Seven years ago, readers of Walker Talk, Volume 36, saw an image of Elmer Groom, owner of Jacksonville, Florida-based Groom Gardens, doing the Walker Wave. Well, he’s still at it on that same property. In addition, the veteran landscape contractor continues to mow and maintain the 20-acre Pilot Pen headquarters facility he’s had for 20 years.
Elmer Groom, owner of Groom Gardens, is still proudly doing the Walker Wave.
“Not much changed over the last several years,” said Groom. “The biggest change is going from a three- to a two-man crew. Right now, I guess you can say I have a one-man crew, myself, until I find a new employee to replace the one that left a couple of weeks ago.”
This Walker user emphasized that finding and keeping labor is an ongoing struggle. With the large Pilot Pen property and 38 residential properties, he’s putting in more than a few extra hours a week on his 23-HP Walker Mower and its 52-inch side-discharge deck. A 48-inch GHS deck especially comes in handy for fall leaf collection.
How does Groom get so much done by himself in the hot and humid Florida weather? Certainly, the Walker Mower helps, but even then, in his words, “I have to pace myself.”
Read the original story, 'Doing the Walker Wave'
Site Search
