It'll be a dry future in more ways than one in the landscape contracting business for the rest of this year and in 2011 in San Diego, according to ValleyCrest Landscape Development.

The Calabasas-based company, which says it is the largest landscape contractor nationally with 10,000 employees and nearly $940 million in annual sales, has nearly $16.7 million in active contracts in San Diego County and $32 million San Diego revenues this year, 10 percent of the total for California. The company established its local office in 1969 and currently has 350 employees.

But most of the projects here are government or institutional jobs and only a handful are in the once booming residential and commercial market.

"It's very competitive," said Vince Germann, San Diego regional manager and senior vice president. "A lot of contractors that were doing developer work turned their sights on the public sector, as well. We've had to compete with that as well as deliver a quality product."

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