Building a Business Network

In tough economic times, it’s not only equipment that is being expected to perform just one task — to do everything it is capable of doing — but landscaping contractors themselves are looking for ways to set themselves apart from the competition.

For James River Grounds Management Inc. (JRGM) in Virginia, the company is always focused on delivering good value to customers, by meeting expectations and producing quality landscapes. But what really sets JRGM apart, says vice president James Batterson, is its relationships — with clients, with employees, with their community and with their equipment distributors.

Client Relationships

“We thrive on the philosophy of relationship-based sales, strong customer service focus, quality driven products and employee accountability,” says Batterson. “Much of our business is from repeat customers or referrals. Word-of-mouth has been the most effective marketing for our company.”

Batterson continues, “We do everything we can to meet customer expectations on each and every project. We empower our employees to be proactive — to take initiative and the necessary action to anticipate and meet spoken and unspoken expectations. We are goal-oriented, purposeful in our interactions and focused on our priorities.”

According to Batterson, JRGM is the largest privately held provider of landscape management services in the central Virginia region. JRGM’s portfolio of work includes all types of commercial property sites including Class A office, industrial, retail, health care and large residential communities. The company was recently recognized as the 43rd largest landscape company in the nation, 10th in the Southeast Region and one of 25 companies poised to grow.

“Commercial landscaping and maintenance is our core business, although we do offer a full package of landscape-related services,” says Batterson. “This means greater flexibility and cohesiveness at a more cost-effective price than if our customers were dealing with individual contractors. We operate out of multiple branches to be within 30 to 45 minutes of our clients. It cuts down on our crews’ travel time, and it keeps us close to respond to our customers’ specific landscaping needs.”

JRGM serves customers from eight locations in Glen Allen, Richmond, Chesterfield, Charlottesville, Tidewater, Virginia Beach, Newport News and Williamsburg, Va.

Employee Relationships

Batterson knows that in a competitive landscaping market, retaining good employees is key to best serving their customers. “We are team focused at JRGM,” says Batterson. “We appreciate what each member brings to the team, and we all work to ensure that everybody knows what a win is and how each person contributes to the team’s success.”

With a staff of more than 400 employees, workers at all levels are required to continue their education annually. JRGM’s landscape professionals hold a wide range of certifications and degrees including: Certified Landscape Professionals, Degreed Landscape Designers, Certified Arborists, Certified Irrigation Auditors, Virginia Certified Nurserymen, Certified Pesticide Applicators and Registered Technicians. In addition to being committed to continuous improvement for its team members, JRGM also is committed to raising the level of professionalism in the landscape industry.

Batterson says JRGM maintains an Equal Employment Opportunity policy and is heavily involved in, and an advocate for, a government-sponsored guest worker program. The company’s leadership also encourages employees to play active roles in industry advocacy, most notably involvement in the Professional Landcare Network (see our “Landscape Academy” feature on page 20 to learn more about that association).

Distributor Relationships

A successful landscaping company is also built on a solid partnership with its equipment distributors. “In a competitive market, the key to succeeding is to retain jobs,” says Batterson. “This means developing strong relationships and building loyalty with our equipment vendors to make sure we have the right equipment in our fleet, at the right time, to do our jobs most efficiently and effectively.”

To offer a wide variety of year-round services — from landscape design and installation to maintenance and snow removal — one relationship Batterson heavily relies on is with Tim Mathews at Mechanicsville Rental Center, a Terex compact equipment distributor, in Mechanicsville, Va.

Batterson has purchased several Terex wheel loaders from Mechanicsville to handle everyday tasks. “Because of the size and scope of JRGM, James needs equipment that offers him versatility to handle everyday tasks, but also allows his crews to work in niche applications,” says Mathews. “James is a very savvy customer — he does his research before he purchases, and he looks to us to provide him with high-end, quality equipment that incorporates the latest technology. Terex loaders have all of the features and benefits that we knew James would like.”

A wheel loader is an ideal choice for landscaping applications when an operator needs a higher payload and larger bucket capacity than a compact loader offers. Higher horsepower means more dynamic force for pushing and production. And the loader’s operating capacity, including tipping load and lift capacities, is important because the wheel loader needs to be able to handle the materials to be moved. The weight of the material and how quickly it needs to be moved will also influence the size of the bucket — the bigger the bucket, the bigger the loader.

Features offered on compact wheel loaders like an articulating center point, oscillating rear axles and rear-mounted engines also give these wheel loaders an advantage on jobsites over other types of loaders. The wider and longer wheelbase offers outstanding stability in all ground conditions, as well as a smooth ride for the operator over rough terrain. And, a wheel loader’s hydrostatic drive system provides infinitely variable speed control, giving these machines the ability to easily adapt to a wide variety of tasks. These features offer operators a combination of speed and maneuverability, particularly in space-restrictive and sensitive-turf environments.

“Wheel loaders are a good fit for the production work James’ crews need to accomplish every day — from moving mulch in the summer to pushing snow in the winter,” says Mathews. “Productivity is very important to James. We recommended these wheel loaders because they are faster to operate and can move more materials quickly.”

Equipped with a light-material bucket, Batterson’s crews use their Terex wheel loaders to move and load more than 100 yards of mulch per day around their facility, as well as on customer jobsites, including snow removal during the off-season. Batterson’s crews often switch out to pallet fork attachments, enabling them to use their wheel loaders in forklift operations. It’s these wheel loaders’ ability to work with a variety of different attachments that really allow them to excel in landscaping applications. Terex wheel loaders, for example, come equipped with a universal skid steer loader quick-attach system, letting them marry up with skid steer and compact track loader attachments, including sweepers, forks, rotary drums, snow blades, fork grapples, tree movers, augers, lift hooks and a variety of buckets.

Batterson also notes that he picked the wheel loader models that had a compact size and light footprint. “We can haul these loaders behind a pick-up truck without requiring special permits,” says Batterson. “And, they do not leave marks or tracks when working on finished surfaces like asphalt.

“Choosing a loader for production work isn’t as simple as choosing the loader with the most horsepower,” finishes Batterson. “We need machines with versatility to handle many different jobs. Mechanicsville works with us, understanding our business and our project work, to best determine what equipment best fits our needs.”

Amber Reed is a technical writer with Performance Marketing, based in West Des Moines, Iowa.