Four days a week, B.J. Godfrey repairs equipment for an area landscape contractor. Then on Friday, Saturday and Sunday he operates his own equipment, maintaining 23 properties in and around Acworth, Georgia. In between, he plays drums for three bands. Busy, you say? Absolutely. And in all three cases—repairing equipment, making music and mowing lawns—he’s doing something he loves.
Godfrey started his company, Riverbend Landscape, in 2009. Five years later, he continues to grow a customer base, along with a reputation for doing quality work. “Mowing and maintaining properties is very competitive around here,” Godfrey remarks. “To survive, you have to be different and offer something other landscape contractors don’t. That’s where my two Walker Mowers come in. They deliver a quality cut that my customers love, and they do it efficiently.”
This weekend warrior purchased his first Walker Mower in 2012. “A longtime friend, Michael Kennedy, was helping me on weekends,” Godfrey recalls. “He told me that since I maintained mostly high-end properties, a Walker Mower was just what I needed. Well, I was skeptical, but I demoed one, liked the way it handled and cut, and purchased an MT26 with a 42-inch GHS deck.”
Godfrey laughs. “You know, I like to make money and I like to put a smile on my customers’ faces. That first mower helped me do both. After 30 days, I was getting comments about how lawns were looking totally different, better, and I was saving time.”
It wasn’t long before Godfrey added what he calls his ‘Swiss Army Knife’ to the trailer, an 18-hp Model MB with a 42-inch mulching deck. “The MB is light and maneuverable, and it handles hills very easily,” he explains. “I can use it to replace my mid-size walk-behind on most of my properties, except where the hills are too steep or the properties too small, and it saves so much time.
“Just as an example, it was taking me 6.5 hours to mow my church’s property using a combination of an Exmark Lazer Z, mid-size walk behind, and a push mower,” Godfrey continues. “With the MB, I was able to shave two hours off that time by eliminating almost all the push mowing and most of the extra trimming.”
Mechanically minded
Godfrey admits that he loves his toys and working on them. Before getting involved in the landscape industry, he worked at a marina where, as he puts it, he spent more hours standing on his head than he liked repairing inboard engines.
Serious about the equipment he uses, Godfrey says he has spent roughly $75,000 over the years looking for the right equipment for his applications, again mostly high-end residential properties. He gestures at one property. “This time of year, Bermuda grass is dormant, but that doesn’t mean customers don’t want to keep it maintained and looking nice. Short of taking a reel mower off the trailer, nothing will leave a lawn looking better than my Walker Mowers.”
In addition to his two Walker Mowers, the 14-foot trailer has enough room for his mid-size Exmark, a Billy Goat vac and wheel blower, and an array of mostly Echo handheld tools. During the growing season, Godfrey replaces the leaf removal equipment with a couple of smaller Exmark walk-behinds. His truck features a box equipped with a Billy Goat debris loader. “It looks kind of red-necky now,” says Godfrey, referring to the box, “but I’ll fix that up this winter.”
Godfrey puts all the tools to good work, especially in the fall when leaves can be a nuisance to property owners. “Every week (in the fall) I blow leaves from the flower beds onto the lawn where I pick them up with the GHS deck. I also prune and trim as needed and provide landscape services.
“I keep the grass about 2.5 inches high during the winter,” Godfrey continues. “It looks dead, but the roots are very much alive. In the spring, I will scalp it down to an inch or so and then bring it up gradually, again to around 2 inches or more.”
Godfrey emphasizes that every piece of equipment he owns has a reason for being on his trailer. They perform well and provide the dual purpose of making his customers smile and providing a reasonable profit so he can continue to grow his business.
Also helping him is his dealer, Howard Brothers in nearby Doraville. “They do an awesome job for me,” Godfrey exclaims.
“My dream back in 2008 was to have a business of my own one day,” Godfrey shifts gears to say. “Now, my goal is to one day have enough work to quit my day job. Already, my Fridays and Saturdays are totally filled with weekly customers. Sundays aren’t quite as busy since I save that day for bi-weekly customers. When that day comes and I look for a crew leader, I want someone who understands horticulture and can help grow my business.”
It goes without saying that this individual will also learn how to operate Walker Mowers. “They’re different,” Godfrey adds, “but that’s part of what makes them special, and helps to separate your business from that of the competition.” It’s a drum beat his customers have come to appreciate.
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