Brad Pearson is a Chevy man, but Nick Tammaro drives Fords. Brad’s company, Pearson’s Anything Goes, mows and maintains primarily residential accounts, but Tammaro Landscaping provides full-service landscape management services to commercial customers. Pearson is 18 and Tammaro is 23. Are they as different as night and day? Hardly.
The two young contractors started mowing lawns while still in middle school, apply their trade in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and operate Walker Mowers. Although not strictly competitors, they have bid on the same properties. “No hard feelings either way,” they concur. “As long as our customers support the local folk, we are happy.”
Similar Paths
Pearson and Tammaro poke fun at each other as they recall their early mowing days. Pearson started mowing lawns 10 years ago, working with his brother, Casey, and father, Carl. He was only eight years old at the time, but already knew that he liked mowing with his small John Deere rider. Tammaro was only slightly less decisive. He, too, started mowing at an early age, hauling around a Toro push mower in a trailer pulled by a Craftsman rider (without a mowing deck).
At age 16, Pearson and a buddy were mowing between 65 and 70 lawns a week with two Walker Mowers. At the same age, Tammaro had already purchased a pickup even before he had his driver’s license, and had lobbied his mother, Sally, to drive him around to accounts. He, too, operated two Walker Mowers. As seniors five years apart, Pearson and Tammaro each opted to complete their last year of school in a work/study program that allowed them to attend classes in the morning and operate their growing businesses in the afternoon.
“Look at those stripes,” says Tammaro, pointing to one of Pearson’s properties. “I could do better than that with my eyes closed.” Of course, he’s only joking around, but both operators say that’s one of the main reasons they operate Walker Mowers. “Nothing compares to their striping,” they exclaim. “They’re also durable, compact, and great for picking up leaves and other debris. Walkers are also ‘the thing to have’ in Cape Elizabeth,” Tammaro adds while slightly grinning.
Upscale Customers
Located on Maine’s picturesque coast, Cape Elizabeth is a haven for affluent homeowners, many of whom spend only a few weekends a year at their second property. When on-site, though, they want to enjoy their lawns and landscapes as much as they do the water and their free time. That’s where Pearson and Tammaro come in.
Pearson, with high school buddy Dan Matusko, operates one mowing crew that maintains between 110 and 115 lawns a week. Two Walker Mowers, a 20-hp model and a 23-hp model, both equipped with 48-inch GHS decks, do the brunt of the work. A third Walker Mower is used exclusively to edge walks and drives.
Father, Carl, and brother, Casey, have since moved on from the mowing business, the family having recently purchased a garden center in Cape Elizabeth. Still, both were instrumental in the evolution of the business. “I worked with Casey until I was able to drive on my own, and dad was involved in the business until he was diagnosed with cancer,” Pearson relates. “At the time, he turned the accounts over to me and I’ve been operating the business since then. Dad is doing well, and the garden center is keeping everyone busy.
“We’ve been using Walker Mowers since 2002, the year we purchased an 11-hp model with a 42-inch GHS deck,” Pearson continues. “We purchased a 13-hp Walker the next year. At the time, we were mowing 35 lawns.” The Pearsons added 10 more lawns and a new Walker the following year, and kept up the theme, adding Walkers and lawns until present day.
Says Pearson, “The Walkers are perfect for our properties, and nothing on the market can compare to their cut—which is something our customers appreciate.”
Tammaro agrees, noting that virtually every contractor in the area mows with a Walker. With a five-year headstart on his friend, Tammaro’s business is bigger and more diversified. He employs nine people during the business season and owns four Walkers that help maintain 80 to 100 accounts a week. In addition to mowing and maintaining properties, his company also does hardscaping, light excavation, hydroseeding and landscape installation.
“I gave home construction a try after I graduated from high school, but decided I wanted to go back to my roots after just a few months,” Tammaro relates. “My parents gave me a good work ethic, which is why I enjoy working. They’ve supported me from the very beginning. My mother still maintains the books.”
Tammaro continues, “In addition to Pearson’s company, there are probably only a couple other area contractors who we consider to be competition. I think we’re all fair in our pricing and provide a good value for our customers. Sure, customers will switch from one to another every so often, but it’s not because of price. I think they just want to try out a different service.”
No matter what lawn service they try, Tammaro adds, chances are it’s a Walker doing the work… and making the stripes.
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