George Moore Jr. says he never planned on growing his company to the size it is today. Yet, in 10 short years, his company, Green Acres Landscaping, in Ridgeville, South Carolina, has grown from a one-person operation into a large, full-service landscape company. And it has a reputation that gives it entrée into some of the most prestigious commercial properties in the Charleston area.

The long-term prospects of most businesses depend on satisfied customers. We work every day on the idea that customer satisfaction is one of our highest priorities. Yet, in reality, we do not have complete control in satisfying a customer. We are dependent on a number of other people in our supply chain to deliver satisfaction — one of the most important being the customer himself or herself. There is a part each customer must play to bring satisfaction with a product or service.

Xavier University is an alluring college campus. Woven like a fine tapestry into the cityscape of Cincinnati, this urban college is a parade of old buildings and mature landscapes that challenges even the keenest eye to decipher where the campus begins and where it ends.

F or 10 years, Perry Smith sold golf and turf equipment for a John Deere dealer. During that time, he became familiar with lawn maintenance equipment and with some of the most knowledgeable turf people in the industry — golf course superintendents. The combination was overpowering for this aspiring entrepreneur.

Growing and maintaining landscapes in Arizona is a challenge for any landscape contractor. Water is scarce, temperatures are extreme, and working conditions in mid summer are, at best, described as “brutal.”

Lawn maintenance contractors who operate without contracts may be missing out on one of the most effective ways to communicate with their customers. That’s right, because the reason for having a contract goes well beyond its legal definition.