Taming the HOA Tiger

The Clarks have done it almost exclusively with Walker Mowers and employees who take ownership of them.

The Krew Cuts family and their first Walker Mower purchased in 2000. Troy and Kristyn with (L to R) sons Zachary, Maddox, and Tyler.

Homeowners Associations (HOAs) are among the most difficult accounts to maintain for landscapers. Even though there’s usually only one point of contact, the HOA Board or the property manager, individual homeowners often want their “say” and communicate directly with the landscape contractor. Boards are often very cost conscious, trying to juggle landscaping with a myriad of other expenses. In addition, board members come and go, as do the property managers who often act as a liaison between the board and service providers, so developing relationships can be very difficult.

When working with an HOA, the challenge is to tame the tiger. That’s something Troy and Kristyn Clark have been doing for more than 20 years. The owners of Krew Cuts Lawn and Landscape, LLC in Greeley, CO offer full-service landscape maintenance exclusively to HOAs. They do it, working with seven property managers, 33 different HOA Boards, 19 Walker Mowers and only eight full-time employees.

GAME CHANGER

Kristyn and Troy grew up in nearby Fort Lupton and both attended the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Needing a way to pay for college, Troy suggested mowing lawns, and they did for four years. They picked up a few yards in their hometown and started cold calling in Greeley. By the end of their freshman year, they were mowing 25 to 30 small residential properties.

The Clark’s son Zachary enjoys the Walker Mowers for their ability to mulch larger turf areas.

“We didn’t have a normal college life,” Kristyn recalled. “I paid for our first mower with my college scholarship, and when not attending classes, we were mowing lawns and working our other jobs as well.”

The year 2000 was huge for them. They graduated, were married, purchased their first home and received a big break from a property management company to maintain an HOA in Greeley. The couple also bought their first Walker Mower, a 26hp EFI with a 48-inch GHS deck and a 62-inch side-discharge deck.

“I don’t remember exactly how much we paid for the mower and decks, but it was more than $10,000,” said Troy. “It was a lot of money for us, but we knew we needed it to maintain the HOA to their expectations.”

“I call the Walker Mower a game changer,” added Kristyn. “It allowed us to get that first property, which we still maintain 19 years later. We knew it was very versatile with the two decks, and its cut exceeded homeowner expectations.”

Over the next few years, Krew Cuts gravitated away from the residential market and more toward HOAs. By 2008, the company was working exclusively with HOA property managers, providing a variety of landscape maintenance services for their clients.

“At the time, we had 70 accounts we maintained during the week and spent every weekend for three years installing landscapes for the hot housing market,” Kristyn recalled. “When the recession hit, our customers went from hiring several contractors to asking one contractor to provide full-service for them. The HOAs wanted one point of contact to include irrigation maintenance and installation, fertilizer application, pesticide and herbicide control, pruning, snow removal, and other services.”

Troy immediately went to work to earn all the required licenses, and he became a Certified Landscape Technician (CLT) through the Colorado Landscape Association. By the following year, most if not all their maintenance contracts were inclusive, and they still are today.

ALWAYS BE PREPARED

In 2008, Krew Cuts also purchased its first Super B. By then, their Walker Mower fleet had grown to eight, and with all-inclusive contracts, they became even more valuable.

“We collected grass and leaves with the GHS decks and used the mulching decks for mowing larger turf areas,” said Troy. “I even designed, fabricated and put into use a couple 60-inch snow blades for them, along with a sprayer/spreader attachment.”

They were saving time and labor with their mowers, and bidding became easier and more exact because they were predictable, remarked Kristyn.

“When bidding an HOA, I never struggled with estimating how much time it would take to mow the property,” she said. “We could get the job done with more quality and efficiency, and our price was very competitive, falling generally midpoint between the highest and lowest bidders.”

Ironically, saving time is one of the reasons Krew Cuts has so many different Walker Mowers and attachments today.

Krew Cuts versatile Walker Mowers collect grass and leaves with GHS Decks as employees Jayden Howell (left) and Matt Lutters demonstrate.

“Even though changing decks is easy, we didn’t want our crews taking time to do it,” Troy explained. “So today, we virtually have a mower for every type of job. Pruning crews have catch mowers. Mowing crews have mulchers for summer and catch mowers for spring and fall. Snow crews have mowers set up with snow tires, light kits and blades.

“Having so many Walker Mowers also allows us to have a backup for a backup, and that ensures we’re always prepared for most contingencies,” he said. “We felt that by employing the Walker Mower’s versatility, i.e., having snow blade and sprayer-spreader attachments, dethatchers, and brooms, this would make it unnecessary to purchase other different equipment down the road. In other words, we thought we might as well make use of the equipment we had, and we did.”

Saving costs and providing a better-looking end-product are two ways to help tame the HOA tiger. Troy also confesses to never being able to say no, which gives new meaning to “full-service.”

“There’s virtually nothing we won’t do,” he said. “We pour concrete, build fences, design landscapes and more. Being versatile gives our employees full time, year-round work and simplifies the life for the property manager and HOA Board.”

He also maps out every irrigation system he installs and maintains. If a call comes in about an issue, Troy needs only to look at a map and see the likely source and repair it in a fraction of the time it would typically take.

Removing snow is a big part of the equation for all-inclusive contracts, not so much from a revenue point of view, but from a time and equipment commitment, noted Kristyn.

“We equip our four Super Bs with snow blades, two with the 60-inch redesigned Boss blades and two with Walker factory blades,” she said. “Five Bs and three GHS mowers also have factory blades. The mowers clear drives quickly and safely, allowing us to clear snow from all our HOAs within six hours of a snowfall stopping. This is how we keep our clients.”

BEHIND THE SCENES

What’s the old saying, not having a plan is planning to fail? The Clarks have a strategic plan in place to ensure properties are maintained in a timely fashion and retain that expected manicured look. It starts with their Walker Mowers, but it doesn’t end there. Troy, who maintains all the company’s equipment, starts each day at 4 a.m., removing and sharpening all mower blades.

“You can tell the difference,” he emphasizes.

Having backup mowers and working ahead when the weather dictates helps the company keep on schedule. The company always knows the forecast and will work ahead so weather never puts them behind. Their policy not to take on additional work throughout the year helps to ensure they don’t overbook and will stay on schedule. If an HOA is dissatisfied with its current service provider, it will have to wait for the following year for Krew Cuts to submit a bid.

In the winter, Troy uses his Walker mower to push snow, as shown here with one of his 60-inch redesigned Boss blades.

Kristyn noted that having reliable subcontractors for specialized services, such as trenching, installing curbing, and excavating, is critical to being successful in the HOA all-inclusive arena.

“We have two subs that have worked with us for the last 19 years, JC Underground and Wamsley Construction,” she said. “They are the best of the best, and our HOA management companies know they can trust them.

“Last but not least is the most important element, having great employees. Our employees are extended family,” Kristyn said. “We want the people we work with to feel secure. We dedicate a lot of time and attention to providing work to keep them employed full-time, year-round. They are reliable, they take pride in their job, and they have a desire to grow as industry professionals. They also know there is nothing that we would ask them to do that we have not and will not do ourselves.”

Added Troy, “When employees have the best equipment available, they can do the best job possible with greater ease. Beyond the equipment they operate, our employees drive clean, well-kept trucks and trailers. They are also given Krew Cuts uniforms, and they can earn certifications and licenses if they choose, paid for by the company.”

So how does one tame the HOA tiger? For Krew Cuts, it requires following a plan that saves the HOA money and provides a product and level of service second to none. The Clarks have done it almost exclusively with their Walker Mowers and employees who take ownership of them.