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Discussion starter · #125 ·
I got outta that place once i got a shop and 2 new dump sites in Dracut that are much better. Dave a nice guy though no offence to him. I was there a couple weeks ago dumping for a buddy when the the "big white monster" rolled in and sunk hahaha.

My goal is to make friends with the competition not enemies even though we're in the same line of work. Obviously there are the lowballer jerks who are just out to cause trouble but with the economy not so hot it helps to work as a team and get along so you dont scare away the customers and give your industry a bad reputation.

I'm workn to keep the quality and reputation at the top and not kill the price margins just to get the job. Puts the bigger guys like you outta business when the rookies come in and go to town like making caos with no knowledge on anything.

You guys must have a blast plown Uncle Bob's hahaha its a maze.

Are you still voted best in the Merrimac Valley?
Yea...that's a good outlook on the competition...we don't really get too involved with it either...there is plenty of work for everyone to go around. People get what they pay for...same with any industry. We dont have any bad blood with anyone in the area...we just keep our heads down & keep on truckin. I don't get too upset with lowballers...everyone has to start & learn somewhere...I was a lowballer back in the day...its not easy getting started...sometimes ya make bad decisions...but you learn in the end the lowballing won't get ya anywhere fast.

Uncle Bob's has gotta be one of the worst places ever to plow!!!!!! It is so super tight in there...no place to put the snow...but it makes you appreciate the better accounts when you are lucky enough to get them!

The paper that was doing the Best of thing stopped doing it...there's one up in Windham that does it now...we took third in that this year...can't complain about that
 
pro-turf, im heading out the door so i dont have a chance to read this whole thread. as soon as i get back i will read it all. very nice machines. but was it you or one of your workers that was posting pictures of your stuff awhile ago. if i remember right he said he was just a new employee. are you aware of that?
 
Thats alot of grass, in that dump. How did you get all that grass off the street?? Shovel it??
 
cant go more then 10mph at most thru uncle bobs.

guess you werent loyal to the weekly cut rule back when you were 15. little tall eh haha.


got any pics of the 08 Ford dump?


Picasso - that member who was posting pics of Pro-Turf on here is a former employee of his and actually lives down the street from me. I know him personally.
 
what ever happened to the employee? Working for you now micha?
hahaha yeah i'm paying him more, nah just kidding. although he did work on at least one big job this summer when i needed an extra guy.

He worked at a garden center and for another landscaper in town and few other places. still around. I know at one point he went back to Pro-Turf but all the positions were filled so he moved on to another co. He learned alot with those guys and still wears there shirts. More often than not when he's talkn about something he says "I learned from Pro-Turf".
 
I really like your pictures. So is that GMC back on the road now? That looks like a bad wreck. I woulda been saying some bad things if that was my axle that snapped
 
How much you paid for that ford dump, Looks like a f-350
 
Few more pics from back in the day...one when I was about 15 yrs old...:laugh:
hey, in this series of pics at 15, your in the back of your mason dump??? im assuming that one was more recent? did you start the business from scratch or buy into it??

thanks for being so open and honest about everything, doesnt seem like many on here are. you certainly seem to have all your ducks in a row and look great. im impressed. i do have a few questions and hope im not too forward, if you dont want to anwer any so be it:

1. how much are you paying employees with benefits?

2. how much is your medical plan for them(any and all info would be great)

3. how much was that garage to put up?

4. how much does each crew gross a day? a week?

ive just moved to a bigger beater setup, house with 2 shops on 7 acres (see New House/Garage/Shop pics in this forum) im trying to start my 2nd crew this year in an effort to expand. youve been so open i hope you dont mind me picking at your brain a bit. you seem like exactly the type of person i want to chat with. I completely agree with you to stick to what your good at. ive never really thought about getting into irrigation but many friends have tried to get me into hardscapes. but after comparing our gross numbers, im right their with them, maybe higher, and i dont have all the supplies to pay for or the extra equiptment ( some do maintenance and have the same mowers etc too). i dont sub out, i hand off work i dont perform. many have said i should sub it out, but work gets thrown back to me all the time. i think its easier and more honest and tell my customers that. i pass off all fert, heavy tree work, hardscapes, very large landscaping garding jobs do to a small crew. im sure ill think of some more questions and would love to shoot them off of you. thanks for any and all advice.
 
Discussion starter · #134 ·
very nice machines. but was it you or one of your workers that was posting pictures of your stuff awhile ago. if i remember right he said he was just a new employee. are you aware of that?
I was not aware of that...but I do know who it was...he is a really good kid. I'm not too worried about it...but if you ever find it pull the thread back up...I'd love to see the pics... :cool2:
 
Discussion starter · #136 ·
cant go more then 10mph at most thru uncle bobs.

guess you werent loyal to the weekly cut rule back when you were 15. little tall eh haha.

got any pics of the 08 Ford dump?
personally.
For anyone who is wonering what Uncle Bob's is...it is a Self-Storage facility that we plow...and it is a reallllly tight one!!!!!!

No pics of the 08 dump yet...I'll get on that this week once we get back to work...I love that truck! That's what I've been plowing in the last storm or two.
 
Discussion starter · #137 ·
He worked at a garden center and for another landscaper in town and few other places. still around. I know at one point he went back to Pro-Turf but all the positions were filled so he moved on to another co. He learned alot with those guys and still wears there shirts. More often than not when he's talkn about something he says "I learned from Pro-Turf".
He is an awesome kid...If I had the work for him I'd definitely bring him back...always liked him alot.
 
Discussion starter · #138 ·
I really like your pictures. So is that GMC back on the road now? That looks like a bad wreck. I woulda been saying some bad things if that was my axle that snapped
Yea...that GMC wasn't as bad as it may look...there was no frame damage...air bags never went off...it was a pretty clean hit dead center. It's still on the road...my daily driver!
 
Discussion starter · #140 ·
hey, in this series of pics at 15, your in the back of your mason dump??? im assuming that one was more recent? did you start the business from scratch or buy into it??

thanks for being so open and honest about everything, doesnt seem like many on here are. you certainly seem to have all your ducks in a row and look great. im impressed. i do have a few questions and hope im not too forward, if you dont want to anwer any so be it:

1. how much are you paying employees with benefits?

2. how much is your medical plan for them(any and all info would be great)

3. how much was that garage to put up?

4. how much does each crew gross a day? a week?
Hahaha...no I wasn't 15 in that pic on top of the dump...I was prob about 22. I was 15 in that pic where i was real skinny using that 21" mower.

Started the business from scratch...never worked for another landscape company. I did have one good friend who was in the business who would help me out by letting me pick his brain which was extremely valubale.

Our employees make anywhere from $11/hr-low $20's/hr.

As far as the medical plan...call me crazy but I honestly do not know much info on that. My secretary takes care of all of that. It's definitely not the best plan out there by any means...but its a plan...and that's better than going empty handed. If I had to guess it is prob in the $250 range per employee...we pay 50% of that.

The garage all said & done...was in the $125k-$150k range...that includes the excavation...the general construction...and getting the inside all finished off...with the mezzanine, office, electrical, truck lift, all the concrete, insulation etc etc. It was built in early 2004. We had the land...so that is not factored into the price. We also did different portions of the work ourselves to save some $$.

As far as what the crews gross...its all different depending upon what type of work they're doing. The maintenance crews are a little more predictable than say the construction crew etc. We don't have one crew that is designated to say "irrigation work" every single day...we just don't have enough of that one type of work to keep a crew going full time. Our crews are always doing something different day to day...just doing whatever the economy is allowing us to do.

Keep the questions coming...that's what these boards are all about...
 
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