery-powered equipment from a productivity standpoint. He says they function fairly similarly. He does appreciate how the smaller “Roomba-style” mowers are constantly working, and keep the grass from becoming thick or unruly. He noticed one difference almost immediately, though, that has been a major improvement for his staff.
“Labor is the biggest issue we are all having,” he says. “With this, we can make a five-man crew a four-man crew. It has opened doors for me, my staff and potential employees. I think we can use this to attract a kid out of college or high school. Many have so much knowledge about technology. They may not want to hold a weed eater or run a lawnmower all day. Telling them they are going to be running a robot, though, that is a different animal.”
ASI is still making operational decisions for the installation of robotic mowers on Jesuit’s campus. They have to decide things like the mower sizes and ability to work on smaller lawns. They are also brainstorming ways to make the mowers unique to the school, like adding the school’s colors or logos to the machines. The possibilities are almost endless.