John Dorris is an individual who takes pride in what he does. His truck is immaculate, as are his two Walker Mowers, trailer and attendant equipment. This Georgia native is enthusiastic about his work, enjoys talking about his customers, and even though he’s on the high side of 50, doesn’t have an inkling of when he plans to retire. To the contrary, he wants to operate his lawn maintenance business as long as he is healthy and continues to enjoy his work.
One would never guess that this entrepreneur has been in the business for only 10 years. “That’s right,” says Dorris, referring to his late entry into the mowing market. “I was mowing yards for $3 when I was 12 years old, but never ever dreamed I would be cutting grass 37 years later.”
The dream turned to reality when his job as regional manager for a major food corporation just up and evaporated one day – that, after he had spent more than 30 years in the industry. As he put it, his position was the casualty of an industry that was changing and consolidating. One day he had a good-paying job with benefits, and the next ... no job, no benefits.
“I was 50 years old at the time with a wife, two daughters and a 10-year-old son,” Dorris recalls. “I needed a job, so I put my Honda riding mower, push mower and pickup truck to work and started mowing for $25 to $35 a lawn. That was the summer of 1996, and at the time I thought I was in business.”
By the end of that first year something had to change. The new contractor was making a living, but barely, and his equipment wasn’t holding up. The next year, he purchased a Deere mid-size walk-behind mower. Then, two years later, he purchased a Walker Mower.
“In 1999, my business went straight up,” Dorris relates. “It wasn’t just because the Walker Mower was more efficient and maneuverable than the commercial walk-behind. It was that and more. Having the Walker, its quality cut and ability to pick up clippings, immediately helped me upgrade my business and take on better customers.
“Not only can I do more in a day with my Walker than I could do in a week with my old Honda rider and push mower, but I can charge twice as much, too,” Dorris continues. “My minimum mowing charge is $65 a lawn and my customers know they are getting real value for their dollar.”
Plenty of Work
Today, John W. Dorris Lawn Service, located in Alpharetta, Georgia, has 65 year-round customers (primarily high-end residences) and another 35 who want their Bermuda grass properties scalped once a year or ask for a helping hand during fall cleanup. Dorris operates one crew that includes himself, a full-time employee and son, David, who works summers and semester breaks between going to school. His wife, Linda, isn’t a crew member, but she’s in charge of the financials and works by day at a nearby bank.
“Since buying our first Walker Mower, we have purchased seven others,” says Dorris. “I bought two in 2002, one for me and one for David, and then followed by trading every two years since. Our Walker of choice is the 26-hp fuel-injected model with a 42-inch GHS deck. The engine is very fuel-efficient and the deck allows us to get through backyard gates.
“I would say 99% of our mowing is done with our Walker Mowers,” Dorris goes on to say. “I use the Walker on every yard, large or small, the only exception being a terraced backyard where we are forced to employ a 21-inch JD push mower. When it comes down to it, our Walker Mowers are more than mowers; they are our livelihood.”
In an average day, Dorris and his crew knock out between 10 and 15 yards, depending on their location and proximity to home. Traffic around Alpharetta and other Atlanta suburbs can be very heavy, though. It’s not unusual for Dorris, his crew and his dog, Copper, to spend three hours of windshield time a day.
Copper is the 12-year-old family boxer. He has been making the mowing rounds since the beginning, and only misses on days when the Georgia summers get too hot for him to sit in the cab. As for his Walkers, Dorris says it was an easy decision to buy a second one when David was old enough to work full time during the summer. “I realized that if I could make money with one Walker, I could make twice as much with a second one,” he adds.
Tender Loving Care
The Dorris family lives in a 1970s tri-level home. There are two storage sheds in the backyard; one accommodates mowing equipment and another houses a vintage 1975 Honda 750 motorcycle. The larger 12’ x 24’ shed has plenty of room to store two Walker Mowers and an array of Stihl handheld equipment, several old push mowers, 14 sets of Walker Mower blades, an air compressor, and three RedMax blowers.
“Next to my Walkers, this is my most valuable piece of equipment,” says Dorris pointing to the compressor. “This little baby powers a grease gun, and I also use it to blow off my equipment at the end of every work day. I just can’t say enough about how important it is for commercial operators like myself to keep equipment in top shape. I can do most of the routine service myself. When I can’t, I either take my equipment to David Barrett Service Center here in town or to my Walker dealer, Master Mowers in Marietta.”
Dorris says that since he puts only 300 hours a year on each of two Walker Mowers and trades them every two years, they rarely see the inside of a service facility. After two years, he simply sells them to local contractors, and then treks to Master Mowers to place another order. “It all comes down to the care,” Dorris emphasizes. “I follow the service schedules and never abuse my equipment.”
Next door, in the smaller shed, he glances down at his motorcycle. “This cycle has never seen a wrench, and it has the original paint,” he says proudly. “Oh, I think I replaced the front brakes once, but that’s the only time it has been worked on. Granted, I don’t ride it nearly as much as I used to, but it’s still fun. The truth is, I don’t have much time to ride, and maybe I’m a bit more cautious than I used to be.”
This contractor may be less adventuresome in some ways, but in others it’s still full speed ahead. During summer months, he gets his crew out early to beat the heat, and mowing can last to the middle of December. There’s even work in January when properties are cleaned in preparation for the new growing season. The only time John and Linda take a true vacation is around Christmas. In between, they sneak some time to enjoy their lake property 40 miles north of Alpharetta. Even then, says Linda, her husband doesn’t really relax. Instead, he spends his time blowing leaves from a long, winding drive or otherwise doing odd jobs. Back home, the regional manager-turned-contractor doesn’t fret about having enough work.
“At this point, I’m not taking on any new customers,” says Dorris. “I could grow and put on another crew, but then I would lose some control over the quality of work. I don’t want to do that. If David wants to join me full time after he graduates, then it will be a different story. He’s getting a business degree and no doubt would harbor bigger plans for the business that I currently do. Right now, I make a decent living and am having fun doing it. What more could a person ask for?”
David doesn’t tip his hand, only to say that he’s proud of his dad and would find it very difficult to follow in his footsteps. His dad counters the compliment by saying that if his son joined the business, he wouldn’t have to walk. All he would need to do is jump on his Walker — and mow.
Site Search
