Builder/Architect Magazine, Special Feature

[Adapted from] Leading Landscapers, by Kim Cooper Findling

Even if you weren't aware of it, you've probably admired one of our landscapes before -- maybe many of them. Now the largest full-service landscaping company in Central Oregon, Green Planet Inc. is leading the way in landscape maintenance and installation. The shrubs, flowers and lawns that we install and care for aren't the only things growing under our careful attention; the company is rapidly expanding as well.

Green Planet Landscape moved to Bend from Hood River six years ago. Back then, Green Planet Inc. had ten employees and and four trucks. Now we employ nearly 50 employees and have a fleet of 27 vehicles.

No job is too big or too small for the crew of Green Planet Inc., who attend to installation and maintenance of small to huge landscapes all over Central Oregon. In the winter, the company turns its efforts to snow removal and Christmas lighting. Our management believes that in central Oregon's climate, you need to be diverse to make your clients happy and to keep our employees busy.

Keeping the employees busy and happy is one of Green Planet's primary goals, and we believe that doing so has been a crucial reason behind our company's success. Green Planet isn't a dicatorship. Our company prides itself on creating an environment in which employees feel valued and appreciated. Weekly meetings bring the staff together to discuss the state of current projects, and so that the crew can make decisions together regarding the direction the company should take. Green Planet is a round table company -- all of us come together and contribute ideas to come up with the best possible solution to every challenge.

Company policy also ensures that employees know how much they are appreciated for what is generally very physical labor. Green Planet Inc. is known for trying to make things fun around the workplace. Mini-celebrations on Friday afternoons wrap up each week, and a catered end-of-season party complete with a live band rewards the employees for their commitment and hard work. A third of Green Planet's staff are seasonal; it is a testament to our company's culture that many return year after year.

Happy, hardworking employees translate into impeccable work, which leads to results that the client can see and feel. From the start, we wanted Green Planet to be a cut above similar businesses. "Setting the standard and going beyond" is our company's motto, and that paradigm is obvious to anyone who has worked with us or admired our landscapes. Green Planet employees take an extremely professional approach, all the way down to appearance. Everyone wears uniforms, and trucks are clearly marked with the company's logo.

Green Planet Inc. also prides itself on reliability. Our company's simple yet effective business approach as this: "We do what we say we will. We show up on the same day and the same time and do everything on the list and do it well." Another simple (yet unfortunately rare) policy that we adhere to is one of responsible communication. We are often told that we're one of the only contractors that simply returns phone calls.

All of this means that there are no surprises when working with Green Planet. Monitoring irrigation systems, fertilizing, weed control, mowing, edging, pruning -- it's all part of the basic contract.

In the summer, our company's busiest time, our crews keep up a busy maintenance schedule for our extensive list of commercial and residential customers, as well as install 25-30 new landscapes a month. A growing list of developers choose Green Planet Inc. exclusively for their subdivision landscaping needs, knowing that our crews are the most professional and hardworking landscapers in the region.

Another reason for such customer loyalty is our warranty. Mechanical and electrical systems are warranted for three years, plant life for one. In Central Oregon, the primary challenges when it comes to landscaping are weather and animals. Frost can occur any day of the year, and deer aren't afraid to traipse through a yard and level it in one lunch. We are able to offer a one-year warranty on plant life because we trust the nurseries we do business with, and trust our own ability to plant vegetation correctly. The warranty rarely needs to be backed up; vegetation planted by Green Planet holds a replacement rate of less than one percent. But, if need be, we will stand by our word. We treat complaints like a house on fire, and we want clients to call us for any reason, anytime.

Our business continues to grow (the summer season is usually booked by May, and new clients keep calling). We are emphatic about the fact that Green Planet, Inc. would never be the company that it is if it weren't for our employees. And while we are looking at ways to expand our business, what matters to us more than financial success is quality work and a good experience for both our employees and our clients on a daily basis. In life and in business, we are a firm believer in one adage: "It's the journey, not the destination."

Call us today at (541) 318-8411.